Janitorial Franchise Versus Company

May 21, 2015

As a business owner, you may not be aware that there are a couple different kinds of cleaning companies at your disposal. Janitorial franchises are just as you would expect: franchises of a particular janitorial company that are operated independently but under some guidelines from the franchisor. Alternatively, an independently owned janitorial company hires their own staff and provides cleaning services directly. So which type of janitorial service is best for your business?

There are distinct pros and cons to both janitorial franchises and janitorial companies. One problem that arises regardless of the type of janitorial business is staff turnover. It’s a well known fact in the cleaning industry that maintaining staff for the long term is incredibly difficult. In fact, staff turnover rates of less than a year are not uncommon. Both franchises and the company suffer the monetary and time costs of training new staff, and this issue almost certainly impacts the quality of the cleaning work offered to clients.

Though staffing problems can affect franchises and companies alike, janitorial companies often have more flexibility with their staffing. Hiring and firing is a much simpler process for the company as franchises will almost always involve long-term contracts. As such, a franchise that is operating below company standards cannot easily be terminated, at least not without establishing some kind of breach of contract. Now, you might want to argue that staffing consistency that would be offered by a janitorial franchise is a major pro for the franchises. In fact, maintaining consistent staff is only a benefit if that staff are qualified and hard-working. If there are problems with the quality of cleaning work offered by franchises, your business may not have as much flexibility to make the changes you need.

Cost for services can also be another important consideration. When you are working directly with a janitorial company, you often have more flexibility with the services offered and the cost for those cleaning services. Franchises often have much stricter guidelines around the work they offer and the rates they charge so that the franchisor can maintain consistency across all its janitorial franchises. Especially for small business owners, it often makes more sense to go direct to the source where you can negotiate your terms and contract length.

Finally, an independently owned janitorial company will often take more pride in their work. After all, the owner’s name is on the line. With franchised janitorial companies, the operator is not ultimately responsible for the company’s brand image. Though this difference in perspective may seem minor, it can actually have a major impact when it comes to results. If my reputation is likely to be compromised, you can bet that I’m going to go above and beyond to ensure my clients are happy. On the other hand, a franchisee can hide behind the franchisor’s name.

So when it comes to choosing between a janitorial company and a franchise, I would always want to work directly with the company owner so I can ensure the quality services I need are available at a price I can afford.