It could just be a few small things playing on your mind, or it could actually be a whole pile of different problems which any professional and reputable office cleaning provider simply wouldn’t allow to happen.
Could their staff be more professional? Are their cleaning standards up to scratch? Does their account management leave a little to be desired?
There are many reasons why you might want to change your office cleaning team. Price, sloppy work, unreliability, inflexible hours – to name just a few.
But, if you are in any doubt, then these warning signs should help you decide whether it’s time to make the switch to a better office cleaning provider.
Bad staff (and/or poor management)
Like most other companies, office cleaning providers succeed or fail on the quality levels of staff that they hire. Professional cleaning firms recruit professional staff – and then do their level best to keep them.
But the management should also make sure that their cleaners receive adequate training and support, because, at the end of the day, the staff are the representatives of their business.
They should also ensure that their staff are paid a competitive wage otherwise they will feel undervalued, underpaid and will likely soon be heading for the door.
Some indicators that your current office cleaning solution might not be hiring the best quality staff – or managing, compensating and training them effectively – include:
- A high level of staff turnover
- Unprofessional appearance
- Items “disappearing” from the workplace
- A high rate of absenteeism
- Poor timekeeping
- A lack of training for new staff
- Cleaners can’t work well unsupervised
- No supervision at all
- Cleaners not sure of their duties & responsibilities
- A lack of recognition/reward for top performing staff by the management
Bad levels of service
There is absolutely no reason why you should accept bad levels of service from your office cleaning service provider.
You are paying good money, and you should expect good service in return. You wouldn’t just keep shelling out money to your other suppliers if they were letting you down, so why should your cleaning service provider get off lightly?
If you are seeing one or more of the following red flags then it is probably time to look for a new office cleaning service.
- Some office areas not getting cleaned at all
- Casual rather than comprehensive cleaning
- A lack of attention to detail
- Cleaners don’t follow your office recycling procedures
- A disregard for Health & Safety issues
- The management don’t monitor cleaning standards
- A lack of quality control
- Cleaners are using old or unclean equipment
- Cleaning is rushed or corners are being cut
- A disregard for the security of your office
- No thoughts on how to improve their service over time
Bad account management
And, it’s not just the level of cleaning that’s important, it’s the whole package of the service that you receive.
Even if everywhere in your office is spotlessly clean, you should still be able to pick up the phone at any time and be able to speak to someone to discuss issues, resolve problems and settle payment disputes.
Do any of these following scenarios seem a little bit worryingly familiar to you?
- Recurring issues
- Unresolved issues
- A lack of flexibility
- A lack of communication
- No dedicated support service
- Billing mistakes
- They never call you to check if you are still happy with their service
- A lack of reporting
- No empathy for your company’s individual circumstances
- Your phone calls go unanswered
- Your phone calls are not being returned
- An unclear pricing structure
- Increasing prices with no corresponding increase in quality of service
- Cleaners complain that they aren’t getting paid on time by the company
If you are seeing one or more of these worrying warning signs from your current office cleaning provider then it might be time to make a change. Whether you are based in London or across the UK simply, simply get in touch with us to see why we can offer a better and more professional level of service than your current provider.