In many aspects our economy has continued to improve since the 2008 financial crisis. That being said, we have still seen peaks and valleys and the only certainty seems to be uncertainty. As such, many Facility Managers are still pushed to find lower cost office cleaning services as a result of tight budgets and the near continual drive for cost saving measures. One good cost saving option is outsourcing your commercial cleaning services. Not only will outsourcing help reduce costs, it can also significantly improve the quality of cleaning as well as reduce the overall workload in your facility. 

Making the choice to outsource commercial cleaning can be a significant one. Outsourcing isn’t a one and done solution for fixing all the problems that can plague your office cleaning, and outsourcing your janitorial services does not guarantee competency, professionalism or responsiveness. However, choosing the right Michigan commercial cleaning company can be a great way to protect your facilities reputation, reduce operation costs, and improve energy and waste efficiency by taking advantage of individual or integrated cleaning solutions. How can outsourcing your office cleaning benefit you and your facility?

1- The Price is Right for Outsourcing Office Cleaning

Making the choice to outsource your cleaning services will change your bottom line in a number of significant ways. First, there are immediate benefits as a professional janitorial service provider can cut down cleaning time while increasing what actually gets done. Similarly, you commercial cleaning company will have more optimal pricing on equipment, supplies, and other goods. Finally, the costs of recruiting, screening, hiring, training, and administration are all cut. The time and cost of all these administrative actions as well as paying for healthcare and employee verification are all tasked to your commercial cleaning company in Michigan.

2 - Outsourcing Your Building’s Cleaning Will Improve The Cleanliness Of Your Facility

The right commercial office cleaning company focuses on a specific task, the cleaning and maintenance of your facility. As such, many of these companies can offer cleaning at a level that isn’t possible if that isn’t the core of your business. Taking care of cleaning in your facility yourself isn’t a good way to keep your facility clean. It is essentially running a completely different business within the business you are already running. Too much divided attention, too many divided resources. Further, is it your life’s ambition to run a commercial cleaning company? If the answer is no, then outsourcing your labor to a competitive, professional commercial cleaner is the best way to keep your facility clean and your energy focused on the core elements of YOUR business. Likewise, larger more experienced companies can offer more cleaning solutions as well as accommodate most needs without thinking twice.

3 - Value is Key, and Outsourcing Cleaning Adds Value

A professional cleaning company is responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of all their supplies and equipment. They have the purchasing power and scale to get value for each purchase and upgrade allowing them to use better products, better equipment, all that deliver quality, efficiency and value to you the customer.

4 - Outsourcing Building Maintenance Can Make Life Easier

As with so many facilities, your needs likely shift throughout the year and you may experience peak and down times. A janitorial company that is a good fit for your facility will have a large employee base that can be ramped up or ramped down as your needs change. Most competent janitorial service providers in Michigan also have trained floaters that keep coverage uniform even if employees take time off or are sick.

5 – Don’t Use Employees to Clean That Weren’t Hired For Cleaning

If you shift cleaning responsibility to employees that were hired for something else to manage your cleaning, you’ll find that often work goes unfinished, is poorly done, or that employee turnover rates increase. Having your employees manage cleaning will almost always result in unhappy employees and an unclean facility. The person hired for admin work has no interest in cleaning bathrooms. Not only will the work most certainly suffer, morale will take a direct hit.

6 - Outsourcing Cleaning Services Moves Liability And Insurance Costs From You To Your Commercial Cleaning Company

As in any industry, with cleaning and janitorial, there are specific liabilities associated with janitorial jobs. As such, you need to insure you are protected against exposure and litigation. Outsourcing your commercial office cleaning shifts this responsibility to your janitorial service provider. Just be certain to confirm adequate coverage. Any professional office cleaning company can easily, quickly provide this to you.

7 - Management Intensive Duties Are Wasting Your Time

Choosing to outsource your janitorial cleaning service will reduce work for you. When you switch the responsibility of staffing, training, maintaining standards, finding supplies, and equipment repair among many other time consuming tasks becomes your contractor’s allowing you to put your time, focus and attention were it is needed most.

8 - Your Not Just Getting A Cleaner, Your Getting A Company That Can Help All Around Your Facility

The most highly skilled, professional building services contractors have a menu of other services that you can utilize as needed from minor facilities repair to carpet cleaning. These extras like plumbing, HVAC and commercial handyman services can come in handy when you have a need. Save yourself the time of searching for a reputable, affordable contractor and get the work budgeted, planned and executed with a contractor you already trust.

9 - Outsourcing Office Cleaning Adds Up to More Professional Services

Choosing to outsource your office cleaning services to a professional means that you can have more cleaning done better and in less time. Effective commercial cleaners take advantage of advanced industry methods to make sure you get the highest quality cleaning in the least amount of time. Whether it be industry specific such as industrial cleaning, medical office cleaning, school cleaning, or green cleaning solutions, your commercial office cleaning service can help you keep your facility in tip-top condition.

10 - Your Facility Needs You To Manage, Not To Be Bogged Down With Cleaning & Maintenance Scheduling

Most of the Facility Managers we know have pretty full dance cards. With all of the things that need to be managed in your facility, how great is it to be able to offload the office cleaning to a trusted contractor? When you contract with a professional, effective, commercial cleaning company, you are allowing yourself to put focus where it is needed most.  Of course, to take advantage of outsourcing, you need to choose an office cleaning service that is right for you and your facility. Not every company can be a fit for every facility, but when you find the right janitorial cleaning company and outsource this labor intensive part of building maintenance, you’ll find that facility maintenance becomes much easier to manage so that you can get back to doing what you do best.

With an uncertain economy, building owners and management companies continue to look for cost saving measures throughout their operations. Rarely do reduced budgets come with reduced responsibility. The directive of course, is figure out how to do the same or more with less. In an attempt to get essential services covered while reducing costs, many facilities are looking at outsourcing janitorial services as a workable, livable cost cutting solution. There are good reasons to outsource cleaning. Not only can outsourcing janitorial services save you money, outsourcing cleaning can help stabilize costs, enhance overall service, safeguard your building’s assets and reduce your workload. Outsourcing janitorial and cleaning services to a professional Building Services Company can secure value for your organization by reducing operating costs while continuing to keep your facility safe, clean and comfortable.

Janitorial Outsourcing Can Improve Your Bottom Line

Outsourcing facilities services to a professional janitorial company saves you money in a number of ways. First, you benefit from the immediate cost savings as a janitorial company will likely get much more done in much less time. Second, an established medium to large janitorial company gets big discounts via their purchase power on equipment, supplies, paper goods, trash liners and more. Third, there are significant savings involved when you pass the employee recruiting, screening, hiring, training and managing over to your janitorial contractor through outsourced janitorial services. Think about the time and management required with payroll, benefits administration, health care, employee status verification and other labor intensive tasks associated with having your own part time orfull time employees. Cost is what you pay, value is what you get. When you outsource your janitorial services to the right building services contractor, you get much more value for your dollar. With an experienced janitorial company, services are simply going to better and cheaper, it is just a part of their operations and business, it IS their business.

