Maintaining a professional and clean work environment is not only important when it comes to impressing new clients, but also with respect to ensuring an effective and efficient staff.  Regardless of the type or size of your business, you most likely want to hire professional cleaners to make sure that your offices are always in tip-top condition.

While a small business owner with an office of just a few staff members may prefer local maid services, larger companies usually opt for commercial cleaners.  Ultimately, it’s important to understand the difference between a maid service and commercial cleaning, and also to identify your needs when deciding your cleaning protocol.

What are Commercial Cleaning Companies?

What exactly is a commercial cleaning company and what can you expect?  Well, while a maid service offers most of the basic cleaning activities including vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and bathroom cleaning, commercial cleaning companies typically offer a wider range of services that apply to a variety of workplaces.  For example, commercial cleaners will cover all the tasks of a maid service while also offering more advanced services such as cleaning carpet and upholstery, changing light bulbs, removing garbage and recycling, providing emergency cleaning services, and more.  In addition, commercial cleaning companies often have a range of specialized equipment that ensure their cleaning tasks are completed thoroughly.

Maid or Commercial Cleaner?

When deciding whether you need a maid service or a commercial cleaning company, you first need to identify your needs.  Commercial cleaning and janitorial companies will offer a complete range of services.  Depending on your current needs, a maid may not be able to help.  Ultimately, you want to work with a company that can handle the cleaning tasks you need on a schedule that suits your company.  For example, you likely want regular cleanings of bathrooms, floors, and windows as well as garbage removal; if this is the extent of your cleaning needs, consider hiring a maid service.  On the other hand, retail and industrial settings, and even some office environments may require more advanced cleaning.  Do you want your carpets cleaned?  Are your offices located in a high-rise requiring specialized window cleaning equipment?

Ideally, you want to speak to potential cleaners and assess exactly what they can offer.  If your cleaning company or maid service does not offer what you need, you need to keep looking.  Take some time to contact a number of professionals to see what they can do and how much it will cost.  Also, remember that maid services are not as customizable as commercial cleaning services, but whichever route you decide to take, make sure to develop and sign an explicit cleaning contract so that you can rest easy knowing your workplace will be cleaned thoroughly and efficiently.

Even the word “fire” can conjure some uncomfortable feelings among employers and employees alike – there’s nothing enjoyable about firing or being fired.  Nevertheless, there comes a time in almost every manager’s professional life where an employee or employment contract needs to be terminated.  So how do you know when it’s time to fire your janitorial service?  As is the case with any professional relationship, you’re likely to have problems with your janitorial service from time-to-time.  Maybe you need to remind them to remove the garbage or draw their attention to a spot they neglected to clean, but you’re not likely to fire them over these types of problems.  The following are the top reasons to fire your janitor.

Staffing Issues

Major issues like incompetent employee screening, hiring illegal workers, illegal pay practices, and other questionable business decisions are valid reasons to fire your janitorial service.  Not only do you open yourself to legal and liability problems, but you don’t want to work with a company that cuts corners in these ways.  More importantly, when staff feel undervalued, they are likely to suffer from poor morale and motivation, so they’re not likely to do the best job.

Poor Communication

While you probably won’t fire your janitorial service for neglecting a task on the rare occasion, their responsiveness to your complaints and concerns is important.  They should have a clear system in place for dealing with customer concerns, but if response time is excessively long, move along.  You want to have good and open lines of communication with all the contractors you employ.

Consistency

Janitorial services really need to be consistent.  When you first meet with potential cleaners, you likely drew up a cleaning contract that clearly stipulates what tasks need to be done and when.  You also likely laid out expectations about the quality of the work too.  Ultimately, you want to get what you pay for, so if your janitorial service is not meeting your needs, it’s probably time to fire them.

Apathy

You can learn a lot from a janitorial contractor just from the way they treat you and their employees.  They’re constantly treating their staff poorly, they are unresponsive to your communications, and their cleaning is inconsistent – maybe they just don’t care about you or your business.  If it seems like your janitor just doesn’t care about properly cleaning your facility or ensuring you’re satisfied with you’re work, a timely “you’re fired!” is in order.

