You’ve finally done it. You went out on a limb and hired a commercial cleaning service to care for your building.
You’re ready for your business to be cleaned and cared for regularly, freeing you and your staff up to actually take care of running the business.
Let’s face it, though, this is a big step. It can be a little unnerving to trust someone else with the care and upkeep of something that is so important to you.
Not only that, but there are numerous cleaning companies out there and you just want to know that you’ve made the right choice.
You need peace of mind when you hire someone to take care of your building. You need confidence that when you go home at night, the commercial cleaning company that you hired is going to work its magic.
The good news is, it’s possible to discover if you’ve hired the wrong commercial cleaning service. Here are 10 clues that the company you hired to clean your building has to go:
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If you’ve hired a commercial cleaning company that hasn’t been around for long, they might not be what you’re looking for. It’s not that you shouldn’t give a new business a chance, but you’ll want to be overly cautious when using a company that doesn’t have the experience or reputation to guarantee they’ll get the job done right.
New companies haven’t always put their team through proper training. Over time, most companies build a well-trained, highly skilled cleaning team, but in the beginning, there are always going to be some kinks to work out.
If you’re willing to take the risk on a startup company, feel free! We recommend keeping a close eye on things for a while to make sure they’re doing an adequate job and proper procedures are taking place.
Another thing to be aware of is the possibility that the company has merely changed its name in order to run from bad reviews. Occasionally a business will undergo some rebranding if they’ve experienced a lot of negative publicity.
Steer clear of these companies, as it’s usually just a name change you’re dealing with. The poor business results will often stay the same.
Google reviews can let you know the positives and negatives of most companies that you’re considering hiring. The reviews are written by current or former clients who are willing to share their experience and whether or not they believe the company is worth working with.
A lot of bad Google reviews is an obvious sign that you’re not going to want to hire a company. However, many people don’t think twice about hiring a business with NO Google reviews.
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If a commercial cleaning company is lacking Google reviews, it might be a good idea to hire someone else.
Without Google reviews, you’re going to have trouble learning what you need to know about the business. If you can’t hear from someone who has been there and experienced the cleaning company, you’re probably better off hiring a different company.
Just like before, the business could be experiencing a rebranding due to bad reviews. If the cleaning company doesn’t have any reviews, there’s a chance, once again, that they’re running from bad reviews.
Another red flag you might find is that the company doesn’t have a professional website. Almost every serious business these days is going to put the time, money, and effort into a high-quality website. They know that their clients are going to find them online so they go out of their way to craft a relevant website that is going to bring them leads and conversions. A great website is a sign of professionalism.
If the company doesn’t have a website, be on the lookout for professional staff photos. Potential clients want to see the people that they’ll be hiring. They want to know they’re professional, qualified and trained. If your cleaning company’s website doesn’t have professional photos of their leadership and team, you might want to look elsewhere.
Any commercial cleaning company that you hire must be insured and bonded. This is an absolute must for both you and them.
If you haven’t already, check to make sure that the company is legally insured and bonded. If they’re not, then you’ve definitely hired the wrong company and you need to remedy that right away.
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Ask your cleaning company for proof that they require background checks on all of their employees. This is absolutely essential for the safety and security of your business.
When you hire a commercial cleaning company, you’re hiring a group of strangers to come into your business and go from room to room. You’re giving them access to rooms with expensive equipment and private information.
It is imperative that the people cleaning your building are honest, trustworthy, and safe.
If your cleaning company can’t prove that they’ve completed background checks on everyone who will be working at your building, then they’re not the cleaning company for you.
Is there a supervisor that checks on the team working in your building? Is there someone around to make sure everything is going smoothly and accurately? And someone to ensure that everyone is doing their job?
If the answer is no, you might want to find another company. Any commercial cleaning business that you hire must provide appropriate supervision to ensure quality and safety.
Take a look at who else has hired this cleaning company. Is there anyone you’ve heard of? Any big businesses that trust this company?
If the cleaning company you’re using has some long-term, big-name clients, that’s a good sign that the company is golden. However, if there are no big-name clients and there aren’t many long-term clients, there’s probably a reason for that.
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Repeat after me: You should never have to lock into a long-term contract to get started. It’s not that a long-term contract is bad, it’s just that it’s not something you should be signing when you’re just starting to use a company.
Any worthwhile commercial cleaning company is going to give you some time to use and get to know them before they require any long commitment.
Long-term commitments can lock you in for 3-4 years. This is fine if you know the company and believe in their work, but it’s not fine when you’re just getting started.
Any company that tries to lock you in at the beginning isn’t worth it.
Is the commercial cleaning company you’re using dropping clients right and left? Do they have a high client turnover rate?
Good companies will develop a long-term clientele who stick with them for 3-10 years.
If you can’t find a number of clients who have stuck with this cleaning company for a decent amount of time, there is probably a reason for that. If there aren’t any customers who have found long-term value in this company then it’s probably the wrong company for you.
You will want to make sure that your cleaning company uses high-quality products, not cheap ones. This is easy to find out.
Simply ask the cleaning company what products they use. Ask them if they’re using commercial grade products and equipment.
If you find that your cleaning company is skimping on their products, that’s a good sign that they’re probably going to skimp on caring for your business, too. Don’t stick with a company that isn’t going to use the best products on cleaning your business.
Finding the right commercial cleaning service to clean your business doesn’t have to be hard. By paying attention to these 10 areas, you can determine whether you’re on the right track, or whether it’s time to find a different cleaning company.