Banks have become the backbone of modern-day commerce. Online banking, direct deposits, debit cards, ATMs and the ability to check your balance online also mean that banks see less foot traffic than before. Yet when clients walk through the door they expect nothing less than the most professional of environments.
A bank that is unkempt, messy or smells unpleasant sends an unprofessional message, that can quickly erode a clients trust. Given how competitive the banking industry has become, it also means that a messy bank could be vulnerable to customers taking their business elsewhere.
Daily Cleaning & Bank Maintenance
Bank customers are keen to look for salient signs of integrity and professionalism in the banks and lending institutions they choose to do business with. This holds true at every level of the financial industry, whether we are talking about a small town bank or credit union, local, national bank.
Clients want to feel that they are leaving their financial future, and their major investments like their new house or car, retirement savings, or their children’s college fund, in capable hands. So, it’s critical that all banks and financial institutions live up to these expectations, not just for their own success, but to uphold the reputation of the industry as a whole.
So, it only makes sense that clients want to place their money with a bank or lending house that offers up a clean, well-kept physical workspace. This puts a good first foot forward that keeps any new prospective clients from putting their foot out the door.
A growing body of research has found that a lot of people take their first impressions of places or people in less than a minute upon reaching them. This means that as a bank manager, you can immediately improve the first and lasting impressions your financial institution makes by ensuring that your cleaning service diligently freshens up every square inch of your professional space.
A Methodical Approach To Bank Cleaning
It helps to take a methodical approach to cleaning a bank of lending institution, to ensure that every square inch of the professional space is clean. This includes the common, high-traffic areas that clients see every day, to the bathrooms and even the employee office spaces.
It often helps to have a checklist for each location to ensure total cleanliness and the kind of professional appearance that your clients demand from a trusting financial institution.
Lobby & Waiting Rooms
These are high traffic areas that can see a lot of clients over the course of a single day. Making sure that all trash receptacles are emptied, the rugs are clean, chairs are clean and magazine racks are in order is the sort of thing that needs to be done every few hours.
After normal business hours, the lobby floors need to be swept and mopped. Any spills need to be wiped up and the entire area is properly tied up. It might also help to spray or apply a neutral scented deodorizer.
Teller Stations
The teller station is probably the one place in any bank branch that sees the most clients. It’s the place where customers big and small come into contact with bank personnel. This means that more than any other area, the teller station needs to be sanitized, for both the sake of the customer and the teller.
This includes keeping of debris, neat and organized during the day. It also means wiping down and sanitizing all high-touch surfaces after hours and emptying out all trash receptacles.
A lot of banks place hand sanitizer dispensers near teller stations to make it easy for clients to stop the transfer of germs. In fact, physical currency is capable of carrying a lot of different pathogenic substances and bacteria.
Making sure that these hand sanitizer stations are refilled as needed during the day, as well as after normal business hours has become a critical component of keeping customers and bank employees safe.
Employee Break Rooms & Kitchenettes
While the majority of bank clients might never see these spaces, even passing by an untidy break room on the way to an office can send the wrong message. Odors from untidy garbage cans and food smells need to be curtailed. At the same time, kitchenette areas also require routine cleanliness for the sake of the employees who use them to cook their meals.
This includes basic things like tidying up after the lunch hour, as well as emptying the trash receptacle in the break room at the end of every day. Making sure to also wipe down all food prep surfaces will go a long way toward maintaining a clean and healthy kitchenette for employees.
The breakroom refrigerator is also another thing that needs attention. Ideally, the handle and any other high-touch surfaces should be wiped down with a rag or cloth that has a sanitizing agent applied. You should also encourage employees to take out all food items at the end of every week. When empty the shelves of the refrigerator should be wiped down with a food-safe sanitizing agent.
Offices & Cubicles
A lot of banks and lending institutions provide cubicles and offices for loan officers and executives who need to see high-value clients face to face. These are the places where negotiations are carried out, handshakes are made and papers are signed on the dotted line.
For a lot of the clients who visit bank offices and cubicles, this is a stressful time where they are handing over a significant portion of their financial freedom, and trust. They are making a major investment in your bank, and they want to feel that they are dealing with the utmost professionals.
This also means that there are a lot of areas that need to be meticulously clean every day. All areas need to be maintained each day include desk areas, chairs, the floor and trash cans empty.
Restrooms
Research in the retail and grocery industries has revealed that an unkempt bathroom can make or break whether or not a first time customer will convert into a loyal long-term customer. If people will lose interest in buying a cantaloupe or a toaster oven over an ugly bathroom, you can bet that they will lose faith in a bank that has a messy, foul-smelling lavatory.
All employee and client bathrooms need to be maintained on a daily basis. This includes removing all trash, wiping down all fixtures, filling all dispensers, and mopping the floors. A thoughtful deodorizing strategy is also critical for odor-management.
Hiring A Third-Party Cleaning Service
When you hire a third-party professional cleaning service like Building Services, you can trust that all the areas of your bank are being meticulously cleaned to the highest professional standards. It also frees your employees up to stay focused on performing the job duties they are trained for.
We offer day porter or matron services to help maintain your bank’s clean, professional appearance during normal business hours. Then we also offer professional cleaning services to clean your facility to exacting standards day or night.
