The Good, The Not So Good and The Downright Frightening Commercial Cleaning Services
There are so many commercial cleaning services in Sydney and throughout the country. There are large national janitorial services, there are small mom and dad operations, there are large local professional commercial cleaning companies and there are even the man and mop and small team start-ups. If you are a facility manager looking for a commercial company or office cleaning services, there are just so many cleaning companies to consider, not to mention commercial cleaning pricing. It can be overwhelming. And with so many varying options in janitorial companies, it is important to note that they are all over the place, some good, some not so good, and some are even frighteningly bad.
There’s A Long List of Things That Set Effective Commercial Cleaning Companies Apart.
What is it that you really want from your cleaning service? Most facility managers use words like effective, reliable, consistent, responsive, professional safe, thorough, and more. You want from your cleaning services provider what we all want from organizations that provide a service; we want capable, well trained, and screened people who are a good fit for the work, doing consistently good work in our facilities and being responsive to our individual needs. does all this sound too good to be true? It shouldn’t. the truth is as hard as it can be to find a great commercial cleaning service, they are out there and there are a variety of things that set the best cleaning companies apart:
- They have a clear understanding of your security needs.
- They have a documented process of employee screening and training that they share with you.
- They strictly adhere to best commercial cleaning practices as defined by the fitting professional organizations.
- They have in place the systems to guarantee responsive service.
- They know that they can assure reliability through accountability with practices like frequent janitorial inspections that are shared with the right people.
- They have the ability to staff up and staff down as needed to meet changes in your needs.
- They offer a myriad of services under one umbrella to save you money and time.
- They have documented systems, procedures, and tools to assure a high-level service delivery.
- They use technology to streamline processes, up to their game and create value for their customers.
Cutting Through Hype, Sales Claims and Misdirection with Commercial Cleaning Services Is Tough
You as facility manager have a number of options when choosing a new commercial cleaning company, industrial cleaning services, office cleaning services, and more. Getting referrals is a good place to start. This is especially useful if you have been in the business for years and have a host of other facility managers or vendors whose opinions you trust. But even referrals can be tricky if your facility’s needs are substantially different from those of the company offering you a referral. You can also certainly sit down with a prospective commercial cleaning service. sure, you are going to get a pitch, but this can be a great source of information as long as you ask the question you want and ask your prospective cleaning services company to show you and not just tell you what makes them better. For example, when a cleaning company says that they offer great training, tell them you want to see it. Companies that are serious about janitorial training have processes and verification for everything they do. Likewise, if you ask an office cleaning company about their green cleaning program, they should be able to give you substantive specifics and not just generalities like “we are green” or this is “eco-friendly” true green cleaning and cleaning for health requires a balancing act between safety and efficacy and not every commercial cleaning company is sure footed.
CIMS Offers You Better Information on A Janitorial Service, But It’s Still Your Decision
Sure, your information is limited, and yes, many cleaning companies are more hype than help, but there is a single strategy that can transform and streamline your process when looking for a commercial cleaning company. That is CIMS or the ISSA’S Certified Industry Management Standard. It is a bit of a moth full, but it matters. CIMS is a certification process offered through the ISSA or international sanitary supply association, the professional organization for building services companies. The CIMS certification is challenging, rigorous, centres on all the points and more than delineates a professional janitorial company most likely to succeed in your facility. CIMS covers mastery in areas like:
- Quality Systems: A framework to ensure effective operations and continuous improvement
- Service Delivery: processes and systems in place to deliver consistent, quality service
- Human Resources: best practices for managing any service industry’s greatest asset – their people
- Health, Safety, and Environmental Stewardship: Ensuring regularly compliance, workplace safety, and health and environmental management
- Management Commitment: Establishing our mission, vision, and values and ensuring that the organization’s continuity is secured.
And they cover so much more. When searching for a commercial cleaning company, CIMS can be the single smartest strategy for streamlining your process. Nothing can take the place of your judgment as a facility manager and your innate knowledge of the needs of your individual facility. and yet, if you use CIMS to make a short list, you will be starting with the best of the best. Then, you can arrange proposals and walkthroughs without wasting your valuable time meeting with commercial cleaning companies that are just not poised to deliver the level of service or value you need for your facility. then you can peruse janitorial bids and meet with teams and choose the commercial cleaning company that you think will make the best and most lasting partner for you and your facility.
