When choosing the right cleaning team for your business, you want to know that you have picked the best of the best. This will look different for every organisation – punctuality, good customer service, excellent value for money – but if your current team is failing to meet your expectations, or their standards have recently dipped, then it’s time to switch service providers.
Finding a good replacement can be tricky, but if you have a nagging feeling that a new cleaning team would do a better job than your current one then here are 5 key signs you should look out for when deciding to make the switch.
1. Poor Cleaning Standards
Everyone wants a welcoming working environment that looks good, but business premises must also be kept clean and sanitised. If your cleaners seem to be focused too much on the appearance of the space and not on its hygiene levels, or your employees have begun to point out cleanliness issues, then you aren’t getting the high standards that you signed up for.
Whilst this on its own is a good enough reason to start interviewing new commercial cleaners, if these insufficient cleaning services start to have a knock-on effect on the quality or integrity of your products then there is absolutely no time to delay. The search for a new service provider must begin immediately before any long-term reputational damage is done.
2. Specialist Equipment Needs Cleaning
If your premises have specific cleaning requirements, including machinery that must be cleaned regularly and equipment that requires specialist care, then this must be included in your cleaning contract.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your equipment is kept in good working order but most cleaning providers won’t have the equipment or expertise necessary to provide the results you need. If your current cleaning team is unable to meet your requirements, even if they are doing a great job of keeping your wider premises clean, then it’s time to call in the specialists to make sure your industry specifications are met.
3. Inconsistent or Unreliable Services
When you hire commercial cleaners, you trust them entirely with the cleanliness of your business and the security of your premises. Building a good relationship with your cleaning team will require a degree of flexibility on both sides, and mistakes can always happen, but if they are not quickly rectified and apologised for then this can start to sour the relationship between yourself and your cleaners and have a knock-on effect on the cleanliness of your premises.
If these mistakes start to become more frequent, and important areas are regularly being poorly cleaned or missed off the cleaning schedule entirely, then it’s time to have a serious discussion with their head office. If this is combined with lateness, missed shifts, and an indication that the team is not being properly trained or managed, then it’s time to start searching for an alternative team as soon as you can.
4. Poor Communication
A reliable cleaning team is responsible for contacting you to inform you of any changes to their services, any unavoidable delays or cancellations, or any issues they have encountered when cleaning your premises. They should also send you a courtesy email every month asking if you are satisfied with their services and whether your cleaning needs have changed, and you should always be able to get in touch with them whenever you need to via a phone call or email.
The reason you outsource your cleaning responsibilities is to take them off your plate, so if you find yourself constantly having to get in touch with the head office to chase their services, ask for an explanation, or even to complain, then it’s time to find a new provider.
5. Hidden Costs
Once you’ve agreed to a set rate for a service, it’s very unprofessional for the company to change it once the contract has been signed. If you’ve noticed additional charges that aren’t included in the initial agreement, or haven’t been discussed with you in advance, then this is a cause for immediate concern.
More often than not these additional charges are applied to all of their clients as a flat rate, but if you find that the fees are for works that have not been done or are an inflated price for inadequate services then you have every right to start your search for a replacement. Even if the charges are for works that have been done, they should have been made clear to you at the start of the contract, and this is an indication of the unprofessionalism and unreliability of this particular cleaning company.
Find A New Cleaning Company Today
Are any of these points ringing alarm bells?
If, after you’ve raised these issues and given your cleaners plenty of time to rectify them, you’re still not satisfied with the service you’re receiving then it’s time to make the switch.
MCS provides reputable and reliable cleaning services to businesses all across the UK, so if you’re looking for a local service with the backing of a national organisation, then you’ve come to the right place. Contact them today to find out more and to book your first clean.
