As far as most businesses are concerned, office cleaning represents no more than a necessary evil. Roughly translated, something they take care of because it has to be taken care of, though would rather avoid it if possible. The fact that office cleaning has the potential to be time-consuming and costly for the business of course adds insult to injury.
Research suggests that a surprising number of businesses across the United Kingdom may be spending more on office cleaning than necessary. The primary reason being that in most instances, they simply find themselves stuck in some kind of routine which prompts very little thought or consideration.
Nevertheless, it’s worth considering the following if you are looking to keep cleaning costs to an absolute minimum:
Wasted Time and Manpower
A question for those taking care of office cleaning duties in house. Exactly what kind of expense are you looking at in terms of wasted time and manpower? Could the manpower you’re using be better allocated elsewhere? And are you sure the cleaning duties are getting done quickly enough to be deemed cost effective? One of the biggest advantages of bringing in the professionals is the way in which the entire cleaning process can be accelerated. All while at the same time freeing up all manpower within your business.
Services You Don’t Need
If you are currently working with a team of professional cleaners, when was the last time you considered the actual cleaning services they provide? Depending on the type of business you run, there’s a good chance certain office cleaning duties don’t need to be carried out every single day. Window cleaning, vacuuming in certain areas, upholstery cleaning and so on. All the kinds of jobs it may be far better to address more infrequently. In many instances, businesses agree to certain professional cleaning service packages on a whim. They then realise further down the line that they are being provided with certain services they really do not need. Or at least, services they do not need on such a regular basis.
Peak Times
A quick point but nonetheless important, what days and times do your office cleaners come in? As with all services, there will undoubtedly be peak and off-peak hours with very different prices. If it’s possible to switch things around to bring in the cleaners off-peak, this could mean huge savings.
Ad-Hoc Services
Another common mistake is that of hiring cleaning staff to take care of things on an ad-hoc basis. While perfectly capable of getting the job done, ad-hoc cleaning services will always be more expensive. The more cost-effective alternative being to sign up for a longer-term deal with one exclusive provider. Even if long-term contracts don’t seem ideal, the on-going savings can be huge. Plus there’s always scope for creating flexible contracts that suit both parties.
Poor-Quality Cleaning Services
Something else to consider is the overall quality of the cleaning services being provided. If you’re working with a substandard company, you could be overpaying. The reason being that simple jobs take longer, need doing/redoing more often and thus cost more to cover. It’s the classic case of ‘do it right, do it once’. Cleaning companies that cut corners ultimately cost your business more. Not only in terms of their direct services, but the potential impact on your firm’s performance and reputation.
Time to Shop Around?
Last but not least, the simple fact of the matter is that you should take the time to find out if there’s a better deal available. All the time, professional cleaning companies up and down the United Kingdom are improving their services provided. Value for money also has to be constantly stepped up, in order to remain competitive. Which means that if you’ve stuck loyally with the same office cleaning service provider for some time, it might be time to shop around for something new. Especially if you don’t appear to be getting anything back for your loyalty.
For more information on any of our services or to arrange a free quotation, get in touch with the Absolutely Gleaming customer service team today.