Finding the best janitorial service for your business can be a challenging task. The barrier to entry is pretty low in our industry and a Google search will result in hundreds of options. How do you choose. The fact is many people faced with the decision to hire a new janitorial company do not take into account what could go wrong with a bad decision, but actually stakes are high.
How exactly do you discern between the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to finding quality janitorial services?
The Good
First, the good news, there are excellent janitors out there. We like to think we fall into this group. Reputable Janitorial Services that do what they say they are going to do, are reliable, but keep a low profile (who wants to see the janitor on an average day at work). It’s not an accident. These companies have learned they need to do certain things…
Screen New Employees – and work hard to retain existing staff.
Janitorial work is not the most highly paid… but you still want to make sure that your janitorial staff is trustworthy AND takes their job of cleaning your premises seriously. Ay Myles O’Donnell, we have a specific hiring strategy to attract people looking for part time work, outside out normal working hours. Our flexibility with our employees allows us to attract people looking for an extra income that is very flexible to fit with their needs. We accommodate that. We screen all new employees and put them through a training program. Also, we monitor their work while they are new with us to ensure that they pay attention to detail and are doing the hard work of cleaning while on the job.
Evaluate themselves
Look for a company that is interested in hearing about your experience with them. You certainly don’t want to sign a contract with a company, get locked in, and find your janitorial company isn’t remotely interested in hearing about feedback both positive and negative from your company. Ask what your opportunities are for feedback and your options if the response to feedback isn’t what you’d like to hear.
Invested in a relationship with your business
Believe it or not, some janitorial businesses are genuinely interested in becoming a strategic partner for you business. You should be able to ask their opinion on certain facilities issues such as carpet choices (durability / easiness to clean), office layout (for easy cleaning and safe navigation through an office space), help with areas that regularly accumulate dust, and products to use in cleaning your facility. It’s your business after all – but that doesn’t mean you have know everything about everything!