Reduce Service Provider Mistakes in One Easy Step

Recently I have been on a quest to find a replacement for our landscapers. I have set appointments to interview new companies and they don’t show up. They tell me they will email quotes or call and I wait and wait and wait. They tell me they will start service on a given day and then don’t show up. They tell me certain things will be done on certain days and then… well, you get the picture. I have to explain again and again to my spouse why the yard is not cleaned up, which is embarrassing. All of this leads to stress and uncertainty and a lack of confidence in them as a service provider. As I am inclined to do, I started looking at our company to determine whether we ever treat our clients this way. As we come to the end of our series on ‘Critical Questions to ask your Janitorial Service Provider’, I wanted to share some of our conclusions.

Any legitimate commercial cleaning company will have an easily understandable schedule for cleaning your building (the simplest is a calendar for each month detailing the tasks to be performed each day). A legitimate company will be more than happy to provide a copy for you as well. Because there are so many different tasks that must be accomplished to provide quality service, a schedule is really the only way to keep track of it all. While some tasks will be performed each night others will only be performed once per week and some only once per month. It is simply a recipe for disaster to believe that a crew will remember or memorize what needs to be done and when.

Who Do You Trust?

The schedule should be detailed enough that you have confidence you are getting the service you want before service begins. At this point you can make changes and everyone will be on the same page and there will, or at least should be, no surprises. If you decide that a change needs to be made later it is a simple process of changing the schedule and everyone knows what to expect.

Become The Authority

Having a written schedule will not only allow you to have a level of comfort because you will know when tasks are to be performed but it will also strengthen your position when handling complaints from your co-workers. Often times they are not aware of the schedule, which will give you the opportunity to effectively communicate this to your co-workers with confidence. No embarrassing moments here.

Accountability

An added benefit of having a written and published schedule is accountability. Lets be real here, as time goes on people (your cleaning crew included) will tend to fall into a pattern and may not pay as close attention to your building as they should. But with a schedule it is very clear what is to be done each night, without question. Accountability is a wonderful thing.

Additional Scheduled Services

Speaking of schedules, what about carpet and floor maintenance? As we have said before regularly scheduled carpet cleaning and floor care will add significant life to your carpets and floors. Having a schedule of when the carpets and floors will be done will insure wear is kept to a minimum and more importantly the appearance will not fall below your standards.

In general, scheduling takes the pressure off of everyone and insures expectations are met every time in a way that ‘wait and see’ will never achieve. A janitorial service provider who is willing to create and stick to a schedule publicly is a company that is confident in their ability to perform. The kind of company you should hire.
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