Keeping a clean office is integral to running an efficient business with productive staff and satisfied customers.  Though you might see office cleaning as a tedious necessity, there is no question it needs to be done.  As such, the question often turns to whether to hire in-house staff to manage your cleaning requirements or whether to outsource your office cleaning.  So, why would you choose to contract your cleaning rather than managing the tedium yourself?  Let’s look at the top 5 reasons to outsource office cleaning.

Quality

Professional cleaning companies offer the highest quality cleaning work because they have the skills, experience, equipment, and supplies to get the job done right no matter the size or nature of your office.  They already know which products work and which don’t, and they know how to get the job done effectively and affordably.  Plus, as outsourcing professional cleaners means you’re working with people that prioritize cleaning you’re also sure to enjoy a spotless office.

Cost

Hiring, training, and managing in-house janitorial staff costs you time and money.  You’ll also have to purchase cleaning equipment and supplies, not to mention maintaining and replacing these products.  On the other hand, professional cleaning companies already have the tools they need to clean your office and you won’t need to worry about staff turnover, employee benefits, and other costs of managing and hiring cleaners.  You can also arrange a cleaning schedule that is right for your business rather than paying cleaning staff regardless of whether there is work to be done.

Service

At the end of the day, outsourced cleaners make their money from satisfied customers so they’ll go above and beyond to deliver quality work at a price you can afford.  While you might get lucky and hire an excellent janitor that takes pride in her or his work, you might also suffer the fate of many other business owners – high cleaner turnover and the costs associated with finding and training new cleaners.

Management

As it’s already been suggested, there are a number of administrative tasks associated with managing in-house cleaning staff.  Not only do you need to manage salaries and benefits, you’ll also be responsible for managing cleaning supplies and equipment.  Some products will require special attention as determined by health and safety requirements; for example, many cleaning products require special storage and warnings to protect the health of employees.  By outsourcing your office cleaning, all these extra duties are passed on to your cleaning company.

Comprehensive Cleaning

In many cases, even if you decide to use in-house staff for cleaning, you’ll still have to outsource some cleaning jobs.  Beyond basic cleaning services, you might need regular deep carpet cleaning, outdoor window cleaning, and other tasks that you might not consider affect your day-to-day operations.  Working with professional cleaners means all your cleaning tasks are handled by one company who can also help you identify some of the hidden office cleaning necessities.

We’re already more than half way through 2017 – it’s hard to believe where the time goes.  With the winter well behind us, facilities managers often take this time of year to take a much deserved break knowing it won’t be long before another fall and winter season kick off.  That being said, there’s no time like the present to start preparing for what’s to come and to consider new and better ways to manage your facility.  These maintenance tips for facilities represent our best practice advice to improve building maintenance efficiency.

Prevention Saves Time and Money

If you’re feeling like you have some extra time on your hands right now, don’t forget what your busy season looks like.  Regardless of your industry, facilities managers will benefit from a proactive approach that ensures structures and equipment are in prime operating condition.  You can even take some time to reflect on your biggest headaches of the past year and plan for the coming months by evaluating the current status of your facility, identifying potential repair and maintenance needs, and even developing a long-term maintenance schedule that helps you keep on track.

Consider a New Approach to Lighting

LED lighting is the wave of the future – and while the initial costs associated with LEDs are higher (especially if you include installation costs), the long-term investment is a sound one.  LEDs last longer and they are more efficient too.  This means less time spent maintaining lighting as well as lower energy costs.  Plus, LED systems are increasingly standardized and their costs are dropping.

Get Analytical

Collecting an analyzing facilities data helps you do your job more efficiently.  There are numerous tools available that help you identify problem areas, inefficiencies, and even potential solutions that you may have never considered before.  Using the most modern technology available, you get access to the information you need to avert potential problems before they arise.  Indeed, data analysis offers myriad benefits – not only can data aid your prevention strategies, it can also help you in a crisis.

Mobile Technology for the Win

It’s the 21^st century, so it’s time to go mobile with your facilities management technology.  You’re a busy manager; heck, you may be managing multiple facilities at the same time.  You’ve got a smart phone and possibly even a tablet as well, so why aren’t you making the most of this technology?  Mobile apps and other programs can provide you with facility information when you’re on the go.  Pull up blueprints, check heating systems, view maintenance schedules or vendor information wherever you are so that you never miss a step.

Combining tried and tested facilities management strategies with the most up-to-date technologies available will put you at the top of your game while saving you valuable time and money.

Given the variety of janitorial services on offer, the range of companies offering services, and the types of consumers seeking these services, accurately estimating janitorial costs can be very challenging.  By extension, it is also very difficult for business owners to budget for janitorial services when they initially seek them.  In fact, sometimes janitorial companies themselves struggle to properly price their services.  So how do you go about budgeting for professional cleaning?

Know Your Needs

First and foremost, it’s important to have a clear picture of what you need as far as janitorial services are concerned.  Depending on the type of facility being cleaned, janitorial costs can vary significantly.  The size of the space, the type of flooring, the types of rooms being cleaned, special cleaning services, and whether you need indoor and/or outdoor services are all factors that your janitorial company will need to know before accurately estimating cleaning costs.  Even factors such as the number of people who use your facility can impact cleaning costs as more people create more trash and require more amenities (such as toilet paper and hand soap).

