Most people would beg to differ with the above statement but with the years of experience we totally believe it.
We know that employers who try to clean their offices using a freelance single cleaner in our opinion is a recipe for disaster!
Using just one cleaner has the benefit of costing you less and having less admin so may be rather appealing but time and time again we get approached to take over the office cleaning because when the cleaner goes on holiday, is off sick or decides they no longer want to clean (which is quite common in our opinion) - who is left to hoover, clean, wash and polish the office?
Ultimately without anyone properly cleaning a downward spiral sets in, staff think someone else will clean up after them, the toilets end up in quite frankly an awful state (even worse if it is a hot summer!), the sight of grime and grubby dirty carpets lowers staff morale, the office ends up looking REALLY cluttered, you can never find a clean cup in the kitchen and the waste baskets are overflowing.
All in all not a pretty sight and one that believe it or not is costing you money in lost productivity.
So lets review this situation properly.
Check out some local office cleaners - ensure they are members of BICS.
Call the cleaning company for a quote - in fact call them to come visit you at your offices to discuss what will be done (and what won't).
Make sure you meet either the owner of the cleaning company or a manager - yes they will visit to promote their cleaning services to you but most will be there to help and advise you rather than hard sell their way in.
Make sure you ask for references - it pays to find out what their customers think of the cleaning they receive
Ask if any discounts - sometimes there is the possibility - though it depends on the size and type of cleaning you need!
Find out what happens in the event you are not happy - there should a be a 100% Cleaning Satisfaction Guarantee in place (with no quibbling either)
In the event the cleaner provided is suddenly off sick or disppears on holiday what steps are taken to ensure consistent cleaning is provided?
Ask, in fact DEMAND that all cleaners are vetted, insured and trained. Nothing worse than having office property broken to find out the cleaner you took on is not insured and is not in a financial position to pay for the repair or replacement due to damages.
What specialist cleaning skills, if any, are the company able to provide? You might not need them for now but its useful to know just in case you suffered from a flood or fire.
Does the company maintains best practise at all times when cleaning - what evidence is there to support this?
What training do the contract cleaners receive? How up to date are they with Health and Safety and other regulations?
How long is the contract for? What clauses and exemptions are there - check carefully to make sure you are getting a quality cleaning service.
Is the cleaning company driven by maintaining business relationships or is it only after a quick profit? (Note Clockwork Cleaning are highly driven by building and maintaining excellent business relationships on a long term basis)
You'll have to figure this one out but asking questions and listening for positive responses will help. Ultimately you'll want to hear that someone is always available to get in touch with, that cleaners and the level of cleaning is regularly audited, that they listen carefully to customers requirments and remain in touch to ensure a positive cleaning service is provided.
The benefits of professional cleaning remain clear: Better cleaning and higher standards long after the price has been forgotten....
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