Introduction
It’s Thursday morning rush hour, and you’re heading to work. Instead of thinking about what could be THE most important business project of the year, or this afternoon’s team meeting, you’re distracted by whether the cleaner cleaned the restrooms last night or not. Poor cleaning standards have been a consistent issue since you convinced the company director to outsource the cleaning services. You assumed that this would free up your time so that you could focus more on your team and leave cleaning matters to a cleaning company. Ironically, you’re now spending more time cleaning up after the cleaner and playing the role of a cleaning manager rather than an office manager-a task that is costing the business time, money and resources. When the cleaning company carried out the walk-through, they convinced you that they would provide you with a completely hands-free cleaning experience and save you both money and time. So, how did things turn out so badly?
This blog will outline why your current cleaning provider might not be the right fit for your business and your team. By the end of this read, you’ll hopefully know whether your current cleaning provider is the right fit or whether it’s time to swap.
The importance of choosing the right cleaning company
Whether it’s your first time using a professional cleaning company or you’re keen to switch from your current company, there are some essential factors you need to consider before signing on the dotted line. It’s easy to choose a cleaning company that promises “an excellent cleaning service” or offers the cheapest option, but choosing a cleaning company that truly gives you a hands-off cleaning experience is a completely different challenge. Make the mistake of choosing the wrong cleaning company, and you’ve signed up for at least a year-long contract of a below-average cleaning service. It is therefore imperative to treat this process as if you were choosing a candidate for the latest role within your company. Treat this process as the most important job interview that you will ever conduct.
Questions to ask potential cleaning providers
All the important questions should be asked during the walkthrough. A professional cleaning company will answer most of your questions before you even ask them. Firstly, you should ask about their staff retention. This is single-handedly the most important question you should ask, because it will give you an insight into whether their staff members-in this case, their cleaners- are truly satisfied in their roles. If their staff retention is low and they’re changing cleaners more often than their hoover bags, then you should avoid this cleaning company. Low staff retention indicates that staff lack job satisfaction, adequate support and opportunities. You also need to ask what systems they have on the ground because systems are as important on the ground as they are behind the scenes. For example, how do they manage last-minute or emergency staff absences? Will they be providing a daily cleaning checklist on site? Do they carry out spot checks? If so, how often are these spot checks carried out?
You should also ask what health and safety policies they have in place. How often do they update their health and safety, risk assessment and COSHH documents? What is their quality check process like? Are their cleaning products safe and COSHH-regulated? These are important questions to ask because they determine how seriously the cleaning company takes health and safety regulations. It’s equally important to ask about the nature of the cleaning contract if you were to enter a partnership with them. How long and how flexible is their contract? Is it an open-ended contract? If not, how many years do their contracts last for? Are they insured? Don’t just ask for these documents; ensure that they send you copies. If they’re hesitant, you should think twice about going ahead with them.
There is also no harm in asking for client references, as this can provide useful insights and save you time.
Three warning signs of an unprofessional cleaning company
There are countless warning signs that a cleaning company isn’t living up to the standards expected of a professional cleaning provider. Below are the three main signs.
Sign one
The first sign is bad cleaning standards. This is normally evident in the unkempt restrooms, dirty floors and bins that are regularly missed. Bad cleaning standards not only affect staff morale. It can also damage your business’s reputation, as cleanliness is the first thing that visitors and clients notice. There are many reasons why cleaning operatives don’t clean to a good standard, such as a lack of adequate training and a lack of expectations from cleaning management. Other reasons include low pay rates and the absence of workplace rewards and recognition. When cleaning staff are not recognised for their hard work or are not regularly enrolled in workplace training, they stop caring and perform to low standards. Despite regularly asking the cleaner to kindly do better, your reminders seem to fall on deaf ears.
Sign two
The second sign that you’ve entered into a contract with an unprofessional cleaning company is a lack of communication and accountability from the management team. Having spoken to the cleaner to no avail, you do the next best thing and send a polite email to the cleaning company’s office, in the hope that things will be resolved. They apologise and promise that things will improve. However, three weeks pass, and there are no signs of improvement. Besides ignoring your complaints, the cleaning management team’s overall communication is non-existent, and you feel that you’re constantly forced to chase them up about matters that they should already have in place. Even when you do get through, you’re forced to go through countless people before speaking to the correct person. And let’s not mention the incorrect invoices that you regularly receive. At first glance, these issues might seem minor, but can have major implications in the long run.
Sign three
The third sign of an unprofessional cleaning company is that there are no documents in sight. These include insurance documents and health and safety policies. These are paramount documents, and a professional cleaning company should provide you with these documents before any cleaning can commence. These documents are important because they not only show that you’re dealing with a professional cleaning company but also demonstrate that the company is abiding by the law. In addition, when your business is due for its health and safety inspection, your business’s cleaning standards will be heavily scrutinised, so you want to ensure that you have all these documents at hand.
Conclusion
A professional cleaning company should provide you with clarity, certainty and peace of mind. It should demonstrate why outsourcing your cleaning services is the best option. You spend most of your weekdays at work, so a clean and healthy environment is crucial. A professional cleaning company is one that provides an excellent cleaning service while keeping its management and operational issues in the background. And there is no reason why your cleaning provider should fall short of this. A cleaning company with an attractive website does not qualify as a professional cleaning company. However, if you follow the above steps, you will most likely avoid the trap of being stuck with an unwanted cleaning company.
For a complimentary, no-obligation quote, contact Mopaway on 0115 648 9151 or email us at contact@mopaway.co.uk.