It can be challenging to find the right janitorial service for your commercial property.
This is one of the tasks few property or facility managers ever look forward to.
You have to go through scores of request proposals, websites, and reviews to find a company that matches your needs.
You would also need to schedule interviews with potential companies and interview cleaning professionals.
You probably have a busy schedule as the commercial manager or property owner and don’t want to waste weeks in finding the right janitorial company.
But, you still want a professional vendor who provides a clean building consistently.
This guide is dedicated to helping you identify and hire the best local janitorial company in your area.
Why You Need a Good Janitorial Service?
In the United States, workers spend a fair share of their waking hours at their workplace.
You need to make sure that your employees, customers, tenants, and clients get a clean and healthy environment.
Commercial cleaning services can range from only the bare minimal tasks such as emptying of trash, cleaning restrooms, and a quick vacuum for removing dust to more arduous tasks, such as high-during and deep carpet cleaning.
Commercial owners always have the option to hire their own cleaning staff.
However, there are several areas in a commercial building that may go unnoticed by a cleaning crew that is not trained to look out for detail cleaning.
There are numerous benefits to having outsourced professionals take care of your cleaning.
Commercial janitorial services understand how to perform cleaning in a building or facility in a way that doesn’t interfere with the day-to-day running of operations and efficiently perform services.
They can also take care of all your deep cleaning needs.
In addition, property and facility managers don’t have to worry about janitorial issues and can instead focus on other important matters.
Commercial cleaning services can also perform various periodic cleaning projects, such as floor care, pressure washing, and other things.
However, you must find the right cleaning service for your commercial facility.
They should be flexible, provide value, and be willing to offer customizable plans that take care of your business’ cleaning needs in the best possible way.
Commercial Cleaning Is More Than the Pricing
Low prices can sometimes suggest low quality.
Don’t always fall for the lowest proposal quote that comes your way.
In fact, you should stay clear of companies that offer significantly lower pricing.
Those cleaning services may not impart adequate training to their workers or use high-quality cleaning products and equipment.
While you don’t have to necessarily go with the highest-priced service, you should consider your options carefully.
The majority of low-priced janitorial services are not interested in building long-term relationships with their clients.
They are usually looking for the least expensive quick fix to take care of a cleaning job.
You may end up losing more in terms of property value.
You know a company is who they say they are if they appreciate and take great pride in their work product, client relations, and workforce.
Factors to Consider While Hiring a Janitorial Service
There are several things to consider when you are out looking for a new janitorial services company. You should think about operational issues involving the cleaning company.
- Cleaning supplies: Ask about the vendor that provides the cleaning company with the supplies. You should inquire about the product manufacturers, quality-level, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
- Communication: Are you comfortable voicing your opinions and suggestions to the cleaning company? You should be able to speak with the Manager of the cleaning crew and let them know how you evaluate their performance and exactly what you require.
- Cleaning schedule: You need to determine how often you want the cleaning crew to service your property. Do you want them to work on all days? What time is most comfortable for the cleaning? Make sure you build contingencies for key events and holidays.
- Access to the facility: Cleaning crew best works under the radar, which means they need access to the facility. You may need to provide them with a swipe card, key, or code to enter the premises. Make sure you discuss the details with the cleaning crew at the time of engaging them.
The first thing you need to do is make a list of all your essential and non-essential cleaning needs.
You should understand that different cleaning company has different types of cleaning specialties.
You should be able to determine whether the cleaning crew is capable of meeting your needs.
These are a few things you should look out for in a janitorial company.
Good janitorial service will be professional and thorough with a logical approach
Everything becomes questionable when a company is not professional or doesn’t employ a logical approach.
Professionalism doesn’t begin at wearing nice uniforms or end at creating a good image.
It needs to extend to all facets of the cleaning and business. The cleaning industry has the highest turnover rates.
As per a recent study, 90% of employees tend to be loyal to companies that invest in training them and enhancing their skills.
Trained janitors tend to be more efficient and dedicated to whatever they do.
Cleaning is more than mopping, dusting, and sweeping.
It involves skills that need to be taught and quality, consistent management oversight.
An efficient cleaning process is a blend of the right mechanics and chemistry.
This refers to the interaction of cleaning tools and equipment with detergents, solvents, and disinfectants on particular surfaces.
Look for a qualified and insured janitorial service
Good janitorial companies should have sufficient insurance coverages and policy limits.
They should protect themselves as well as their property.
You would get a lot of peace in knowing your janitorial company is fully insured.
There is four main insurance coverage that a cleaning company should have. These are:
- General liability
- Workers’ compensation insurance
- Automotive liability (if vehicles are utilized in providing services).
- Umbrella policy
Identifying a Quality Janitorial Company
It is not uncommon for a commercial cleaning company to not complete the tasks you paid them for.
Outdated techniques, limited communication, and poor processes are responsible for making many companies unreliable.
You need to make sure the company you choose is someone you can rely on for cleaning your premises and keeping your customers, employees, and tenants happy.
It can also be typical of janitorial service companies to provide only those services that you ask for.
However, you may miss out on the services that you require since you are not aware.
You could end up neglecting those cleaning tasks that typically contribute to a healthy environment and degrading the consistent service your building requires.
You could also be leaving potentially key opportunities to perform a deep cleaning to increase cleaning to the highest standards.
You must hire a professional cleaning crew to take care of these tasks and more.
You should not have to worry about every day or periodic deep cleaning when you have other things on your mind.
Janitorial services should not come in a one size fits all package.
