Once something is established, it can be hard to change it, even if it’s not what you really need anymore. Sometimes it’s just about building the momentum to change. Even if your office cleaning services are not where you need them to be, it’s so much harder to do something than do nothing that often, subpar office cleaning companies, underserved facilities, outdated services and unresponsive service are allowed to perpetuate because it’s hard to predict if changes will actually be better for you and your facility. There are likely a number of different reasons why your office cleaning isn’t where you need it to be, but the good news is that there are also a number of relatively easy things you can do to get the level of office cleaning you need from a company who can partner with you for years of solid service.
Sometimes what worked for you once simply isn’t enough to meet your needs now. It isn’t unusual at all to find offices that just don’t have the cleaning manpower and hours their facility really needs. Being underserved on your facility maintenance is a common problem among office buildings. According to David Sikes, President of theISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association) and CEO of Sikes Paper Co., “20 years ago, the average Class A office building had a worker density of approximately 225 square feet per employee. TODAY that number is closer to 150 square feet per worker.”
That means that in a basic 500,000 square foot facility, the occupants have gone from around 2,222 to 3,333,or a 50% increase! So if you are cleaning based on old occupancy numbers or even dated square footage, you likely are not getting enough man hours to properly maintain and care for your facility. An experienced, professional office cleaning company can conduct a facility walk through and help you determine exactly what you need and tailor a cleaning plan to your budget. Some Facility Managers are hesitant to make a change because they know that more labor hours translates into more money but often, the most experienced, professional office cleaning companies know how to squeeze every last drop from your office cleaning budget and are often able to do more with the money you have than a less experienced company. So better service targeted to your true needs will often cost you no more than the less than optimal service you are getting now.
Maybe you see a number of office cleaning companies skyrocketing into the future with modern products, equipment and systems that you wish you had in your facility, but you don’t think you can afford an office cleaning company that’s cutting edge. Office cleaning companies are much like your own businesses, they must continually find efficiencies and cut costs in order to deliver value to their customers and make a healthy profit for themselves. Far from simply a cost, many of the technological advances in the cleaning industry and even the administration of the business are saving companies money and allowing them to deliver a greater value to their customers. State of the art floor cleaners save time allowing a commercial office cleaning contractor to cover more area with fewer man hours. Backpack vacuums are lighter, quicker and great for indoor air quality allowing your office janitorial services to deliver green cleaning services while safeguarding their employees’ health. Janitorial inspection apps that deliver the right information to the right people optimize communication between you, your janitorial company and their staff and creates a quicker turnaround on issues resulting in overall better and more responsive professional office cleaning.
Office cleaning prices are often confusing but they don’t need to be. Some office janitorial services play games with janitorial pricing while others simply do not have the knowledge and experience required to accurately price their services. Either way, you the Facility Manager suffer. You are entitled to know precisely WHAT you are buying and exactly WHAT it is going to cost you—that’s just good business. How can you determine the value of what you are getting if you don’t understand what it costs? And how can you compare potential office cleaning companies side to side if they are price and note their services differently? You deserve transparent pricing with your office cleaning services. Not only does clear, understandable pricing help you evaluate office cleaning quotes in a meaningful way, a clear office cleaning quote sets the benchmark for expectations for you and your Commercial office cleaning service to measure success.
Office cleaning companies come in all shapes and sizes from the start up one man and a van operations, to a small but experienced Mom & Pop operation, to a large local privately help company to the big, corporate national cleaning companies. A big part of getting the best office cleaning company is finding the most professional office cleaning that is sized right to fit your needs. If you are a small office with just a few employees, one of the little guys might be what you need. Yet, if you run a large facility or even multiple buildings, you need office janitorial services that can handle the capacity and demands inherent in managing a larger and more complex operation. Maybe you have outgrown your current commercial office cleaning contractor and need to rethink your office cleaning.
Making changes to existing services isn’t easy. We understand it takes time and effort to weed through the sea of office cleaners to find the right one. Yet, effective office janitorial services can change everything and will simplify your work life in ways that make it absolutely worth the effort. One way you can streamline the process is through the use of professional certifications like the ISSA’s CIMS. CIMS is a certification process offered through the ISSA or International Sanitary Supply Association, the professional organization for building services companies. The CIMS certification is challenging, rigorous and centers on all the points and more that define a professional office cleaning company most likely to succeed in your facility. CIMS can be used to create your short list of office cleaning companies. This way, you’ll be starting with those companies that are already known to adhere to the industry best practices. Then you can avoid wasting time reviewing proposals and conducting walk throughs from companies just not in a place to deliver value, quality and effective service to your facility. Then you can review office cleaning bids and meet with possible professional office cleaning contractors so that you can choose the one that you think will make the best and most lasting partner for you and your facility.