Back to all ArticlesIf you are looking to contract a commercial cleaning service for your company, you are going to come across many service providers, each claiming to be better than the last, so how do you know which one to hire? Before you sign a contract with a commercial cleaner, you should check to make sure that their business practices are built on a solid foundation of reliability and consistency. According to Smart Cleaning Solutions CEO Nicholas Pastras, here are the 5 essential things a commercial cleaning service must do for them to be considered reliable enough to earn your business.
Have Quality Control Processes in Place
Any commercial cleaning company can claim that its services are high quality, but unless it has quality control processes in place, there’s no way to prove it. A truly professional cleaning company will audit their services regularly throughout the duration of the cleaning contract. When you talk to sales reps from different companies, ask about their auditing practices, and immediately rule out those who provide vague answers because it means they don’t have one. Only work with a cleaning company that carries out weekly checks and performs monthly audits. A good commercial cleaning service should have processes for handling day to day feedback issues, promptly addressing and rectifying problems identified during audits, and supervising their on-site cleaners regularly. Even more importantly, the company should have a quality management system such as the ISO 9001. Cleaning companies with ISO 9001 accreditation are audited on a regular basis to conform to International Standards Organisation specification which are based around the use of business processes that have been proven over time to facilitate achieving customer satisfaction, and if a cleaning company has ISO 9001 certification, you can be assured that they have regularly audited quality control systems in place.
Have Work Care and Liability Insurance Coverage
Just like all other businesses, commercial cleaning companies are prone to risk, so the company you hire should have adequate insurance coverage. Whenever cleaners are in your offices, you are exposed to potential legal liabilities, and you could be exposed if someone is hurt to personal injury claims,even more so if your cleaner doesn’t have public liability insurance. At the very least, a cleaning company should have a $20 million coverage against public liability as well as an up-to-date work-care policy for the cleaners that are sent to work in your office. This means you and your insurance company won’t be responsible if any of the cleaners are injured.
Mitigate against Security Risks
Before contracting a cleaning company, ask them about their hiring policies. Do they carry out police checks before hiring their cleaners? Do they check to ensure that their workers are legally allowed to work in Australia? Do they teach their cleaners how to maintain security while at your premises? The last thing you want is to expose your property to theft or vandalism, so you should only hire a cleaning service that cares about safety and security. Cleaners will have access to most areas in your premises, so you need to know that they are responsible and trustworthy. The cleaning staff should also wear uniforms and name tags so that they can be easily identified.
Agree to a Cleaning Schedule and Scope of Work
A cleaning schedule and a scope of work should form the basis of your agreement with a commercial cleaning company. They are important because you can refer to them if you have any disputes about cleaning standards. When you sit down to talk terms, ensure that the sales rep listens to you and acknowledges all your concerns in the scope of work. The scope of work should specify which areas need to be cleaned, how often they ought to be cleaned, and how much it costs. Areas that require less frequent cleaning should also be listed and the charges for special services should be specified. The company should not pressure you to agree to terms you don’t like. You should be able to ask questions or ask for changes to the schedule. All the terms that you agree to should be presented in a written contract, which you should only sign if you are absolutely satisfied with the terms.
Communicate well with Cleaners and Clients
Commercial cleaning companies should have clear lines of communication which clients know and understand. Check to ensure that the company has processes for collecting feedback, and reliable procedures for addressing specific issues that may arise during the period of the contract. The cleaning company should assign you an account manager who you can contact during business hours if you have any issues to raise. Find out the specific communication policies the company has in place to communicate with cleaners on site, and what backup procedures they have in place in case cleaners are sick. Look for immediate and clear responses from the cleaning company rep, if they are uncertain in any way, you can be certain they have no clear policy and you will be let down at some time. Good companies with well established policies will give you clear definitive answers to questions like these.