Every facility or commercial property has a different need when it comes to cleaning and sanitization.
Commercial properties come with different traffic rates, uses, layouts, and cleanliness expectations.
Healthcare facilities, for example, have significantly increased requirements versus an industrial warehouse.
If your property business owner wants to reduce expenses, the best way to get this done is to not pay for the cleaning services that you do not require.
This is why it is important to work with a janitorial company that doesn’t work on fixed packages.
Instead, you should be able to customize the cleaning plan for the facility in mind.
A property-specific scope of work should be developed and agreed upon.
The commercial cleaning company you choose shouldn’t just offer their pricing quote based on your property’s square footage alone.
These are a few tips that should help you get started on choosing a good janitorial service.
Start with a thorough search
You need to search for commercial cleaning companies thoroughly in your local area.
Start by tapping into your network of employees and industry colleagues to ask about janitorial cleaning services.
Word-of-mouth references are a great indicator of high-quality performance.
You should note the companies that do not get a positive review, as well.
Consider all your options
Go online to check for reviews.
Read about cleaning companies on Yelp, Google, Thumbtack, and Angie’s List.
Social media accounts for commercial cleaning companies near you can provide great insight, as well.
Look for reviews that mention exceptional service, attention to detail, and integrity.
Do not forget to skim through negative reviews. These offer great indicators about the working of a company.
Check the track record
Cleaning professionals work with a lot of businesses and would have several satisfied clients.
The satisfaction of clients is proof the highest standards are being met.
Look for consistently amongst reviews for various janitorial firms.
It is also revealing to speak to former clients of commercial cleaning services.
Inquire why they are no longer providing services to the reference source and the effectiveness and professionalism exhibited up to the transition.
Mitigating Risk
The risk of flu, common cold, and Covid-19 transmission increases if you have a high-traffic property or large facility with a lot of employees.
This is why you should ensure that a qualified janitorial service is there to assist you with efficient measures of mitigating the transmission risk of germs, bacteria, and other pathogens in your facility.
Additionally, the cleaning service provider should also have checklists in place to maximize the safety of the employees, clients, and people entering the property.
The janitorial service should place correct warning signs wherever required to prevent slip and fall accidents, for example, during spills or while mopping.
Final Steps Before Hiring a Janitorial Service
Apart from these factors, you need to ask the cleaning company about pre-cleaning preparation.
Whether they want anything that your team needs to do.
This can be anything from stripping the garbage from the cans to unplugging all devices and clearing surfaces.
You should also convey your expectations about what you need them to do before they leave for the day.
Maybe you want them to turn off all the lights or take special care while resetting key areas in the facility.
It is important to keep these instructions as clear and explicit as possible.
Expressing your needs concisely can help you and the cleaning crew make the most of the job.
Communication Is Key
Studies have shown businesses that communicate effectively through preset communication channels result in 25% more productivity.
This means that communication is important if you want high-level service delivery.
You need to find a cleaning company that understands what you need and can deliver on it – and one who will also communicate effectively with you.
You should also identify the people you need to contact when there is a problem or you need something changed.
Your janitorial company should be in touch with you with regular communication to ensure the operations go through smoothly.
You should never hesitate from asking questions.
This is the first step to making sure the janitorial services company has effective communication channels in place.
Check for Experience
Janitorial companies work with many different clients.
You should find someone with enough experience in working for your type of commercial facility or property.
Whether you have a retail commercial property or a high-rise office building, you want a cleaning company that understands the specific industry and who will employ industry-leading expertise.
The commercial cleaning service should also employ a management staff well-versed in your type of property or facility.
This is critical as they will train and manage the on-site staff as part of the quality control protocols they should have in place.
The cleaning crew should have enough experience to deal with the cleaning demands of your facility and business.
They should meet all your required characteristics and more.
Never settle for less when it comes to a cleaning crew.
They are what provides your clients, customers, tenants, and employees with safe, productive, and clean workspaces and areas.
Request a Proposal and Check It
Commercial cleaning estimates should never be unclear.
They should be communicated to you in a manner that is both effective and transparent and following the agreed-upon scope of work.
Fuzzy pricing structures are usually reflective of inaccurate pricing or lack of experience.
In any case, you shouldn’t work with commercial cleaning companies that do not offer clear pricing.
You may think that you would lose a lot of money not working with the lowest quotes, but that is not it.
You may just end up saving more in terms of quality, time, and effort.
The following factors are considered by reputable, experienced janitorial companies when calculating their pricing:
- Type of facility
- Square footage
- Equipment requirements
- Consumables required, such as toilet paper, hand towels, solvents, and others
- Cleaning frequency
You should never hire a janitorial company that doesn’t do a physical assessment of your property or facility before offering the price quote.
The Right Commercial Janitorial Choice
Commercial janitorial services is a business at the end of the day.
You need to understand that the industry has a very low barrier to entry. This means there are a lot of people running janitorial companies, although not all have a keen understanding of client service, employee management, and the dynamics of commercial cleaning.
Understanding your requirements and prudent research and vetting will successfully lead you to a qualified cleaning partner.
At the end of the day, you want a business that represents your firm’s attributes and service delivery.
Servi-Tek Facility Solutions is a leading, full-service commercial cleaning company with a client and employee-centric approach.
We combine leading technology, including our proprietary Servi-Trak software, which includes work order and self-inspection modules, with best-in-class training and management support.
Please schedule an assessment of your facility or property and get a free estimate by giving us a call at (866) 454-6185.
