When you hire someone to handle your commercial cleaning, you want to make sure that the company has your best interests in mind. It is always wise to check that the company is reputable, that it hires and trains its employees properly, and that its leaders are always available for you in case you have any questions or concerns. Commercial cleaning may not be in your typical skillset, so 360clean is here to help! Read on to find seven questions to ask a commercial cleaning service before you hire them to clean your facility.
Or, if you’re ready to begin your search for the perfect cleaning service, contact our team at 360clean today for a free quote!
1. How Long Have You Been in Operation?
While new commercial cleaning companies can certainly do a good job, you’d also be taking a chance if they are not experienced at what they do. When a commercial cleaning service has been in operation for at least a few years, it means that they have done a good job for a variety of different clients. They wouldn’t still be in business otherwise. There is no magic number of years of operation you should be looking for, but you should aim to hire a commercial cleaning service that does have experience.
For example, at 360clean, we are proud to have over 15 years of experience. All this time spent in the industry has taught us many things, including the importance of creating a specialized approach for each of our customers.
Along with asking a company about their years of experience, another thoughtful question is to ask prospective companies for a list of clients who you could call for references. A good word from another company like yours could go a long way in easing any doubts you might have.
2. Do You Conduct Background Checks on Your Employees?
When you hire a commercial cleaning service, you will need to give outside employees access to your facility. Many times, this will happen after hours, when none of your workers will be around to see what they’re doing.
As such, you’ll need to trust that the commercial cleaning service you hire has done its due diligence before hiring employees. Their workers will ultimately have access to your building at a time when they could do potential damage.
Remember to ensure that the commercial cleaning service has conducted background checks on their employees before hiring. If a company does not perform background checks on its employees, it could serve as a red flag.
3. What Is Your Quality Control Process?
All commercial cleaning services will tout that they conduct thorough cleaning measures of all the main areas of a commercial facility. They’ll say they make sure everything is spotless and disinfected properly. But, how are you to know that they have done the job that they are saying they are doing?
It would be obvious that the commercial cleaning service didn’t do its job if your trash cans aren’t emptied or there is dirt all over the floor, for instance. Will you really know, though, whether they used the proper disinfectant products in high-touch areas such as bathrooms?
A lot of this comes down to you trusting the company you are hiring, of course, but it also comes down to what quality control processes they have in place. Will their workers check off a list every time a cleaning task has been done and then give that to you after every time they clean your facility? Are there other ways their work is being double-checked?
Another aspect of the quality control process is how they train their employees. Do their workers know the difference between cleaning products, and which ones to use where and when? You can also ask a commercial cleaning company questions about how they train their employees to ensure they do a good job.
4. Will the Same Team of Employees Clean My Facility?
Consistency is key to creating and maintaining a clean and healthy commercial facility. That’s why it’s so essential that you find a commercial cleaning company that you can trust so that you’re not constantly switching companies.
In that same vein, it would be optimal if the commercial cleaning service you hire sends the same group of workers to clean your facility every time — or at least most of the time. When this happens, the workers will get to know your facility and what areas need the most attention. They’ll also know any facility-specific cleaning need you might have.
From your perspective, having a consistent team of cleaners will ease your mind that they are doing a good job. You won’t have to worry about whether you need to constantly check their work after it’s been done.
This may not be a deal-breaker for you, but it’s nice to know that you’ll be delivered a consistent cleaning every time. And having the same group of workers handling your facility every time could help in that regard.
5. Does Your Business Have Proper Insurance?
You may not immediately think about business insurance when you’re hiring a commercial cleaning service, but it should be at the top of your list of questions to ask. It’s essential that whatever commercial cleaning service you hire has all the proper business insurance. If something happens to your facility while they are cleaning, it should be their insurance that handles the repair and/or replacement and not yours.
Further, keep in mind that your own business insurance probably doesn’t provide coverage for damage done by an employee of a third-party company you hire. For instance, if an employee of the cleaning service spills water onto computers and ruins them, your own insurance may not cover the cost of the repair or replacement; the cleaning company’s insurance should, though.
At the same time, there’s a possibility that an employee of the commercial cleaning company could get injured while cleaning your facility. If this happens due to their own negligence or mistake–and not a dangerous situation that someone at your company created–then it would be their insurance that would provide coverage and not yours. You should never hire a commercial cleaning service that doesn’t have proper business insurance. It’s simply not worth the risk.
6. Who Do I Communicate with if I Have a Question or Concern?
Communication is a major key to success in multiple aspects of business. If you ever have a question, concern, or comment about the commercial cleaning services you are being provided, you should have a point person to contact. This shouldn’t be one of the workers who cleans your facility unless you are hiring a company where the owner and/or lead managers do some of the cleaning themselves.
The commercial cleaning service you hire should provide you with a point person who will handle your account. You should be able to reach them easily–and by multiple modes of communication–and they should be able to respond to any of your concerns in a timely and effective fashion.
If a communication system such as this isn’t set up for you, then you’re bound to run into issues and experience unnecessary headaches.
7. What Makes You Better Than Your Competitors?
Finally, what separates the commercial cleaning service you are considering from others on the market? It’s important to hear the answer to this question from the leaders of the cleaning company themselves. This will allow you to get a sense not just of what their “pitch” is, but how much they believe in it and what they do.
What’s important to you in a commercial cleaning service may not be what the company is touting as its strengths and/or value proposition. If you’re looking for a commercial cleaning service that has years of experience and can handle heavy-duty sanitation but they’re touting their cheap cost, then it might not be a good fit.
Ultimately, what’s important to you in a commercial cleaning service might not be important to another company. That being said, your needs, wants, and desires for a partner should match up with the commercial cleaning service that you choose to hire
Start Your Search at 360Clean
There are many commercial cleaning services on the market. This is great because there are a lot of choices, but it can also be challenging and cause confusion, too. A great way to wade through the noise that’s out there is to ask potential commercial cleaning services pertinent questions about their business and what they can do for you. We hope the questions above help get you started! And, if you’re ready to begin your search for the best commercial cleaning company in your area, look no further than 360Clean.
With nearly two decades of experience, we have fine-tuned our approach to commercial cleaning services to protect your employees and clients from dangerous germs while protecting your company’s bottom line. Contact us today for a free quote! We can’t wait to help you make your business a cleaner and happier place.