Janitorial Outsourcing Improves The Quality Of Your Building Maintenance

Anything you do over and over again you naturally get better at. Building maintenance and janitorial services are no exception. Sure, you can manage in-house janitorial but do you really want to? Outsource janitorial and everything gets a little easier. Handling your cleaning and maintenance in house is like running a business within a business. Do you want to learn the ins and outs of another business beyond your own in order to get everything you need from it or do you want to pass along the work and responsibility to a professional janitorial company for whom this is their focus? The reality is that the quality will always be better with a commercial maintenance company. It’s simply their core business and as such gets all of their important resources directed at it like training, equipment, technology to create efficiencies and keep everyone on track and more. Can the same be said for your in-house cleaning service?

Managing Your Own In-House Janitorial Service & The Headaches That Go With It

You can have an in-house cleaning service but is that the business you really want to be in? Because if you don’t manage it as a business within your business, it isn’t likely to work. Outsourcing your janitorial services eliminates the problems that can come with using your employees to handle cleaning and maintenance. Think about the significant costs in both time and money that come with managing a team. First, nothing scales because training you acquire, equipment you purchase and more is used in one place, yours. Unlike your professional janitorial company, you don’t get to benefit from the income generated by the use of acquired equipment, products or training in a number of other facilities. So not only are you at a disadvantage here, there are other disadvantages that are likely to create headaches for you as a Facility Manager. Think about it, when you have a cleaning employee versus a cleaning contractor, you have:

• Direct payroll expenses 
• Direct supervision expense
• Employee turnover & retraining
• Employee Vacations & Absences
• Cost of equipment, cleaning products & supplies
• Cost to maintain equipment
• Payroll taxes
• Medical insurance, liability insurance & workers comp
• Workers comp claim affecting premium costs

Getting More Responsive Service From A Professional Janitorial Company

Worried about coverage during times that are particularly busy for you? Not sure how to handle facility maintenance when your in house cleaners are absent or ill? Professional janitorial services companies have both enough customers and a large enough cache of employees to shift labor hours when and where you need them most. They also are more likely to have well trained floaters ready and waiting to step in should your regular cleaner or cleaning team be out. With a commercial cleaning company, especially a really good one, service is far more likely to be seamless and attuned to the needs of your individual facility.  

Liability And Insurance Requirements Are Shifted To Your Commercial Cleaning Company

When you manage your cleaning and janitorial in-house, you also take on all of the associated liabilities. As in most industries, cleaning and janitorial come with specific liabilities associated with the work. When you contract with a reputable, professional building services company, you shift these responsibilities to them. Your janitorial company will insure their own employees and if they are really good, they will even add you or the facility owner to their contractor's policy shielding you from third party litigation. Again, it’s the idea of a business within a business. A company focused on janitorial as their core business is always going to be able to perform better and cheaper. It is the nature of specialization.

Management Duties Are Now The Responsibility Of Your Janitorial Services Company

What already overtaxed Facility Manager really wants more to manage? When you outsource your commercial cleaning to the right contractor, you shift a great deal of the headaches, major and minor, to them. All elements of the management of your maintenance becomes the responsibility of your contractor. So pieces like hiring, training, procurement, equipment maintenance and repair and other time consuming duties shift to your janitorial services company leaving you free to focus your attention where it is needed most.

Integrated Facility Solutions Means Less Work For You 

If you partner with an experienced, professional building services company with integrated facility solutions, it’s a win win for both of you. When your building services contractors has a menu of other services, like HVAC, electrical, plumbing, carpet cleaning and more, you can use as you need them without either having to handle it in house or contract with yet another company to get the work done. Save yourself the time of searching for a proficient, reputable, affordable contractor and get the work budgeted, planned and executed with your existing contractor. If you already trust your commercial cleaning company and have vetted their prices, offloading another maintenance task to them will be much easier than vetting a new, added contractor.

Get Better Cleaners With Superior Training, More Effective Products And Improved Equipment

When you outsource your cleaning and janitorial to a pro, you get better results in less time. A professional janitorial and cleaning company is more likely to use advanced and effective methods to get the work done right. They likely benefit from more exhaustive and specialized training. And they are likely using newer, more effective equipment that is better maintained. Even the options for green cleaning programs become much more viable when contracting with a janitorial services company

Compare Apples To Apples When Looking At The Cost Of Outsourcing Janitorial Services

For most Facility Managers, the truth is it usually comes down to numbers. Does outsourcing your cleaning and maintenance save you money or cost you money. Don’t make the mistake of comparing the Full Service of a commercial cleaning company with little more than your payroll expense. If you want to compare outsourcing janitorial and an in-house cleaning service in an apples to apples way, you have to look deeper. With in-house commercial cleaning you have

• Payroll expense
• Direct supervision expense
• Employee hiring, training & turnover
• Employee Vacations & Absences
• Cost of equipment,cleaning chemicals, & cleaning supplies
• Cost to maintain equipment
• Payroll taxes
• Benefits administration
• Scheduling and vacation
• Insurance & worker’s Comp

These all add significant costs in both time and money. Add those up and then compare to the all inclusive price you get from a prospective janitorial contractor and it is easy to see where the better value lies.

Is Your Commercial Building Maintenance Threatening to Overwhelm You?

Commercial building maintenance is not for the feint of heart. Between ongoing preventive maintenance and putting out the occasional and not so occasional fires, if you go it alone, your facility maintenance can quickly overwhelm even the best Facility Manager. When your ‘to do’ list becomes ‘to do’ lists, and tasks are accumulating faster than you can tackle them, it’s time to consider the help of a commercial handyman service. Regular maintenance and preventative maintenance assure your building is optimally maintained. Likewise, day-to-day facility maintenance issues can overwhelm your schedule with calls, site visits, estimates and more, leaving little room for your other important responsibilities. Contracting your commercial building maintenance to a professional handyman service can not only free up your time to focus on other things, it can save you money while keeping your building in great shape.

The Right Commercial Handyman Service Is Like Having Your Own All Star Team

One of the many challenges as a Facility Manager is finding the right people to do the work when something goes wrong or needs attention in your facility. Contracting with individual plumbing companies, electricians, HVAC techs and so on means finding, qualifying, managing and paying multiple separate businesses. With the right commercial handyman services, you get your own team of highly qualified maintenance technicians. These technicians come highly qualified with experience in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general building maintenance and more. With the right technicians, your handyman service can offer premier building maintenance, managing most issues as they come up and even attending to preventive maintenance so you can catch small issues before they become major, costly problems.

Commercial Handyman Services Give You The Help You Need

The right commercial handyman service works closely with you and your facility. Your needed work is their priority. No more long service waits, missed appointments, reschedules and unnecessary delays. When you contract with a premier building maintenance company, you form a relationship with your commercial handyman or team of maintenance technicians operating like your very own A-Team, doing the work need done with just a little guidance from you. Are you wondering if a commercial handyman service might be the right fit for your facility? Maybe you worry that you don’t have enough work for a whole service or maybe you worry you have too much. Among the benefits of a commercial handyman service is that you can adjust your services to fit your individual facility needs. Some companies require continual maintenance at multiple facilities while other companies may require a once a week visit to tackle ongoing issues as they come up or even as needed help. The right commercial facility maintenance company has the staffing and flexibility to give you exactly the services you need without paying for services you don’t.

