How to Hire a Janitorial Service for Office Cleaning

How to Hire a Janitorial Service for Office Cleaning

Hiring a janitorial service company can come with many headaches. From scheduling multiple service bids to looking over empty promise contracts, can be a nightmare.  How do you know who to hire? Do you go with the lowest bid?  Or, are higher bid contracts necessary to get well trained cleaning crews and competent services?  These are issues companies across the United States are dealing with.

Here are a few tips in securing your next janitorial service company for office cleaning.

1. Hiring based on recommendation can often save you time and money. If you do business with other companies in the area, give them a call. Ask who they use for their cleaning service and if they would recommend them for your company.  Word of mouth is often the best way to get a reputable company who will do a great job.  This often encourages that janitorial company to do their best.  They know if they do not back up their promises, they could lose not only your business, but the company that recommended them. The initial referral may also have second thoughts and fire them too.  This gives you, the consumer, leverage over your janitorial service company.  If you live in Columbia, SC and need a recommendation, call someone in your community for help.

2. Evaluating janitorial bids based on cost is not the best way to hire a company. Most companies are quick to look at their bottom line and make decisions based on cost. However, this could be a big mistake.  The cheapest janitorial bid may not be the best over the long term.  For example, some janitorial service companies will purposely underbid other companies just to obtain your account.  Making any profit off your account may not be their focus.  There could be many reasons for this tactic.  Two possibilities could be a large company that just wants to boost their gross profit or a franchise company looking to pass your account onto a new franchise owner.  Either way you may receive poor service as they are not making any money on your account and will soon lose interest.
   Instead of looking at price, evaluate the owner or manager that meets with you.  Do they present as a slick sales person or do you get a genuine sense that they care about you and your company needs. Ask questions such as: Will the same janitorial crew clean my building week after week?  Companies that rotate workers to your site may not give you a consistent service. New workers are often not familiar with your building as a crew that has been there from day one. Other questions include: How fast can I expect a return call if we have a problem?  Companies that tell you they will call you within 24-48 hours may not be good enough. A janitorial service company in which you can call the owner/manager night or day and get immediate attention is best.  Many times you do not have 48 hours to wait for someone to address your problem.  Go with a company that can address your needs ASAP.

3. If you are a large company or hospital, choose two companies to meet your needs. This may sound strange, however this may give you the best coverage and leverage you need to keep your facility clean. For example, let’s say that your building is comprised of multiple floors.  Hire two companies and assign floors that each company is responsible for.   Usually within the first month you will start to see who is performing well and who is not.  You have leverage against the company that is underperforming because they know that there is a possibility that they could lose their floors to the other company.  Also, if one company does not work out, you have the other to fill permanently or temporarily until you find another one to take their spot.  This means that you will always have at least one company providing service to your facility.  There will never be any days that you go without service because you fired the only janitorial service provider that you have.  Once you start the process of looking for a new company and wait for them to be trained, you could go several days without trash being dumped, restrooms being cleaned or floors being maintained.   Your customers and employees may be very unhappy during this period and it may look poorly on you as the person in charge of selecting and monitoring cleaning crews.  So, consider hiring two companies the next time you are changing cleaning services.

We hope these tips will help you in choosing your next janitorial service company.  Southjan is a full service janitorial cleaning company in Columbia, South Carolina.  We service several surrounding areas to including Irmo, Lexington, Cayce, Blythewood and West Columbia. Visit Southjan.com if you are in need of a reliable and courteous janitorial service company.