As businesses grow and their operations expand over larger and even multiple buildings, they require a lot more maintenance than they did when they first started. Sure, people can clean and look after their own individual offices, but as the number of offices rises so does the size of the building they’re housed in. When people visit that place, potential customers, employees, and high-profile VIPs, they would be appalled at the state the bathrooms and the hallways are in.
As the management cannot really go around mopping up the floors and scrubbing the toilets, they turn to professional cleaning services for hire. These cleaning services are an extremely helpful asset to a large business, as they free up the cleanliness concerns for the top brass. Almost all major corporations and office buildings employ third-party cleaning services for their building’s upkeep in the cleanliness and sanitation departments. If you are looking around for a professional office cleaning service too and aren’t exactly sure what to be aware of, read on as we discuss the things you should consider before doing so.
A Consistent Schedule
One thing you should absolutely look for when hiring a cleaning service is if they can remain regular in their visits. It simply will not do if the cleaners arrive whenever they feel like, as this will always keep the building in a random state of dinginess. Your professional office cleaning service should actually be professional. A consistent work schedule from them would not only keep you and your employees at ease, it will also ensure that the office always remains in an expected and fixed state of cleanliness.
Their Services
You shouldn’t just charge in and hire a cleaning service before finding out what services they can provide. It is a good idea to spend some time making rounds around the office evaluating everything. Make a note of all the things you would want taken care of by the cleaning service, like vacuuming, window washing, picking up litter, mopping the hallways and bathrooms, and disinfecting bathroom surfaces. After you think you have a solid list of what you need, contact the cleaning service you have in mind and ask them if all of what you listed is provided by their cleaners.
Flexibility
Having a consistent schedule and concrete list of things to do is great, but random and unexpected obstacles are part and parcel of office life. Before you seal the deal with a cleaning service, ask them how flexible their package can get. Can they show up in an emergency? Can they deal with some extra requirements should the need suddenly arise? Can they alter their timings slightly for days where it’s needed? These are just some basic scenarios that can happen. Evaluate how chaotic your office is, and decide from there what you should sign up for, and what you hope they can take care of in the rare case that it occurs.
The Quality Of Their Cleaning Supplies
Make sure to not accidentally end up hiring a subpar cleaning service that employs the use of old and ineffective tools. Ask the company how often they replace tools and what brands they use. A cleaning service will be useless no matter how good they are if the tools and supplies they use are at breaking point. If you are unsure of what supplies are good, do some research beforehand so that you are prepared to confront the company on this matter. Do not settle for anything less than the best, as it will save you a lot of headache in the future.
Their Training And Experience
Another rather important factor when hiring an office cleaning service. Ask the cleaning company if their employees have been properly trained in the ways of cleaning large places. Also important is to find out if the cleaners have been given any security training for hazards and emergency situations. Last but not least, ask the company if their cleaners are actually suited to cleaning corporate environments. If their employees have only had experience cleaning residential areas before, they might not be suited to looking after an office space given the different hurdles it provides.
Their Trustworthiness
Before you hire a cleaning service, look around and check if they have any reviews. Never hire a cleaning service that seems to have no prior record of it existing, as that can be a good indication of a possible scam. You are inviting strangers into your office and allowing them to work close to sensitive corporate data. You should be absolutely sure the cleaners can be trusted and the company is a reputable one before hiring them.
Budget And Affordability
Cleaning services do not come cheap, and for good reason. It is no easy task to clean a whole office building thoroughly, and they charge heavily for it. What you should therefore do, before looking for a cleaning service, is evaluate your budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend for a cleaning service. Once you have done that, browse through the various cleaning service companies and go through their rates. Compare them to one another, the features and services they provide and how much they provide them for, and settle on what you think is the best bang for your buck that is still within your budget.
Licensing And Insurance
A simple thing to check yet quite important, make sure to only hire a cleaning service that has been granted a license from your state. Furthermore, be sure to discuss the insurance options and coverage they provide before you hire them. If one of their workers accidentally damages something, or a cleaner gets injured while working in your office, you do not want to end up fighting in court because you skimped out on the insurance options when hiring them.
The Cleaners’ Work Etiquette
Before you decide on a cleaning service, try to find out how their cleaners are trained to deal with the employees of the place they are being sent to clean. Them cleaning your office can be beneficial to the health of your own employees sure, but that gets negated if the cleaners themselves are unpleasant people to be around. You do not want to end up with employees that can’t stand the cleaning service people, or vice versa. Try to find a cleaning company whose employees are friendly and adapt quickly to new environments. This is where experienced cleaners are a big plus, as they are used to working in office spaces and know what kind of work and people to expect.
Their Reliability
A factor that ties in to experience but with a slight difference. If you can, search around and contact companies who have hired a cleaning service you have your eye on in the past. Ask them if the cleaning company’s employees were reliable in how they cleaned the office. Did they always display the same level of care and skill in cleaning? Did they get along well with everyone? Did they follow up on altered schedules in emergencies? Try to avoid a cleaning company that seems to be hiring new employees every other month, as that signals an unreliable and unstable company.
Ease Of Communication
Lastly, inquire about the channels of communication with the office cleaning service you wish to employ. It is crucial that there be a simple and quick means of communication established between you and the cleaning service. This would allow you to make changes in that day’s schedule in the nick of time. It would also allow you to seek answers to new queries or to reach out regarding an encountered problem or two easily and without hassle.
Conclusion
And that concludes our list of things you should be on the lookout for when and before you hire a professional office cleaning service. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning service, it is natural to feel wary. But you will love it when the responsibility of clean floors is lifted off of your shoulders. If you follow the tips and advice above, you should have no problem finding an office cleaning service that you will be satisfied with.
Liked our piece on office cleaning services? We’ve also got one on the 7 things you should consider before writing your business plan. If you are curious about other services you can hire for your business, read up on why you should hire a strategy consulting firm. Still not convinced? We have another piece on strategy consulting firms too, about the importance of competitive analysis.