Get Premier Building Maintenance & Get Back On Track

Ongoing maintenance and preventative maintenance can overwhelm the best of us, and yet, a commercial handyman service can help you get to all of the little and not so little fixes that can add up, stress you out and even diminish a building’s value. With the right commercial handyman service, you can create a maintenance schedule and preventive maintenance plan that works best for your facility. Likewise, having a solid plan for repairs, fixes and installations will help you budget and forecast more easily and stay on track with those budgets while keeping your facility well maintained.

Finding A Professional Handyman Capable of Servicing YOUR Facility

While there is no shortage of maintenance companies, finding the right company can be challenging. Building services companies that are really up for the job of partnering with you in the maintenance of your facility will have a few important qualities you should look for. First, your maintenance company must have really good people. With a service business, you are really only as good as your team. What does your prospective commercial handyman services company do to attract, screen, hire, train, retain and manage the best technicians? Do they conduct consistent, reliable drug and criminal background check screening? Do they provide the training, management and incentives to drive reliability through accountability? Likewise, even with great technicians, if your commercial maintenance company doesn’t operate with great communication in place, service is bound to suffer. So how does your prospective building maintenance company handle problems when they arise? Do they have procedures in place to manage issues? Do they have a formal process for communicating with you the customer when you need help? Do they offer transparent pricing so you can compare their services to other companies and be clear about what you are getting and what you're paying for it? Asking a few probing questions upfront can save you the hassle of partnering with a building services contractor who is simply not up to the job.

The Right Handyman Services Can Make a World of Difference

Make your job as a facilities manager significantly more manageable, enlist the help of a commercial handyman service. Tackle big jobs and small jobs with ease knowing you have a true partner and your own A-Team of trained, experienced technicians. Shorten your to do list and keep your building and its assets properly maintained. Whether you need electrical, plumbing or HVAC or you need furniture assembled, shelves or televisions installed and mounted, patch and painting and so much more, a commercial handyman service can keep your building in good shape and be a sanity and time saver for you.

Here at Stathakis, we provide commercial cleaning and commercial handyman services to the following Southeastern Michigan Counties: Genesee County, Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Monroe County, Wayne County, Macomb County, St. Clair County. We offer effective, professional facility services to the cities of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Farmington Hills, Dearborn, Farmington, Livonia, Plymouth, Downriver, Royal Oak, Southfield, Troy, Auburn Hills, Novi and more. For more information on our services and how we can help you, please contact us at 1-800-278-1884.

As a Facility Manager, you likely have a ‘to do’ list a mile long. Along with your regular day to day duties, problems arise and it doesn’t take long before a small issue can turn into a big problem with an even bigger price tag. If your goal is to minimize hassles and save money, you need to plan ahead with preventative building maintenance. Sure, the thought of tackling preventive maintenance with so many balls in the air can seem futile, but one of the surest ways to get a handle on your work load is to plan ahead. Plan ahead with preventative maintenance and it will pay dividends in the long run. Your building maintenance plan becomes intentional and streamlined when you plan ahead and the right building services company can help you come up with a plan that is reasonable, affordable and sure to shorten your to do list and reduce the challenges that come with putting out fires.

I’m Not Sure I Can Afford Preventive Maintenance?

Preventive building maintenance is not unlike other preventive measures we take. For example, a twenty-five dollar oil change can prevent a $3000 engine repair. And a routine teeth cleaning can prevent much more costly future dental repairs. There is an upfront cost in money and time, but the overall savings is significant. The costs involved with preventive asset maintenance is money well spent. A building that gets regular preventive maintenance experiences less downtime, which leads to happier occupants. But beyond that, there is money saved from reduced energy usage, less lost productivity from unexpected failures and service headaches. Timely preventative maintenance will cost far less than last minute, high season emergency calls. For instance, scheduling routine maintenance for building A/C off season will likely cost less than an emergency service call on the hottest day of the summer. Similarly, preventive maintenance maintains the value and lifespan of costly building assets. Not only will planning ahead cost less over the long run and protect building assets, a building that is operating optimally sends the message you as a Facility Manager are skilled at planning and managing.

Pulling Together Your Preventive Building Maintenance Plan

Preventive building maintenance is intended to prevent failures, plan service when it is most convenient and cost-effective, reduce unplanned for equipment failures and maintain and extend the lifespan of building assets. The right building maintenance company can work with you to create a preventative building maintenance plan that prevents failures, schedules maintenance for convenience and savings, reduces the likelihood of unscheduled equipment outages, eliminates or diminishes unexpected, expensive emergency maintenance and extends the usable lifespan of your facility’s assets. A well thought out Preventive Maintenance Plan should include the following three basic components: budget, job’s plan task for each asset and have skilled technicians to perform assigned. In both the planning and the execution phase of your building maintenance plan, a commercial building maintenance company or Commercial handyman service can be exceedingly useful. You can opt for on site building maintenance, multi-facility maintenance or on demand, as needed maintenance, whatever method suits the size, need and budge constraints of your facility.

Where Do I Find Time For Preventive Building Maintenance?

It can be absolutely daunting to try to plan scheduled preventative maintenance when you are already beyond busy. This is why outsourcing building maintenance to a reputable, professional facilities maintenance company can help you get ahead of the fires and plan maintenance without overcrowding your already full plate. If you fail to plan your maintenance ahead of time, you throw yourself into a constant battle of putting out fires. You simply get so busy putting out fires that you put off preventive building maintenance and in so doing, create your next fire to put out. Preventive building maintenance helps you break that chaotic cycle. You must make scheduling preventive maintenance a part of how you work and manage your facility. We all understand the challenges of planning ahead, but it is critical to getting proactive rather than reactive. Repeating this reactionary cycle reduces the lifespan of building assets, creates more work for you, significantly more hassle and eats away at your bottom line.

Professional Facility Maintenance Services Can Be A Real Ally

Planning is great, working ahead is wise but in this business, there will always be things that come up in spite of our best planning. Add to that the fact that sometimes it’s difficult to know precisely how much labor you need and when you are going to need it. Additionally, if you handle building maintenance in-house, there is the added cost of employees, equipment acquisition, storage and maintenance and more. More often than not, partnering with a building maintenance company or using a commercial handyman service offers the best solution to the changing needs of your facility. Even seasoned Facility Managers can become overwhelmed with the amount of work generated by their facility. A professional commercial handyman service can help you deal with day-to-day issues before they escalate into bigger, more expensive issues. When you partner with a qualified commercial handyman service, they can help you customize a maintenance schedule that works for your facility. Repairs, fixes and installations can be planned, forecast, budgeted for and scheduled. Likewise, no matter which plan or option you choose, you will have a building services contractor at the ready when the unexpected happens. Choose a commercial handyman service or commercial building maintenance company that offers a great deal of services and your days of calling new contractors and hoping they show up and don’t gouge you is over.

