As most businesses are planning for their financial year end review, now is the best time to check that you are getting the best value and service from your commercial cleaning contractor.
But when it comes to change, there are often a lot of questions you may not know the answer to. To help you make that decision, JDK Cleaning has come up with a guide designed to outline the main steps in the process and what to look for in a new provider.
Making the decision to change your cleaning contractor
There are many reasons why a business may decide to change their commercial cleaning provider. You may feel you are not receiving the level of service you were expecting, or, you are not happy with the escalating costs of your contract. Whatever the reason it is helpful to understand the steps in the process to ensure you are able to make a fully informed decision.
Finding a commercial cleaning company
Searching for a new commercial cleaning supplier can be a daunting task and may put you off making the change even though you may not be getting the best standards of service. The commercial cleaning sector is an extremely competitive market and there are many providers out there.
An excellent starting place for your search would be the directory on the British Institute of Cleaning Science website, here. The BICSc is the largest independent, professional body within the cleaning industry. Members of the BICSc have proven they are able to provide a clean and safe environment and promote best practice in the industry. It is highly recommended that you select providers who are members of the BICSc.
It is essential that you research any commercial cleaning companies that you do find; not all are as good as the next. Research any accreditations or awards they may have; most reputable companies will have acquired numerous accreditations. Some to look out for CHAS, Constructionline and, of course, BICSc.
It’s also worth checking if the company has online reviews. These are different to testimonials as reviews on platforms like Google, Yell and Facebook tend to be genuine feedback from satisfied customers.
Site survey and cleaning audit
Once you have identified your preferred cleaning company or companies the next step would be to invite them to perform a site survey. Some companies will opt to provide you a quote without visiting your site, It is not recommended to choose a supplier who does this. It is essential that a complete site survey and cleaning audit is carried out in order to fully understand the cleaning requirements of the building. A professional company will use this opportunity to identify any cleaning service improvements that can be made and also identify specialist consumables which may be required.
The handover
The new cleaning contractor should suggest using the weeks before the handover to perform a number of tasks to ensure the changeover is smooth and that all parties are happy. Ultimately, the handover should be seamless; you should expect little to no disruption in your cleaning service.
Improving the cleaning standards
A professional cleaning contractor will be able to add value to your business in a number of ways.
Firstly, there are some key services they should offer including:
A dedicated supervisor to oversee the contract and who will carry out spot checks to ensure staff are working to the companies required standards.
Communications books to enable interaction between representatives from the business and the cleaning staff employed.
Cleaners who are employed directly by the cleaning company.
A software programme that tracks employee arrival and departure times, so you know that the company’s cleaning staff are delivering the expected service.
Adequate levels of public and employer liability insurance.
Summary
To summarise, there are many factors to consider when changing your commercial cleaning provider. It is important to understand the reasons why you wish to change. Significant improvements only occur where proper training, as well as thorough performance reviews and management is implemented, and these are essential to consider this when choosing your new provider.
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with the information to know what to look for when choosing a new cleaning company and will help you make an informed decision when you decide to do so.
JDK Cleaning
Though we know we’re blowing our own trumpet, JDK Cleaning ticks all of the above boxes when it comes to delivery of value for money commercial cleaning services to the highest standards.
We have both CHAS and Constructionline accreditations and we are a member of the BICSc. We have invested in Ezitracker attendance verification software, designed to monitor the hours worked by our cleaners at different sites. The software provides us with a real-time verified report on the actual hours worked at our customers’ sites which is seamlessly integrated into our payroll system so that the actual hours worked are accurately matched against contracted hours.
We employ all our cleaners directly, and we have achieved Employer Excellence status through Chwarae Teg.
Importantly, you can read what our customers say about us on the review page on our website.
To find out how JDK Cleaning can add value and deliver the cleaning standards you should expect from a commercial cleaning contractor, call us today on the number below to book a free site survey:
