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How to choose a new cleaning company for your business can seem a daunting decision. There are many questions that you will want to ask a new commercial cleaning company, to ensure you make the right selection.
Companies change cleaning companies for a number of reasons. The usual one is that the service or cleaning standard isn't what they had hoped for, so they are now on the look out for a good commercial cleaning company to replace their existing contractor.
Here are what we consider the most important questions to ask, to make an informed selection when looking at how to choose a new cleaning company for your business:
When hiring a commercial cleaning company for your business you will want to make sure that they can provide all the services required for your premises. A certain company might seem like a good fit, but then you find out they are unable to offer additional services such as window cleaning or the supply of consumables.
If you are looking for a complete cleaning solution, then you will end up having to hire additional companies, which may well be a hassle monetarily and practically. It is best practice to confirm that the company you plan to hire can address all the unique cleaning needs for your specific type of facility.
Another consideration when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business is how responsive the company can be towards emergencies. For example in the event of a suspect Covid outbreak, do they have the specialist chemicals and machinery to tackle this, and can you contact them outside these hours.
Green Fox Cleaning offer a wide range of services, to meet clients needs for all daily cleaning services, as well as emergency response services such as Covid-19 response cleans with a 24-hour client support line. Learn more about these services by clicking here.
A reliable and trustworthy cleaning company knows how to do whatever job is needed in an efficient and effective manner with their own supplies. Commercial cleaning companies generally hold a much higher standard of cleaning and therefore use more advanced, efficient, and high-quality cleaning implements.
A cleaning company that brings their own cleaning equipment is fantastic because it saves you the cost of buying cleaning supplies while giving your building access to a superior cleaning. Specialist machinery may also be beneficial depending on the type of floors at your premises to achieve the best results.
When deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business, be wary of companies that seem unable / unwilling to provide products.
At Green Fox Cleaning, our tried and tested product selection allows us to provide environmentally products that are highly efficient with heavily reduced plastic usage, as well as full COSHH safety information.
More and more often, commercial cleaning companies are popping up, who either sub-contract out their contracts, or use self-employed cleaners.
This allows them to offer a cheaper service as they do not have to budget holiday pack, sick pay pension etc, however they have no control over the cleaners. If they decide they don't want to work today, they don't have to. They can also leave the role with no notice, causing disruption to your cleaning regime. The line between employment and self-employment can be a fine one - for example anyone self employed should not be wearing a company uniform.
When deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business - make sure staff are looked after, as this will indirectly benefit you.
At Green Fox Cleaning, we directly employ our staff, pay them fairly and always above the minimum wage (unlike many of our competitors). This gives us great retention rates and motivated staff, dedicated at every site. You can learn more about our employees by clicking here. Don't be afraid to ask a company what they pay their cleaning operatives.
Time and time again, we heard of clients coming in to a dirty office, school or even doctors surgery in the morning, to find their cleaning contractor has failed to turn up the night before as scheduled. The knock on effect of this is both obvious and significant and is a serious consideration when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business
At Green Fox Cleaning, we operate an advanced GPS employee tracking system that is monitored round the clock by an on-call manager. In the event of an employee failing to clock in (or out) as expected, the manager is alerted live time and will investigate, be that 3am or 3pm. In the event of the cleaner failing to attend, a manager or supervisor will attend to complete the clean, ensuring you never come in to a dirty premises!
This also gives you confidence that you are getting the time you are paying for, as we often hear of time being skipped by other companies.
A main benefit of outsourcing your cleaning apart from removing the staff management and covering sickness, performance issues etc is that you should be able to almost forget about the cleaning, with standards monitored and maintained at all times.
An important question to ask is what type of quality assurance measures the company has in place so you can learn how the company manages the quality of work done by their employees.
If a company is not carrying out regular inspections at a minimum, you may want to consider hiring another company when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business
At Green Fox Cleaning, our approach of providing an unrivalled local commercial cleaning service means that we are close enough to provide regular site inspections and audits. These will largely be completed out of hours during or after the cleaning session, to minimise any disruption to our clients. Daytime audits will be completed where preferred or where more appropriate, for example retirement living premies.
If you ask the company what they know about TUPE and they stare blankly, be very wary. TUPE relates to the transfer of undertakings and protection of employment regulations 2006. If you have cleaners in place either employed in-house or via another company, they may have a legal right to remain in post with any new company. Fines are typically £10,000 per employee for any breaches of this employment law! Learn more about TUPE by clicking here.
When deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business - make sure they understand this hot topic.
At Green Fox Cleaning, our dedicated HR team are experienced in handling the TUPE process where it may apply, and giving clear advice around this subject.
Even if a cleaning company is affordable, efficient, and meets all your needs, a fundamental scheduling conflict can mar the entire experience. For example, for industries that stay open later into the evening, like restaurants and pubs, a cleaning company that only provides services during regular workday hours is not going to be a feasible option.
Likewise, companies that close over the weekend may not be suitable for your needs, if you require a cleaning service seven days a week. The decision of how to choose a new cleaning company for your business needs consideration to ensure the company can operate exactly when you need them.
At Green Fox Cleaning, we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We provide a personalised service to each and every client to meet their needs and expectations.
No-one wants to think of accidents happening, but the reality is they do. Windows break, people trip and fall. When accidents happen, it is important to know that you will not be held liable for damages.
You should always check what levels of public liability insurance the company hold, and request for copies of them. This simple check could save you a headache further down the line if a serious accident was to occur.
A key consideration of how to choose a new cleaning company for your business - make sure they are properly insured.
At Green Fox Cleaning, we hold both public liability insurance and employers liability insurance to a value of £5 million each.
Before selecting a cleaning company and considering how to choose a new cleaning company for your business, you want to make sure they are experienced in your sector. A cleaning company that only clean a few small offices are unlikely to be suitable if your premises is a large office block needing a cleaning team every night, or a school or medical practice, where different vetting and cleaning processes are required. Another key question when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business - ensure they are experienced in your sector.
Green cleaning is great for the environment as well as your employees. If having a lighter environmental footprint is something that is important to you, then you may want to consider asking about the company’s green cleaning protocols and use when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business. Also ask to see the company's environmental policy - if they look blankly at you this may well suggest they are not too hot on this area. How to choose a new cleaning company for your business should have a real focus on this - as the operations of the commercial cleaning company could reflect on your company - good or bad.
At Green Fox Cleaning we have a clear environmental policy, and use eco-friendly products to massively reduce plastic wastage. Our local service and local staff also massively reduces our company carbon footprint compared to some national companies with limited or no local support.
We also offer other environmental workplace improvements to our clients such as centralised bin systems - click here to learn more about this. Having access to extra services may be beneficial when deciding how to choose a new cleaning company for your business, to streamline the process.
There are of course, many more questions that you may wish to ask when making your own choice on how to choose a new cleaning company for your business
If you feel that Green Fox Cleaning can help improve the appearance of your business with ours, click here to request a free, no obligation quote from your local office.
The process around how to choose a new cleaning company for your business is hopefully a little clearer for you now!