Choosing a Partner to Help Manage Your Building Maintenance

Maybe you know that partnering with a professional maintenance company or commercial handyman is the direction you should go in but you aren’t sure where to start. Perhaps you are unsure if you even have enough work for a building maintenance contractor or maybe you are worried you have too much work for a single company. It could be that you are still worried about whether there is enough money in the budget to warrant outsourcing parts of your building maintenance. You don’t have to know what you need to enlist the help of a professional. A commercial building maintenance company or commercial handyman services will tailor the work to fit your facility and your budget. Maybe you need regular daily maintenance at multiple facilities or perhaps you only require a weekly visit or every other week to manage a revolving to-do list and perform preventive maintenance. It’s even possible that your facility only requires occasional help during specific short-term periods or seasons. A commercial building maintenance company can provide you with flexibility and a wide range of service options to come up with an individualized maintenance plan to help you shorten your to do list, reduce the headaches and cost associated with unplanned maintenance and keep your facility in great shape.

Windows Are the Face of Your Facility

Your windows are the face of your building. They are often the first thing visitors see when they enter your building. They are seen by people who don’t even enter your building, just passing by getting a look at the exterior. So it is not difficult to understand why in spite of all that is required in your facility, exterior window maintenance matters. Send customers, employees, tenants and visitors the right message with clean windows that elevate the overall professional image of your building by partnering with an effective, professional window cleaning company that can help you keep your facility looking good, inside and out.

Isn’t Commercial Window Cleaning Just a Rag & Some Windex?

Much like some people believe janitorial services come down to little more than a mop and bucket, some people incorrectly believe that commercial window washing boils down to a clean towel and some Windex. But commercial window cleaning is a professional service and requires an experienced janitorial company with professional technicians. What is involved in getting your windows sparkling? Typically the best window cleaning companies will scrub and scrape windows to loosen all tough, stuck on debris, dirt and even paint. Likewise, the edges of your windows and your window sills should be properly wiped and dried. Window screens, if you have them, should be cleaned as well as window tracks for a complete thorough window cleaning. Your commercial window cleaning company should offer all types of window cleaning, storefront, high-rise or whatever you need in your building. Additionally, they should utilize commercial grade window cleaners for a streak free, lasting shine. Furthermore, many expert commercial window cleaning services will offer specialized services like exterior window washing and track detailing, cleaning of sills, casings, sashes and frames, adhesive removal, hard water oxidation removal and lime removal and more. When shopping for window cleaning services, it’s important to find a commercial window cleaning company that is poised to fully meet your needs.

How Do I Choose the Right Commercial Window Cleaning Company?

While we wish there was a magic crystal ball that could give you easy answers to the questions of who will provide the best building maintenance services, it just isn’t that easy. Still, there are some factors you can look at to make choosing the right window cleaning company easier. Commercial window cleaning, like other building maintenance services, requires professionalism and know how. Windows are the face of your building, don’t risk your image or expose your company to liability issues by choosing the wrong window cleaning service. What do you as a facility manager need to be on the lookout for when making this critical decision for your facility? First, you need skilled technicians. Window cleaning, like most other maintenance services, is performed better when technicians are trained and experienced. Second, solid technicians must be given the tools and materials to do the best job possible, the first time. Third, technicians must be supported by a professional maintenance company that is committed to following best practices in everything they do. Fourth, your window cleaning company must be properly insured to protect you from unnecessary liability and risk. And finally, your commercial window cleaning service must follow all safety and compliance requirements to the letter. To summarize:

• Experienced, skilled exterior window cleaning technicians trained for success
• Using best available supplies, equipment and materials to do the job right every time
• Supported by a professional building maintenance company committed to best practices
• Fully insured to shield you from risk and liability
• Absolutely compliant with safety and regulatory requirements

Need An Easy Way to Get Shiny, Clean Windows Every Time?

Getting effective, consistent commercial window cleaning shouldn’t be so tough. There are building maintenance companies that understand how to do the job right and work hard to make your building shine and protect you from unnecessary risk. These window cleaning Detroit service providers understand that your windows reflect your building’s overall maintenance and must be done right, the first time. They understand that tools and products matter. So the most effective window cleaners are out there, but how do you find them? There is an easy, free shortcut that makes finding the best building services companies a snap. When looking for effective window cleaning, CIMS, or the Cleaning Industry Management Standard offers an ‘easy button’ to finding solid building services contractors. CIMS is a deliberate certification process that assures a building services company meets a number of indicators directly linked to overall success and satisfied customers. CIMS requires developing and following processes that support best practices. While CIMS doesn’t guarantee you will get the promised service, it is a valuable, free tool to help you create a short list of window cleaning companies, eliminate the less than professional, experienced companies and get the window cleaning your building deserves with the least amount of hassle for you.

Does Your Facility Need a National Cleaning Company?

It can be easy to think your facility needs a national cleaning company. Maybe you have a large facility that requires multiple people or teams to maintain it. Or perhaps you have complex facility requirements like industrial cleaning, medical or school cleaning and you know that finding the right contractor to maintain your facilities is critical. Perhaps your organization has multiple locations and needs coordinated maintenance services. These factors and more can leave you feeling like maybe bigger IS better, but is that really the case? A national janitorial service might be a good option if you have locations throughout the country and require a single, centralized commercial cleaning company. But in most instances, the big national janitorial services can come with a variety of issues and obstacles you need to consider. Maybe you know you don’t want the things that come with a national janitorial company, but you also know your operations are far too big and complex for just any janitorial company. You would really like to shop local but need to assure you partner with a commercial cleaning company that is big enough, experienced enough and professional enough to offer you the same benefits of national cleaning companies. What size and kind of cleaning company will serve you and your facility best?

Is a National Janitorial Company Better Because They Are Bigger?

In order to examine what size and kind of janitorial companies perform better, we must define what better really is. Many Facility Managers can agree that in order to offer effective, reliable service, a commercial cleaning company must:

• Have employees who are a good fit for the work, have been properly screened, trained and managed to do their best for the customer.
• Have transparent pricing that allows Facility Managers the ability to both compare janitorial quotes and hold janitorial contractors to their word.
• Assure you know exactly who to call when there is an issue and then respond and rectify quickly to keep issues from becoming problems or burdens for you.
• Be interested in a long-term partnership with you and not just getting the contract, which means they work hard to understand your business and your needs.

Janitorial services aren’t a one time transaction rather it is an ongoing relationship of service delivery. You don’t want to contract with a company that doesn’t get the job done day after day. You want a partner that lives up to their promises and goes above and beyond to make sure your facility is well cared for and you are getting the full value of your janitorial budget. Now that we understand some of the most significant components of quality service delivery, lets examine how those measures relate to the size and type of commercial cleaning contractor.

Do National Cleaning Companies Have Better Buying Power?

Some Facility Managers like the idea of a national janitorial service because they know they are likely to have significant buying power where supplies like paper goods are concerned. While the larger companies certainly do benefit from the cost savings that comes with larger purchasing power, there is no guarantee they will pass along this savings to you the customer. The larger local commercial cleaning companies are likely to also have considerable buying power with cleaning supplies and stock supplies, and they are far more likely to pass their savings on to you the customer is order to stay competitively priced with national janitorial contractors.

