The majority of my calls I receive for janitorial quote requests are from established companies. Now, it is fair to say that there are many more existing companies versus brand new offices but that is not the point I am trying to make. I get calls or emails from companies who are not happy with their existing cleaners. Normally, the service has been poor for some time but employees are doing more and more work in the run of a day so they don’t really have time be calling janitorial companies to replace their existing one. Once I get a call from a company requesting a quote it is too late for the existing janitorial company to save the contract, it has just gone too far…

As I tell my own customers, it’s a pretty simple business. Your trash can was emptied or it wasn’t last night. Your washrooms were either cleaned last night or they weren’t. The cobweb that has been hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the lunch room for 2 months is pretty self-evident that dusting has not been a priority!

May I suggest two possible reasons why your janitorial service is not meeting your expectations?

1. Communication. Communication starts during the first walk through of your facility pre-contract. Have you made it clear to the janitorial company what your expectations are and what are the hot spots? Most offices have hot spots that need paid attention to over other areas. For example, dusting. Blinds are a hot spot for some offices. Having dust free blinds in each office is essential over say, windows. Another area may be kitchens. Many offices regards their kitchens the same way they treat their home kitchens. Eating together can build great culture in an office. If the kitchen is always dirty then that becomes the conversation at lunch and not talk about current projects, how your kids are doing in soccer, the latest deals at the shopping mall etc. You need to let the prospective janitorial company know your ‘must clean’ or ‘hot spots’ that can never be missed. Even better, the prospective janitorial company should be asking these questions during the walk through.
2. Once you have started with your new janitorial service provider you both must have ongoing communication in order to nip issues in the bud before it gets out of control. Having a book at the desk of the office contact that can be used for nightly comments between you and the cleaner. Notifying of office events at night. Allowing the cleaner to know what he or she missed the night before eg. Trash can out back. Forgot to refill paper products in a washroom stall etc. There should also be a frequent line of communication with either the owner or supervisor of the janitorial company. There should be inspections done on a weekly basis and feedback provided to cleaner and the office contact. Phone call, Email or an internet based app is common practice.

I have witnessed many janitorial service providers use clever marketing ad speak about their top notch cleaners, industry leading training and industry best products. Yes, there are some lazy cleaners and there are super energetic and courteous cleaners but knowledge is usually the best practice. If a cleaner knows exactly what to do and when and is given the right resources, we are more than likely going to have a successful relationship!

Your current janitorial service provider is not likely evil or intentionally trying to sabotage their business. Why is one janitorial service provider better than another? Typically, it comes down to communication. If issues are not addressed at the outset they will inevitably fester into major problems that might not be able to be fixed…

Shiny. Happy. Floors.