Choosing a commercial cleaning company should not come down to price alone.
The company you appoint may be responsible for cleaning your premises every day, working around employees and visitors and, in some cases, accessing the building outside normal working hours.
Here are five things worth checking before making your decision.
Experience With Premises Like Yours
Cleaning requirements can differ considerably between an office, school, warehouse, healthcare environment and large commercial building.
Ask potential providers about the types of premises they already clean and whether they understand the particular requirements of your environment.
Insurance, Standards and Accreditation
Do not simply assume a cleaning contractor has appropriate insurance and procedures in place.
Ask what insurance they hold and what recognised certifications or accreditations they have. You can also read our guide to commercial cleaning accreditations.
You should also consider how the company manages health and safety, risk assessments, staff training, data security where relevant and quality control.
Reliable Cleaner Cover
One of the most important questions is also one of the simplest:
What happens when my regular cleaner does not turn up?
People become ill, take holidays and occasionally leave jobs unexpectedly.
The difference is how the cleaning company responds.
A professional provider should have arrangements for managing absences and providing replacement cover rather than leaving the client to deal with the problem.
A Clear Cleaning Specification
Be cautious of quotes that provide little detail beyond a price and number of cleaning hours.
You should understand:
This also makes competing quotes much easier to compare properly.
- What will be cleaned
- How frequently different tasks will be completed
- The proposed cleaning schedule
- Who provides equipment and products
- How additional or periodic work is handled
- How performance will be monitored
Communication and Accountability
What happens if something goes wrong?
You should know who your point of contact is, how problems are reported and how quickly they are expected to be addressed.
Communication before you have signed a contract can also tell you a lot about what the relationship may be like afterwards.