Where Do National Cleaning Contractors Fall In When It Comes to Responsiveness?

With smaller cleaning services, you know exactly who’s in charge and they are likely happy to talk to you, and yet, if you manage a large facility or multiple buildings, your needs are beyond the scope of a small scale cleaning and maintenance operation. With national cleaning contractors, connecting with a person who can address and remedy issues can be challenging to say the least. Like most other corporations, personal attention and accountability can be in short supply while bureaucracy and impersonal, out of step customer service can be the norm. Some of the most responsive service comes from those mid to large local building services contractors. These larger, local janitorial companies can offer a solid mix of personal and operational responsiveness with a clear point of contact and an ability to go ‘up the ladder’ if needed to get issues addressed. And because of their size, they can still compete with national janitorial companies when it comes to flexible staffing and a rich and helpful service menu.

How Do National Janitorial Services Line Up With Labor?

One of the most important elements of effective service in cleaning and maintenance is the front line employee. What matters most? Employees must be adequately screened, trained and managed in order to arm them with the ability and motivation to give customers their best day in and day out. Most national janitorial companies are set up to effectively hire and screen employees. They likely do the required drug and criminal background checks as required for new hires. But building loyalty with employees and creating a responsive work environment often evades the large corporate national janitorial companies. The smaller janitorial companies often have a tough time finding and retaining the best people for the job. Their need may rise and fall too quickly to keep an adequate reserve labor pool for growth and attrition. Likewise, they are less likely to offer the compensation, benefits and perks that can help janitorial companies retain the highest performing employees. The more sizable local cleaning companies quite often have developed systems to find, screen and manage a great team. But they also benefit from their relationships with the local community. This can make it easier to attract and retain great teams and get referrals for future employees from current employees.

What’s Best For You the Customer?

All too often the really big guys, the national janitorial services leave you feeling lost in the crowd and getting the most attentive and effective service can be elusive. This is because national building services contractors can replace customers as fast as they lose them. Doing business in so many areas helps them spread out lost accounts and ‘fish from many ponds’ so to speak. It isn’t that you as a smaller customer aren’t important, it’s just that you aren’t as important as larger, harder to replace accounts. The smaller janitorial companies value every customer but whether or not that equates to effective, consistent service is anyone’s guess. Often smaller businesses become perilously reliant on one client to keep their business afloat. The larger, local cleaning operations can't replace lost accounts so easily. Word of poor service delivery travels fast in local communities and among Facility Mangers and local Detroit janitorial companies must guard their reputations carefully in order to find success here in Michigan. So they often work harder to get and keep customers.

A National Janitorial Service Has Limitations & Drawbacks

What is it that you really need? You need effective service. You want to be seen as a priority and get the responsiveness that demonstrates that is the case. You need a solid value from your janitorial budget and a company that will know how to deliver the most for the budget you have. You want a company that focuses on their customers rather than their shareholders. You need a janitorial company large enough to have at their disposal the methods, systems and procedures to deliver on their promises of quality service. You deserve to partner with a commercial cleaning company dedicated to finding the best people for the job and then arming them with everything they need to be successful in your facility. For all of these aims and more, a large locally owned large cleaning companies, like Stathakis, offers the best combination of benefits from both the big national guys and the little guys giving you just the right balance of professionalism and those personal touches.

Your Janitorial Services Company Might Be Able to Do More Than You Think

Like most Facility Managers, do you have more issues than time? Do you have a steadily snowballing to do list that you just cannot seem to get caught up on? Are you praying and hoping that current maintenance matters don’t swell into costly, disruptive, last minute repairs? Recurring maintenance in any facility can threaten to overwhelm even the most effective, experienced Facility Managers. It isn’t often a Facility Manager has actual super powers that help them keep all the balls balancing so deftly in the air. Rather, it is usually the case that the most effective facility Managers have a great building maintenance company in their pocket helping them tackle that to do line item as quick as it hits the to do list. But perhaps you are thinking, it takes time to find effective and trustworthy contractors. Still, you might have the solution right under your nose. Did you know that many janitorial and cleaning services offer a full menu of premier building maintenance solutions and specialty services like commercial handyman services, day porter services, industrial janitorial services, emergency cleaning services, window washing, expert floor care and more.

Does Your Offer Janitorial Company Offer A Menu of Commercial Handyman Services?

Many large and professional commercial cleaning companies and janitorial services companies offer a large menu of Building services under one umbrella. It might include cleaning related task like windows and professional floor maintenance and carpet cleaning or even more maintenance heavy duties like HVAC and plumbing and electrical. You might contract with your Detroit cleaning company for general office cleaning but have you checked if they can provide you with the twice yearly window cleaning you need? Or perhaps they can do the painting and new cubicle set up coming up? Wouldn’t it be nice if when a plumbing or electrical issue comes up you ALREADY have a quality provider ready to step in and help?

No More Canceled Appointments, No More No Shows, No Price Gouging

Can you imagine it, no canceled appointments, no more no-shows, no price gouging, go directly to the front of the line. Maybe you need ongoing general cleaning but twice a year you need window cleaning, floor maintenance or more? What if an HVAC or plumbing issue comes up and you didn’t have to search a contractor out, meet with them, haggle over cost or get multiple estimates? What if you could simply call your point person at your existing janitorial company and let them coordinate it for you? The likelihood is that when you are an existing customer, you are likely to get a faster response time, and better work at a better price.

Get Concierge Level Service With Your Existing Commercial Cleaning Company

When you utilize your existing Building Services contractor for a myriad of building maintenance issues, you benefit from a concierge level of service because you entrust a great deal of business to them. Partner with your commercial cleaning company for your commercial handyman services and you become so integral to THEIR business that you get a level of service that goes beyond simply effective. With concierge level services, you essentially benefit from a team of professional maintenance technicians focused on the needs of your facility. No longer are you counting on just another company you’re crossing your fingers shows up on time and doesn’t charge you a fortune. Rather, you have nurtured a true partnership, a valued professional relationship, your BSC is committed to keeping you satisfied. This in turn means you get quality work at a reasonable price. It also means no waiting in the queue for your turn as your job is your building service contractor’s first priority. Similarly, when you are coordinating with a contractor you already have a working relationship with, getting the work scheduled and completed is simply more streamlined.

Stop Putting Out Fires & Plan Ahead With Preventive Building Maintenance

Your facility is like a living, breathing entity and its needs are not always static and unchanging. This can make staffing and allocating labor challenging as you cant always predict what you are going to need when. Partnering with a commercial cleaning company that offers commercial handyman services can offer a fitting solution to the changing needs of your building. Handling each problem as it comes up can be costly and time consuming. Repairs, fixes and installations should be planned, forecast, budgeted for and scheduled whenever possible. When you have a partner already in your pocket just waiting for a need to arise, you can conserve your energy and save money. The most effective commercial handyman services can deal with day-to-day issues before they grow in proportion (and expense). Likewise, an effective, experienced commercial handyman service can work with you to create an individualized maintenance schedule that keeps your facility running smoothly without disruption.