Honesty is the Best Policy

If you require special cleaning services or you already know that there are some difficult asks for any janitorial company, be up front about this when contacting potential cleaners.  For example, if your facility handles hazardous waste, your janitorial service providers need to know so that they can provide safe and effective services.

Get Quotes

Before you begin budgeting for janitorial services, seek quotes from reputable professionals in your area.  Contacting a few local companies to provide quotes for the cleaning services you need will give you a good idea of the range of costs.  Ideally, you’ll also want to arrange for site visits from your list of prospective janitors.  A site visit is fundamental for an accurate quote, so if you speak with a janitorial company that offers a quote site-unseen be wary.  A thorough site visit will also help you better understand your cleaning needs as reputable professionals will make recommendations for services based on their inspection of your facility.

Communication is Key

Ultimately, each business owner will have unique cleaning needs related to the nature of the business and each janitorial professional will offer unique services related to their area of expertise.  Effective communication and written, signed contracts ensure that you receive the highest quality services on a budget you can manage.  Be clear about your expectations and listen carefully to what the professional is willing and capable of providing.  And remember to always put any cleaning contract in writing so that if problems arise you have a legal document to reflect on and protect your rights as a business owner.

As a business owner, you likely know how important it is to maintain your work environment.  Whether you want to ensure the health and safety of your staff or you want to make a good impression for your customers, cleaning services are an important (if not overlooked) aspect of running a business.  So, when it comes to hiring a janitorial company, what do you need to consider?  From the reputation of the company and their cost of services to references and services provided, there are many factors to think about before hiring a janitorial company.

The Janitor’s Reputation

Ultimately, when you are hiring any professional to provide a service, you likely want to consider how long that service provider has been in business and their general reputation in your community.  Sure, a start-up can provide excellent services, but it’s more difficult to verify the quality of their work.  On the other hand, hiring an established janitorial company helps you know you are working with a professional that has a satisfied customer base as well as roots in your community.

Dollars and Cents

Ideally, you want to collect bids from a variety of professional cleaning companies serving your company and business type before you make a final decision.  While you probably do not want to hire the lowest bidder, you also don’t want to be taken for a ride financially.  Getting a few bids that are based on a realistic expectation of services delivered will give you a good sense of what is a fair price to pay.  Then you can consider other factors such as the company’s reputation and references before settling on an offer.  As a rule of thumb, remember that the lowest bidder might be low-balling to try to get your business but exceptionally low prices are usually a reflection of poorer services.  Aim to get around 5 quotes, take the average and carefully consider the bids that are closest to that average.

Check References

Always….always…ALWAYS check references before hiring a janitorial company.  If you were interviewing a new employee, you’d check their references and the same should be true for potential cleaning companies.  Any reputable business will be happy to provide you a variety of recent references that can help you to confirm that you’re going to get the quality and variety of services you require at a fair price.  When speaking with the references, try to have a few questions prepared that reflect your needs.  For example, you probably want to know that services were provided on schedule and to a satisfactory level.

Products and Services

Not every business requires the same cleaning services.  Before hiring a janitorial company, create a comprehensive list of all the services you require and your ideal schedule for these services.  Make sure to negotiate carefully with your janitorial company so that you get the cleaning you need when you need it.

Should your janitorial company have insurance?  The short answer is yes.  Indeed, any company that contracts professional services should be insured, but this is especially true of janitorial companies.  In fact, reputable janitorial companies will often be covered by a few different types of insurance including auto insurance, liability insurance, and worker’s compensation insurance – and these are just the industry basics.

Before we discuss these types of insurance and why they are important, let’s discuss why it’s important for you, as a business owner, to conduct business only with a properly insured janitorial company.  Most importantly, remember that your professional cleaners will typically have unrestricted access to your business property even when you are not on site.

Often, when you hire a janitorial company for your cleaning services, this means you defer all responsibilities for cleaning staff to that company.  It can be difficult to ensure trustworthy staff if the janitorial company is not properly insured.  But, never mind the trustworthiness of the staff, you also must consider that cleaning services will be conducted in and around your business equipment which can be very expensive.  Cleaning desks means cleaning around expensive computers and printers, but also important documents and files.  Damage to these items can be very costly and as a business owner you don’t want to be responsible for your cleaner’s potential mistakes.

Even eliminating theft or property damage as potential risks, you should also consider liability for injury.  For example, cleaning floors often means the floors are wet and slippery and should a member of the public slip and fall, liability is a concern.  Likewise, cleaning can be a dangerous job and it’s not uncommon for cleaners to become injured in the course of their duties.  Once again, you do not want to be liable for personal injury either to your own clients, members of the public, or the cleaning staff.

So, as an industry standard, you should expect your janitorial company to carry auto insurance, liability insurance, and worker’s compensation insurance.  Automobile insurance may not be a make or break requirement from your perspective, but in the event that the janitorial company’s vehicles cause damage to your property auto insurance offers peace of mind.  General liability insurance covers you and your janitorial company against injury claims, negligence, and property damage.  So, whether your staff, your clients, or the cleaners become injured or there is damage to your property for any reason, you and your janitorial service provider will be covered.  Finally, worker’s compensation insurance is typically required for any company with hired staff to conduct business and it’s a no brainer.

Ultimately, reputable professional cleaning companies will always be adequately insured.  If you come across a company that cannot verify their insurance coverage, keep looking until you find a company that can.