So you’ve hit a brick wall with your current commercial cleaner. Complaints have been piling up both from you and your staff about the poor quality of cleaning service in your office. And after several years of subscribing to your provider, you’re now thinking of switching to a different, and hopefully better, commercial cleaning service.
There are a number of reasons why a company would consider ending their contract with their commercial cleaner. Most often, the current cleaning company may have already been doing a poor job for quite some time and chances are, you’ve long been dissatisfied with the cleaning service. There are also instances where your commercial cleaner is no longer equipped to adapt to your company’s growth. They may simply not be capable of handling bigger challenges.
But wait, what about the contract that you signed with your current commercial cleaner?
Now let’s say you’ve reached your tipping point with the mounting complaints on your current commercial cleaner. You’ve finally decided that it’s time to look for a new commercial cleaning service. You realized that it’s not really worth the headache to keep using them. But if you have an existing contract with your cleaner, what should you do? How do you ensure a smooth transition for your service provider?
Have you ever had that experience where you jumped on an agreement impulsively without even bothering to read through the fine print? A binding contract can be a big hindrance when switching to a new commercial cleaning service. It’s much more simple if your contract is coming to an end since both parties have to renew the agreement. But, if you’re thinking of terminating your agreement before your contract expires then things get a lot more complicated. If you read through the fine print of your agreement, most contracts contain a termination clause whose main purpose is to lock you in their service within a certain period of time. You should read this clause first because it should outline the circumstances under which you can end a contract and the amount of notice you will need to provide in case you do decide to abruptly end the service.
Here are the major reasons why companies decide to switch to another commercial cleaning service.
1. Lack of transparency with the prices
Some cleaning companies intentionally make their price quotations difficult to understand. Often you would notice some inserted added costs here and there. Next thing you know is that your accounting team is filing an outrageous invoice. You end up paying more than what you expect. If a cleaning company sends a quote that seems sketchy to you then don’t sign a contract with them. The cost of the cleaning service should clearly be laid out so you can be sure of what you’re getting. More often than not, an ambiguous contract will mean a reduction in quality, professionalism, and dependability. Make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for so you can budget adequately and avoid hidden costs.
2. Poor Communication
In terms of support system, how available is your commercial cleaning company? What happens when you try to communicate with them? Do they respond right away or does it take them a few hours, if not, days before they answer? While everyone hopes things will go smoothly, you need to be reassured that if something does happen, you can talk to your cleaning company and make sure to get things taken care of. As with every line of business, communication is vital and essential in ensuring smooth operations.
3. Problematic Cleaners
A professional cleaning company should be able to manage their cleaners. They have to make sure that any problems that may arise are immediately taken care of. Operational issues will happen when you start taking shortcuts. This is often the case when you hire a low-quality cleaning company. Sometimes you would have to bear the problem and figure out the solution yourself. This ultimately affects your business because you’re forced to deal with nuances that should have already been taken care of. You should always look to hire cleaning companies that require background checks, do screening and training for their cleaner technicians. You want a cleaning company that provides ongoing training and uses smart and effective cleaning strategies.
4. Just Too Many Mistakes
Sure, everyone makes mistakes. We’re all just humans after all. But as a rule of thumb, you should always have a takeaway whenever you commit a mistake. You learn and then you get a better understanding of how to do things the right way, next time around. You also learn how to anticipate and prevent errors in judgement. So what does it mean when the mistakes just start to pile up? How many mistakes would be just too much? Recurring mistakes like inadequate cleaning, neglected areas, damaged equipment, etc. can be too frustrating. Most companies decide to switch to a new cleaning service when the mistakes just become too many to ignore.
5. Missing Quality Control
Another reason that cleaning companies often fall short is the consistency of the quality of their service. This is often due to lack of quality control and regular monitoring. A great commercial cleaning company should have a clear policy for strict adherence to their service level. Even the most well-trained cleaner tends to get complacent with their work without an existing procedure for quality checks. Always go for a cleaning company that consistently audits their own cleaning procedures, weekly inspection reporting and review.
Should you wait for your commercial cleaner to improve?
At any rate, continuing with your current contract could prove to be more costly for your business. Poor commercial cleaning services can have a corrosive effect on your client’s confidence. It can also dampen your own employee’s morale and compromise workplace health and safety. The damage to your company’s reputation and workplace culture can often lead to long-term problems for your bottomline. Hence, the immediate costs of switching commercial cleaning services is worth the cost of ending a contract prematurely.
Whether it’s an industrial site or a commercial establishment, the important thing is to always keep your facility clean. You want to make sure that your employees are healthy because you want them to be productive. You don’t want your clients to see a dirty place of business. If you feel that these things are already being compromised then it may be time to start looking for a replacement.