Your Own Team Of Commercial Handyman Pros At Your Fingertips

Utilizing your existing Building Services Contractor for your facility maintenance essentially nets you your very own team of pros ready and waiting for your call. Not only is it generally MORE cost effective than contracting individually with multiple contractors, it is worth the reassurance of knowing you have a trusted, economical, effective partner at the ready. There is so much to gain and nothing to lose. Whether it’s quickly fixing an electrical or plumbing issue or tackling a remodel/repair, or handling an emergency, or scheduling ongoing or preventative maintenance, you have a team of pros at your disposal. Gone are the days of phoning a separate guy every time you need something or wasting time waiting for returned phone calls, service calls and estimates. This is routine, scheduled and emergency maintenance tailored for you and your facility. What type of areas do many commercial cleaning companies also cover?

• Plumbing Repairs
• Electrical repair
• Painting & touch-ups
• Flooring restoration
• Wall repair
• Light bulb changes/Light fixture installations
• Comprehensive building inspection
• Lock and Door Repairs
• Carpentry Repairs
• Exterior power washing
• Carpet/Tile Repairs, Restoration & Replacement
• 24/7 Emergency Repairs
• Water Clean Up
• Roof Inspections
• HVAC preventative maintenance & repairs
• Caulking & Glazing
• Construction Clean up
• Ballast Replacement
• Office Furniture Moving & Assembly
• Ceiling Tile Repair/Replacement
• Door/Hinge/Hardware Repair
• Group Relamping
• Painting/Wallpapering
• Trip Hazard Repair
• Remodels/Alterations

Free Up Your Time & Get The Facility Maintenance You Need

Don’t make your difficult job EVEN harder by handling each problem as it arises when you can arm yourself with your very own A-Team ready at your call. Skip the time consuming steps of appointments, site visits, estimates and follow-up. Even little issues can chew up your time and budget in no time when you start from square one over and over again. So often, confronting maintenance issues as they come up is a great deal more expensive than contracting with a commercial handyman service from the start. Save yourself time, save your organization money and plan ahead by partnering with a janitorial services company or commercial cleaning company that offers a full litany of commercial handyman and commercial building maintenance services.

Why Does Your Facility Need Smart Cleaning?

Under pressure to do more with less, today’s Building and Facility Managers often fight an uphill battle. Economic unpredictability and business belt tightening mean more and more companies are still slashing budgets, scaling back and trying to shore themselves for the unknowns ahead. 

“With so much on your plate, Smart Cleaning can help you both manage your facility at the required level and meet ever tightening budget requirements.”

As challenging as it is, today’s Facility Managers play an even more vital role in protecting their facilities reputation, assets and even profitability. With challenge often follows innovation and Facility Service Companies have been pushed to innovate, to eliminate waste and maximize efficiency wherever possible. As a Facility Manager, you are often tasked with the security, maintenance and services of your facility. What does that really mean? Well, for many Facility Managers that can mean:

• Forecasting & budgeting
• Lease management
• Managing multi-disciplinary teams
• Supervising building maintenance responsibilities
• Assuring facility compliance with all pertinent regulations and requirements
• Planning and managing building work and/or renovations
• Guiding your facility to greater energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness
• Coordinating security and general administrative services
• Assigning and managing space within facility
• Directing cleaning, catering and parking services

And that’s not even everything. As a Facility Manager, with so much on your plate, Smart Cleaning can help you both manage your facility at the required level and meet ever tightening budget requirements.

Putting Smart Cleaning To Work In Your Facility 

Considering whether Smart Cleaning might be the just what you and your facility need? Smart Cleaning comes down to identifying the essentials services in your facility, delineating those that are non-essential but important, understanding areas you can intermittently do without service and finding the most effective, efficient way to get it all done. As a Facility Manager and even in partnership with your janitorial services company, you must ask the following questions:

• “What are we doing and does it make sense?”
• “What are non-negotiable things that must be done even on a reduced budget?”
• “Are there things we are doing that could be done less?”
• “Are there things we are doing that perhaps don’t need to be done anymore?”
• “Are there better, more efficient ways to do those things we must do?”

If you are considering newlyoutsourcing your building maintenanceor even if you have an existing commercial cleaning company, they must be a partner in your endeavor to trim costs and improve efficiencies. Smart Cleaning cannot be a top down mandate, rather it is a collaboration between you and your building services company.

“Smart Cleaning cannot be a top down mandate, rather it is a collaboration between you and your building services company.”

 

Is It Even Possible to Get Your Janitorial Company to Charge Less?

While no business wants their customers to spend less, your janitorial and maintenance company likely can relate to the pressure you are under to uncover efficiencies. Yourcommercial cleaning company faces much the same challenges. While a solid janitorial company won’t do the same work for less money, many will be willing to work within the budget requirements you are facing in order to wisely adjust work to meet your needs without throwing service and the overall maintenance of your building into a tailspin.

Real Smart Cleaning Requires Planning & Training

Your office cleaners or industrial cleaning team cannot put their focus on essential services if no one has trained them to view cleaning in this need-focused way. In the hands of an inexperienced or shoddy janitorial company with inadequate training and systems, Smart Cleaning isn’t about efficiencies and value but simply doing less without a plan. Without a plan, the wrong things are often left undone, there are no benchmarks or predictability in place and little to no accountability from your janitorial services company. The single most critical element of Smart Cleaning is a solid, effective training program. Cleaners must be trained to understand and work to the use patterns in the facility they maintain. The most effective and experienced commercial cleaning companies work with their cleaners to identify essential services, adjust their cleaning specifications to reflect budget cuts and still hold their team accountable for the work they have promised.

How Is Smart Cleaning Really Different?

How is Smart Cleaning different from standard janitorial services? Smart Cleaning is one part finding efficiencies and one part creating efficiencies. Certainly you can evaluate your facility maintenance plan for redundancies or repeated work but a critical element of effective Smart Cleaning is to find new ways to do more work with fewer resources. Yet, it can’t simply be about cost cutting because often the best and most effective Smart Cleaning requires a sizable investment from your janitorial company in products, equipment, training and even the systems in place to keep it all running smoothly. What kind of best practices can be included in the goal to reduce costs without sacrificing overall building maintenance through Smart Cleaning?

Traffic & Use Patterns in Your Facility

The first is understanding how your facility is used and where the day’s traffic and people flow has the most impact. This can help you reduce or alternate vacuuming days or floor days in areas that accumulate less soil. Likewise, zone cleaning can improve overall efficiency by reducing mistakes, issues of cross contamination and more. Zone cleaning refers to the plan in which specific cleaning tools are used in specific ‘zoned’ areas to set up a simple, easy to follow flow through the building. A mat system can help your facility save on time and money. Putting correct matting at each of your building’s entrances points and your highest traffic areas will reduce soil, dust and debris from entering your building in the first place, reducing your need for cleaning. Additionally, floor matting systems help prevent slip and fall accidents, reduce indoor air pollution and long term wear and tear on floors.

