Getting lumped with a low-grade cleaning service can be the nightmare to end all nightmares. After all, going through the vetting process from start to finish is painful enough in the first place – having to repeat it multiple times is borderline unbearable.
The good news however is that when it comes to said vetting process, you really only have to ask a few questions to know exactly what you’re getting into. In fact, be sure to ask the following five crucial questions and chances are you’ll find it difficult to go wrong:
1 – Do You Outsource or Retain a Dedicated Team?
First up, there’s nothing to say that an outsourced cleaner team will guarantee a shoddy job, but it’s wholly more likely. By contrast, when a cleaning company retains and sticks with a dedicated team, they’re wholly more likely to offer both high-quality and consistent cleaning standards across the board. Along with asking about team retention, it’s also a good idea to question how extensively the team is vetted by the cleaning company.
2 – Are Your Insured?
You cannot afford to allow any cleaner even a single step onto your business premises if they are not insured – it really is as simple as that. Should anything happen either to them or as a result of their actions and they aren’t insured to cover the consequences, chances are it will come down to you and your own pocket to foot the bill. You could even end up in a pretty unpleasant legal pickle, which for obvious reasons doesn’t bear thinking about.
3 – What’s Your Area of Specialism?
Commercial cleaning comes in a wide variety of forms and so you must find out whether the cleaning company you choose has experience in your area. For example, cleaning a school is very different to cleaning a factory floor, so you need to know what they’ve done before and what their primary focus is. If there’s any kind of clash here or you’re not 100% convinced, walk away.
4 – What If I’m Dissatisfied?
You need to know your interests are covered before going ahead and agreeing to any deal, which is why it’s important to ask about service guarantees. These days, any quality cleaning company will offer either repeat cleaning jobs or full refunds should there be any kind of dissatisfaction – those at the bottom-end of the spectrum offering no such thing. All guarantees should be outlined clearly, but if they aren’t, be sure to ask.
5 – Do You Have References?
Last but not least, it’s of crucial importance that you speak to at least one of the company’s past or present clients in order to find out how they perform once hired. Again, any and all good cleaning companies will be more than happy to put you in touch with their references, assuming of course they have a reputation to be proud of. If it’s made in any way difficult to find references or they refuse to put you in touch with their other customers, this is a sure-fire sign that you’d be better-off elsewhere.