Part 1: 5 Reasons to Consider Changing Commercial Cleaning Companies

May 17, 2013

Are you overwhelmed with tenant issues regarding your building’s current commercial cleaning service?

Do you find yourself constantly agitated about the cleaning and what “they’ll mess up next?”

In this part 1 of 2 article, we will discuss the top 5 reasons to start considering a change in your building’s commercial cleaning company. Stay tuned for next week’s article:3 Steps to Ensure a Smooth Transition from One Commercial Cleaning Company to Another.

Are your daily work activities starting to get disrupted by constant complaints from tenants regarding the poor level of cleaning? If you’re encountering upset tenants due to recurring cleaning problems, it may be time to start looking for another commercial cleaning company.

We’ve interviewed several property and facility managers in the South Florida area to find out what the major issues were that forced them to make a change in the building’s cleaning provider. Below are the top five results.

#1 “The alarms were not set… And, one of the tenant’s doors was left unlocked, again!”

Alarms left unarmed and doors left unlocked are major liabilities and can create severe safety issues, especially if this becomes an on-going problem! Your tenants trust that you choose responsible and trustworthy vendors to service the building, when that trust becomes compromised problems can quickly escalate.

#2 No answer to multiple phone calls

This is probably a no-brainer. If you’re calling customer service, or the account manager, within a short period of time and consistently receive no answer or response in return, it may be time to question the company’s work ethic.

#3 “Suite 210 wasn’t vacuumed last night, can you take care of this?” “Absolutely! We’ll take care of it this evening!” …One week later vacuuming still hasn’t been done.

Do you find yourself constantly calling in problems from the night before and getting a positive, agreeable person at the end of the line ensuring that the problem will be taken care of yet the problem never gets resolved? This is a clear sign of poor communication within the hierarchy of the cleaning company. If problems are brought to customer service, or even the account manager, and they are not transferred down to the actual cleaning crew members, problems can get worse in the long run. This may be a small problem now, but with time, poor communication can start to reflect in every aspect of the cleaning.

#4 “This is the third time I’m calling about this particular issue, what’s going on?!”

Recurring problems are a nuisance and a disturbance to daily business activities. When a problem, or multiple problems, turn into recurring problems, it’s time to look elsewhere. You shouldn’t have to constantly monitor the cleaning or hear multiple complaints from your tenants. You hired the company to do a job, and that job should be fulfilled without constant surveillance- you’re busy enough!

#5 “Where’s George, he just started last month?” “He’s no longer with us, but Anthony will be your new account manager and he’s great!”

Rapid turnover rate for cleaning crew members or account managers is a sign of an unstable business; constantly bringing in new personnel into the building can cause many disruptions during the course of business. Of course, change is inevitable, but too many changes is a cause for concern.

Unfortunately, there are no magic wands or a perfectly clean world in an industry that is so labor-driven, so it’s understandable that mistakes can happen. However, when mistakes turn into carelessness, poor work ethic, and lack of consideration, it’s time to consider a change.

Do you find yourself facing similar problems?

Stay tuned for next week’s article: 3 Steps to Ensure a Smooth Transition from One Commercial Cleaning Company to Another.