Janitorial Efficiencies Like Color Coded Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloths Add Up

On that same note, color coded microfiber can offer significantly more effective cleaning while reducing wasted resources and improving efficiencies. Micro fiber is itself better at cleaning but when your janitorial company implements a color coded microfiber cloth program, they use color to indicate to employees precisely where a towel is to be used. So red is typically toilets and urinals inside restrooms only with yellow being counters, sinks and partitions in restrooms only. Green microfiber towels are for general cleaning outside of restrooms and blue towels are for wiping glass, mirrors, and polished surfaces. While it sounds simple, this color coded cleaning cloth program saves cleaners time, avoids unnecessary laundering and significantly reduces cross contamination in your facility.

Other efficiencies can be found with chemical dispensing systems. These state of the art dispensing systems save time in part because their hassle-free design, one step cleaning process. This does away with time spent looking for the product you need, restocking and storaging bulk cleaning chemicals. Likewise, these chemical dispensing systems eliminate the time applied to mixing chemicals and assures effective, on label dilution by eliminating operator error.

Smart Cleaning, with the help of your professional janitorial services company or commercial cleaning company, can help you maximize the cleaning budget you have, keep you facility in good working order, protect the long term lifespan of your facility’s assets and make it at least a little easier to manage your towering work load a little easier.

While the economy has improved in many sectors, building owners and facility managers continue to look for ways to lower costs and stay on budget. This belt tightening can mean a bigger workload for Facility Managers with fewer resources to do it. In an effort to get vital services covered while reducing cost, many facilities have turned to outsourcing janitorial services as a workable cost cutting solution. In addition to an immediate drop in costs, outsourcing cleaning services can help stabilize costs, improve services, protect your building’s assets and manage and reduce your workload.

The decision to outsource your janitorial services is a significant one. No matter what services you outsource, from office cleaning to preventative maintenance, the competency and professionalism of the building services contractor you choose will decide the outcome. Outsourcing facility services to the right Michigan commercial cleaning company creates value for your organization by reducing operating costs while protecting your facility and your reputation by keeping your facility safe, clean, comfortable and energy efficient, through individual or integrated solutions.

1 - Janitorial outsourcing is cost-effective.

Outsourcing cleaning services can have a significant impact on your bottom line in many ways. Primarily, there is most often an immediate cost savings as a professional janitorial services company can get more done in less time. Likewise, your commercial cleaning company procures optimal pricing on equipment, supplies and refillable goods. Secondarily are the cost cutting measures associated with the sizable costs of recruiting, screening, hiring, training and managing employees. The time and management of benefits administration, health care, employee status verification and other time intensive tasks are shifted to your commercial cleaning company Michigan. 

 2 - When outsourcing building services, the quality of your building maintenance often improves significantly.

Commercial building maintenance companies make cleaning and maintenance their business and as such can reach a level of expertise that just isn’t possible if it’s a needed task but not your core business. Handling your cleaning and maintenance in house is like running a business within a business. Do you want to run a commercial cleaning company? If no, outsourcing your facility maintenance can be a blessing. In a competitive business environment, janitorial companies understand you have many options when outsourcing cleaning services. The most effective janitorial companies will work hard to get and keep your business. Likewise, a sizable cleaning company can adjust to accommodate your changing needs quite easily. That means you can avid the waste of over hiring and meet times when your needs shift into overdrive.

3 - Outsourcing janitorial services can net you a better value.

Think about it, your cleaning company can offer you real value. They procure supplies and equipment at a level you cannot and through experience, they have learned how to do more in less time saving you money and increasing the value of your clean.

 4 - Outsourcing building maintenance can get you more responsive janitorial services.

With many facilities, your needs shift around things like industry cycles, peak times and more. The right janitorial company can shift with you and likely has a large enough pool of both employees and customers to shift teams as needed. Likewise, the larger professional janitorial services in Michigan have highly trained and competent floaters that help keep coverage and service seamless even with employee time off, illness and attrition.

 5 - Outsourcing your janitorial services eliminates the issues associated with using your own employees to tackle facility maintenance.

Whether you shift cleaning to employees hired for other duties or manage your own in house team of office cleaners, all too often the work goes undone, is poorly done or employee morale and turnover suffer. When you lean on your employees to tackle office cleaning you most often end up with unhappy employees and a dirty facility. Do you think Janine in the warehouse really wants to clean the restrooms her coworkers use everyday?

 6 - With outsourcing facilities services, you can transfer the liability and insurance costs to your commercial cleaning company.

As in any industry, with cleaning and janitorial, there are specific liabilities associated with janitorial jobs. Insuring you are properly covered costs money and time as you must adjust coverage as the scope of the services and people change. Outsourcing janitorial services can save you time and money as they will insure their own employees and can even add you or the facility owner to their contractor's policy shielding you from third party litigation.

 7 - When you outsource janitorial, you transfer management intensive duties to your janitorial services company.

Every component of the management of your cleaning operations becomes your contractor's responsibility. That means things like staffing, training and standards, supply procurement, equipment repair and other time intensive tasks shift to your facility maintenance company leaving you free to put your focus where it is needed.

 8 - With outsourcing facilities services, you often get an umbrella of other building maintenance services that can reduce time, hassle and costs on other needs you have within your facility.

The most highly skilled, professional building services contractors have a menu of other services that you can utilize as needed from minor facilities repair to carpet cleaning. These extras like plumbing, HVAC and commercial handyman services can come in handy when you have a need. Save yourself the time of searching for a reputable, affordable contractor and get the work budgeted, planned and executed with a contractor you already trust.

 9 - Outsourcing can net you better cleaners, better training, better products and better equipment.

Outsourcing janitorial services to a professional means you get better work done in less time. An experienced, effective commercial office cleaning company will utilize the most advanced and effective methods to get the work done right. Whether you need industry specific cleaning like the industrial cleaning, medical cleaning, school cleaning or you are considering green cleaning possibilities, your janitorial cleaning company can help you explore your choices.

 10 - Outsourcing allows you as a Facility Manager to streamline your workload and shift focus to areas of your business only you can manage while offloading other labor intensive tasks to your contract cleaning company.

At the end of the day there are those things you as a Facility Manager must manage and other duties and tasks that while they must be done, don’t need to be done by you. The process by which you maximize the value YOU deliver to your organization involves passing on those duties that don’t require YOU to a trusted partner. When you contract with a professional, responsive, effective commercial cleaning company, you are free to put your focus where it is needed and your building and its assets are still in good hands.

In order to reap the benefits of outsourcing, you need to choose a service provider that understands your industry. The truth is one size does not fit all and not every janitorial company is poised to meet your needs. But with the right partner, your facility maintenance can be straightforward, relatively simple and affordable.

Is Bigger Better When It Comes To Medical Office Cleaning?

Medical office cleaning is a good deal more complex than general commercial cleaning and thus, finding the right medical janitorial services to care for your health care facility is critical. It could be that you have multiple facilities or a very large medical complex and given that, are considering national janitorial services. Maybe you think you need more than a local commercial cleaning company can offer you. And sure, there may be certain scenarios where a national janitorial service might be the better option—like you have locations in several states and need a single, central provider. But understand this—bigger does not necessarily equal better. All the varying size and types of janitorial companies have their own advantages and disadvantages. The real question is, how do they line up with the needs of your facility or facilities?