Finding the Right Janitorial Service

Of course, many of the problems above can be avoided by taking special care to hire a quality janitorial service.  Ask friends and colleagues for referrals, and always ask potential cleaners for references.  Read our post What to Look for in a Janitorial Company. Meet with all short-listed candidates to discuss your cleaning needs and the services you offer.  Also, avoid long-term commitments and contracts that you can’t get out of if the janitor isn’t up to snuff.

A successful business will always maintain a clean and sanitary office or workplace.  For the most part, business owners decide to hire a professional cleaning service rather than hiring a full-time janitor for their cleaning needs.  If you’ve already started to look for a cleaning company, you probably have already found several companies offering cleaning services in your city.  So really, it all comes down to know what to expect from a good office cleaning company and then picking a company that can meet your needs.  So what should you look for in an office cleaning company?

Price

The best office cleaning companies probably won’t be the cheapest, but they’ll have a competitive price.  Ultimately, you want to work with somebody that can offer the services you need within your budget.  Contact your shortlist of cleaning professionals and ask for a quote for your services.

Insurance

Always work with a professional cleaning company that is fully insured.  You want to be sure that they hold liability insurance as well as worker’s compensation insurance.  If your cleaning company is not properly insured, you may be liable for damage to y our property or even worker injury.

Contract

The most reputable office cleaning companies will work with you to develop a fair and thorough cleaning contract that outlines the services that will be provided, the schedule for these services, and the ultimate cost of the cleaning services.  Sometimes, the contract will cover a defined period of time, so be sure to read the contract carefully to avoid being locked into a difficult contract.

Experience

It’s not that a new cleaning company will not be able to provide the same quality of service as an established company, but you definitely want to consider the experience of your professional cleaners.  More specifically, you want to know that the cleaners have experience with the services you require.  In any case, experienced cleaners have had the time to develop an efficient cleaning system and may be the better choice.

References

Finally, when you’re looking for an office cleaning company, you should always ask for references.  Indeed, if a company is not willing to provide you with references, move along.  Quality cleaning companies will provide you with several references from past clients who have required similar services as you.  By contacting the references, you can get valuable information about the professionalism and quality of the work provided by that particular company.  It’s really the only way to get a true gauge of a cleaning company’s reputation.

Just remember, not all cleaning companies are created equally.  Take some time to define what you need and want and then look for a company that fits these needs.

Not all janitorial companies are created equally, but in today’s world keeping your offices or working environment in top condition is extremely important. Customers may judge your company by the impression your offices make, and employees’ efficiency and productivity can be limited by unsafe working conditions. So how do you compare janitorial companies, and what should you be looking for? Ultimately, the services provided, the quality of those services, and the cost of those services will inform your decision.
The first step in looking for a janitorial company is to clearly identify your priorities. The more explicit you are with your expectations, the more easily you’ll be able to filter out incompatible providers. Essentially, you can eliminate potential janitorial professionals who cannot provide the basic services you require. More importantly, your essential services will guide the proposals of competing janitorial companies, and you can use these services to make side-by-side comparisons of your top candidates.
In developing a request for proposals, you should also keep in mind that janitorial services are not your only concern. The following conditions should be clearly outlined in all proposals:

• Cleaning services
• Employee training
• Insurance and indemnification
• Quality assurance
• Cleaning areas
• Hours and days of service
• Health and safety
• Contract duration
• Staffing levels

Once you have received a few proposals, you can start eliminating janitorial companies based on a number of factors. First and foremost, seek references to get an understanding of the reputation of potential companies. You should be able to get at least three references, but don’t just speak to them over the phone. Instead, visit their offices or workplace so that you can inspect the quality of work provided. Next, consider the scope of services your candidates provide. Obviously, there will be some essential services you require; if a company cannot provide these services, they can be eliminated. Another consideration to make is whether there is a good fit between your company and the janitorial company. A small business owner may prefer to work with a smaller, local janitor whereas larger companies with offices across the country may want to work with a vendor that has a national presence.
Finally, once you have carefully considered your needs, you should be able to match more closely to two or three potential janitorial companies. At this point, your final decision will likely come down to budget. You’ve already affirmed the excellent reputation of your short-listed candidates, you’ve ensured they can provide the services you require, and you know there is a good match between your company and the cleaning company. Realistically, the last element to consider is price. Some business owners may feel that price is the first element to consider, but this mentality often leads to unforeseen problems. By putting your budget last, you are more likely to hire a qualified and professional cleaning company that will provide quality, long-term service.