1. MARKET REPUTATION
Janitorial Services that claim to be the least expensive may be out for a quick fix rather than establishing a long-term working relationship based on reliability, quality services and your property’s requirements.
One of the best ways of getting more information about the quality of service of a prospective commercial cleaning company near you is through written testimonials, references of current clients. Don’t be afraid to ask for either of these during the process as they can make your selection much easier and diminish the probability of choosing a vendor who is not the right fit.
2. TRANSPARENT PRICING AND CLEAR CLEANING BIDS
Often, a fuzzy pricing structure shows that a company doesn’t understand how to accurately price its services. Other times, it’s a blatant attempt to hide extra charges. A good janitorial service pricing will generally consider the following factors:
FACILITY TYPE
Examples include office, retail, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, medical office, manufacturing and mixed-use. Your property’s classification will determine cleaning specifics, as well as the products and equipment needed.
YOUR EXPECTATIONS
What services are you looking for from the janitorial company? Make your expectations clear so the cleaning company can provide an accurate service price quote. Prior to meeting with prospective vendors, put into writing a defined list of everything you know your building needs in regard to cleaning services – This is referred to as the “Scope of Work”
Without a Scope of Work, neither written or verbally defined, prospective vendors may incorporate services into the bid that you don’t want or leave out areas you do want in the quote. This can lead to a delayed bidding process, inaccurate pricing, and possible service issues down the road.
FREQUENCY OF SERVICE
How often will you need cleaning services? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? A good janitorial company should give you recommendations on how often you need the cleaning tasks performed. For instance, high-traffic areas such as restrooms may need to be cleaned and re-stocked several times a day, while carpet cleaning done quarterly. If you have any confusion on service frequencies of the service as a whole or just certain areas of your building, then don’t be afraid to ask for the vendors recommendation.
YOUR BUDGET
You most likely have a budget you need to adhere to when procuring services for your building. After receiving bids, you may have really liked one of the janitorial companies who placed a bid but did not like their pricing. Or maybe you just need to cut back on your budget for cleaning services altogether. A cutback on budget does not always mean you need to reduce the frequency of services as a whole or eliminate areas of your building from your Scope of Work.
If you are impressed by a janitorial company who you received a bid from but are not impressed by their pricing bring this issue up to them. They should be able to work with you to find a way to reduce pricing without significantly impacting your Scope of Work.
E.g. We had a situation where a business wanted to work with us but needed to drastically cut back on their budget. Instead of cutting back their service frequency from their requested 5 days per week we instead cut back on the service frequency of specific areas of their building. But still included cleaning at high traffic areas, such as bathrooms, 5 days per week.
3. COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND HEALTH
If you run a busy property with a lot of traffic, the risk of transmitting diseases such as the common cold, the flu, and COVID-19 increases. A qualified janitorial company can assist with effective measures on how to mitigate the risk of transmission in your property/facility. Additional disinfecting services is a great way to help keep your office sanitary and is a service most janitorial companies provide.
Additionally, the janitorial services provider should also consider the safety of your facility and those who enter the property and are walking around. Cleaning floors creates a slip and fall hazard. Placing warning signs whenever necessary to prevent slips and falls is an example of good practice by a janitorial company.
4. GOOD COMMUNICATION
Research shows that businesses with effective communication channels are up to 25% more productive. This means good communication is vital for high-level service delivery.
Who will you raise service issues to? Who will you raise billing and administrative issues to? Make sure you ask these questions during the bidding process. If they do not seem to have a clear communication process in line for customer service, odds are they also do not have clear communication internally. This is most likely a red flag.
5. TRAINED PROFESSIONALS
Professionalism should not just end at wearing nice uniforms to create a good image. It should extend to all other aspects of the business.
It’s estimated that over 90% of employees are more loyal to companies that invest in their skills by training them. This means trained janitors will be more dedicated and efficient in what they do, giving you some peace of mind.
Cleaning isn’t just about dusting, mopping, and sweeping—it’s an actual skill that needs to be taught. The cleaning process is a blend of chemistry and mechanics (the interaction of cleaning products such as solvents, detergents, and disinfectants with the mechanical action of the cleaning tools or equipment on a particular surface, under prevailing external conditions.)
Without proper training, the cleaners may offer substandard work.
6. TECHNOLOGY
From mobile apps to chatbots, virtually every industry has benefited from the evolving technological advancements– and the commercial cleaning industry is no exception.
Emerging technologies have made the cleaning and maintenance process faster, easier, more effective, and cheaper. They have also enhanced safety in various commercial facilities.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
Communication systems have sprung up to improve the interaction between cleaning companies and their clients, boosting the quality of service. Other devices such as modern two-way radios for janitors can cover up to 250,000 square feet outdoors and 20 floors indoors. With such devices, the cleaning crew members can easily and quickly dispatch to different areas of the building without wasting time.
GPS TIME TRACKING
GPS time tracking allows employers to monitor the cleaning crew during work hours without having to check in on them physically. This technology also ensures everyone has showed up to work and what time their employees are inside your building. If a janitorial company is not using this technology then the risk of employees not showing up to work can greatly increase and their management will have no way of knowing until you notice the next morning nothing was done..
7. Equipment, Supplies, And Chemicals
Something that not many building managers look into is if their provider is using up-to-date equipment, chemicals, and supplies in their services. Newer addition floor scrubbers, vacuums, buffers, and sprayers are much more effective at getting the job done thoroughly. You may not notice much difference in the results of an old, worn down vacuum, vs. a newer model. But at a micro-level the older vacuum will not pick up smaller dust particles as efficiently as a newer vacuum would.
The chemicals they use are also something to look into. Are the chemicals they are using cheaply made or are they premium grade chemicals? The difference in results can vary greatly as some cheaper made chemicals will not get the job done like their premium competitors. You may not notice a difference right away but over time you may see a build up of grime, unwanted erosion, or have an office that is not sanitary if your provider chooses to use a poor brand of chemicals.
All the above factors and tips are important things to understand when going through the bidding process. You will want to consider all factors of each company you speak to; from professionalism, technology used, the way they communicate, prior work history, and pricing. Not every janitorial company is the same and so doing due diligence during this process will help increase the odds that you make the right decision for your building.
If you are currently considering a change or are already collecting bids for cleaning services at your building, don’t hesitate to reach out to Victory Building Services.