Healthcare Cleaning Is Different

Healthcare cleaning services are very different than general office cleaning for a number of reasons. You need a healthcare cleaning company that understands the requirements of medical cleaning. You deserve to find a janitorial services company that understands the regulations and compliance issues connected to healthcare cleaning. The right local Michigan janitorial company or national cleaning company must comprehend how their work contributes to HCAHPS scores. Likewise, they must be well versed on the science behind cleaning. And any professional building maintenance company that wants to draw medical cleaning customers should have in place a detailed and observable training system for both general office cleaning, medical office cleaning, hospital cleaning and other salient training like OSHA, HIPPA, & Blood borne Pathogens. Anything less from your janitorial company could spell disaster.

Do Hospital Cleaning Services Require A National Cleaning Company?

So you might be thinking given the complexity of healthcare cleaning that a National cleaning company might be what you and your healthcare facility require. Compliance and training are not exclusive to national janitorial companies. In fact, sometimes national janitorial contractors are so large, so spread out and even so reliant on subcontracting that they come with a host of potential issues and impediments you haven’t even thought about. So maybe national janitorial company isn’t for you but you know your facility is too large and complex for a small business. There is a middle ground between giant national janitorial company and ‘Mom & Pop” operation and that is the large local Michigan janitorial company.

What’s Better When It Comes To Healthcare Cleaning Services?

First, let’s define better when it comes to janitorial services. Most Facilities Managers might consider better to be a janitorial company that:

• Has very good people that are trained to succeed and lower than average janitorial turnover.
• Has clear janitorial pricing that is simple to understand and compare cleaning quotes.
• Listens to what you need and customizes service around that.
• Works with you to assure compliance across the board.
• Utilizes quality assurance measures to create reliability through accountability.
• Makes it easy to know who your point person is when there’s a problem.
• Gets back to you quickly when an issue comes up.
• Cares about your facilities and works hard to keep your business not just get the contract.

Contracting for medical office cleaning or hospital cleaning isn’t a one-time business transaction. It is an ongoing business relationship that will determine the state of your facility and thus impact nearly every other element of business in one way or another, from your image as a reputable health care facility to the quality of healthcare providers you attract. Everything else being equal, who would you rather partner with, a monolithic national janitorial service set up in another state or a large, local Michigan neighboring business? The relationship between you, your employees, and your janitorial service is an important one. A local Michigan janitorial company has its fingers on the pulse of the local community and is better equipped to find, hire and manage the best people.

Medical Cleaning Companies: How Local And National Compare With Buying Power

When we examine several service measures across the varying provider options, we can see how they stack up. For instance, a national janitorial service will likely have significant buying power where supplies like paper goods are concerned and they may or may not pass this savings on to you the customer. A large Michigan commercial cleaning company will also benefit from considerable buying power with cleaning supplies and stock supplies. They are often more willing to pass these savings along to their customers so as to be more competitive in their pricing. A small local cleaning company will likely offer little if any buying power due to small purchases of recurring supplies.

Can Local Medical Office Cleaning Companies Offer You Flexibility & Perks?

Finding a janitorial services company with organizational flexibility and an ample menu of services can get you more individualized, responsive service and save you money and time on future repairs, maintenance and special services. It is infinitely easier to use an existing contractor you already trust to handle minor repairs or special projects. A huge, national janitorial service will likely have the ability to offer you a variety of services beyond the basics. Furthermore, they may have organizational flexibility but it can be challenging to work out how to get what you need swiftly. A large yet local Michigan janitorial service likely offers a wide assortment of both basic and more specialized services. Similarly, their smaller size allows them added creativity and innovation with regard to problem-solving-- because they simply are not hemmed in by the rules and red tape a national janitorial service must get through. The right large, local commercial cleaning company has the capacity to attune their services to fit your needs. Smaller ‘Mom & Pop’ type cleaning companies do not usually offer services outside of basic cleaning meaning you will have to contract with additional vendors for specialty maintenance services.

Can A Local Janitorial Services Company Offer You Flexible Staffing?

Staffing flexibility can be a huge bonus if you have a business, like school cleaning for instance, that has a seasonal cycle. When looking at janitorial companies and size, it is important to balance what you need with what they offer. For instance, do they have enough people to meet your changing needs? Will they be able to add staff when you need it yet find work for those team members when you no longer need the extra set of hands? With staffing flexibility, large local janitorial companies often shine. With large, qualified staff on-site, they are usually best at offering flexibility when you need more or less people servicing your facility. Typically small cleaning operations simply cannot meet variable staffing requirements. If you need to down shift services, a small cleaning company now has more people than they have work. And when you need more help, they simply don’t have the people to temporarily shift people power to meet your facility’s needs.

Local Versus National Janitorial Companies & Their Impact On The Local Economy

National janitorial companies hire cleaners here in Michigan but beyond front line employees, their jobs and dollars go somewhere else. Made in Michigan companies hire Michiganites and they keep their dollars right here in Michigan. There is no doubt that local companies benefit the local economy. Everything else being equal, working with other Michigan businesses is good for our state.

Does A National Cleaning Company Attract & Retain The Right People?

A national janitorial service will likely have a adequate set up when it comes to employee hiring and screening but like so many massive national companies, fostering loyalty with employees and creating a responsive, engaging work environment can be difficult. A mid to large size cleaning company quite often will have developed systems to find, screen and manage a great team. Like the national janitorial companies, they will offer benefits but they also have greater access to a network of local labor. And like a smaller local company, they are capable of building loyalty and attracting great people through a strong local presence and reputation.

You The Customer: How National Janitorial Services & Local Janitorial Services Stack Up

National janitorial companies can replace business as fast as they lose it. With so many areas to draw new business from it can be hard to garner the kind of service from them you really deserve. A large local Michigan janitorial services company has just one area to draw new business from and it is finite. If a local business burns through customer after customer, it is only a matter of time before they get a reputation for sub par service. With that in mind, the best Michigan commercial cleaning companies will work hard to earn your business, keep your business and safeguard their reputation. And while a smaller cleaning company will certainly value you as a customer they may not be able to deliver what larger accounts need. Likewise, when small companies handle larger customers, they often become precariously dependent on one client to keep their business above water.

Medical Janitorial Services Are A Critical Part Of Care

Like many large corporations, getting in contact with the person who handles issues and problems when they come up can be tough. And getting the responsiveness and individual service you deserve can be difficult if you don’t know who is in charge or cannot if you can’t get in contact with a human who can get you what you need. On the other hand, a large local janitorial company offers the ideal blend of personal responsiveness and operational responsiveness. You will likely know your point of contact by name and can even contact upper management when necessary going up the food chain t address an issue or concern. This responsiveness and attunement can equate to really great service. Quality healthcare cleaning is a critical part of care and thus, finding the right company to partner with is an important part of securing the future and health of your medical facility.