The speed of modern-day business has a lot of office professionals and staffers on their toes trying to not just keep up, but to innovate and thrive in their chosen industry. This often takes a lot of hours and a mentality that understands that “Good Enough Is Not Good Enough.” Of course, this kind of focus on success and service requires specialists, who might not always be experts when it comes to cleaning or sanitizing an office space to impeccable professional standards.
That’s probably why so many corporations, small businesses, and office managers hire third-party cleaning companies to handle all their custodial needs. Though, being able to pick the paragons from the pretenders can also be a challenge. It helps to know what to look for when searching for the best professional cleaning company to meet your office’s needs.
Check Their Online Reviews
These days any company worth their salt has online reviews and referrals to their services. This includes popular business review sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, Manta, Yellow Pages reviews, and more. Though it helps to do more than just look at their average number of stars. Dig a little deeper. See how they respond to their harshest critics. A truly top-notch professional cleaning service will go above and beyond to put right anything that might not have met their client’s high standards.
Check Their References & Referrals
If you find a professional cleaning company that has you interested, take the time to talk to them. Ask about their references and check their referrals. Cleaning companies are part of a service industry where referrals and customer satisfaction which are important areas of focus. Some will even include a list of some of their past satisfied customers on their website.
Ask If They Are Licensed & Insured
Some states require a business license for a cleaning company and some don’t. So, while an official license isn’t a make-it-or-break-it factor, it helps. Something that is absolutely crucial though, is that the professional cleaning company carries a high level of liability insurance. This covers them for damage and injuries that occur while they are servicing your office or place of business. You should not contract a professional cleaning company that doesn’t carry a vigorous amount of liability coverage.
Ask About Their Cleaning Process & Training
A truly experienced cleaning company can give you a well-thought-out, detail-oriented cleaning process. The more metaphors and glowing descriptions you hear and the fewer hardpoints, the more suspicious you should be about their actual cleaning experience.
Most will also provide you with information about the experience and training of their cleaning staff. If they don’t immediately provide it, as part of their description of the cleaning process, then you should make it a point to ask about it as one of your follow-up questions.
Ask About Cleaning Products & Equipment
Truly professional cleaning companies make it a point to get access to the kind of cleaning products and equipment that just isn’t available at the retail level. If they are using the same brand name cleaning products you can find at a box store and equipment that anyone could just rent for a day, they likely aren’t going to be capable of providing your office space with a truly professional level of cleaning.
As one of your follow-up questions, you might want to also ask if they have any sort of ecologically friendly or green cleaning system. Most of the best professional cleaning companies are keen on environmental issues and will offer options that are friendly to the environment and leave your office space free of off-putting toxic odors.
Check Their Address
Ideally, you want to choose a cleaning company that is headquartered in your area. Though this goes beyond just supporting your local community businesses. If you ever have an emergency, such as a plumbing problem that makes a mess out of your office carpets, a company that is based in the area will be able to offer you the fastest possible response time.
Ask About Their MDSS
A “Material Data Safety Sheet” which is sometimes referred to as an MDSS or MSDS is an important element of the safety process for any professional cleaning company. It means that they have the training, equipment, and materials to safely handle a wide range of chemicals, even if they’re not considered dangerous.
This includes training and skill to know a specific chemical’s reactivity with other compounds. Such as knowing whether it’s flammable, as well as the possible health hazards that could result from exposure to them. The sheets are clearly printed in English, with translations available for bilingual companies.
Ask About Flexible Scheduling
The best professional cleaning companies typically offer some type of flexible scheduling. This might include the ability to schedule all cleaning services after your normal hours of operation or schedule special services, like stripping and refinishing tile floors, on weekends. This will go a long way toward maintaining the professional appearance of your offices for the clients and visitors who come to your site.
Tip #9 Ask About Their Employee Health Policies
These days employee health practices and policies are critical for preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Professional cleaning companies with policies in place, including providing their staff with personal protective equipment. They should also have standard policies in place for things like health screenings, employee illnesses, and possibly in-house vaccination requirements.
Inquire About Background Checks
Security matters, especially if you are planning on having a professional cleaning company service your offices after your regular hours of operation. Ideally, you want to prioritize a company that thoroughly vets its employees with background checks. As an added bonus, as if they will be giving your offices a dedicated staff. Not only does this ensure that you are getting the same cleared individuals working unsupervised after hours, but it also means that the janitorial staff will be familiar with all the little cleaning details that need to be minded.
