Have you been thinking about looking for new janitorial service providers but always shrug it off? Maybe your current janitorial service providers are not doing a great job at keeping everything clean in your workspace. Even a slight ‘maybe’ is a major red flag. So when exactly is it time to start looking for new janitorial service providers?
1) Inconsistency in Providing Service
There may have been times when your janitorial service provider must have done an outstanding job and then for a week, they just dusted off the surfaces. Inconsistency in providing a good service is a sign that this could become a habit and continue forever. Not only will the consistency be hampered, but if you have clients walking in a room full of messy desks and floor barely swept, it will hamper your company’s image as well. Moreover, if your janitorial service provider is not timely with their services, your business will have to suffer. In short, if you are not receiving the type of service you paid for, then it is time to give your janitorial service provider a boot.
2) Lack of Communication
You call your janitorial service provider to resolve the issues but get no response or call back from them? A lack of communication is not the right way to deal with customers, and this reflects that the provider is not customer-centric at all. Ideally, a janitorial service provider has to be transparent about the servicing and details and should be paying attention to your queries. If this is not the case for you currently, take it as a big no-no and start looking for new janitorial service providers.
3) Involvement in Illegal Hiring
In case your janitorial service provider is involved in illegal hiring practices, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. You are probably wondering how does a janitorial service provider engage in illegal practices? If the service provider does not offer a good price and benefits to attract recruits, they will not attract good people. These are the people who are paid under the table and are willing to take up any job to meet needs. In most cases, even screening does not take place in such janitorial service providing companies. Improper screening, illegal hiring, and payment in black dollars are all the basics of the janitorial service provider taking shortcuts. Gradually, this leads to the provider not valuing their employees, which develops a ‘do not care’ attitude within the employees. The productivity will become unsatisfactory and so will the quality of services. Additionally, you do not want to engage as a customer with a provider that could possibly be behind bars for their work.
4) Lack of Responsibility
Irresponsibility, in this case, is an issue that has arisen because of the lack of communication. When you call or send emails and messages to your janitorial service provider to take a look at the issues of bad servicing taking place and don’t get any response is a big thing. It becomes extreme when despite all the reports, they make false assurances that the issue will be solved shortly, but you can sense no changes occurring. The inability to take up the responsibility for their deeds is a sign of unprofessionalism, something you should not accept as a company head. In case your janitorial service provider is being too easy at letting issues slide by, then it is time that you be responsible enough and let your provider slide ‘out’.
5) Inadequate Training
Properly trained employees are the key to any good service from a company regardless of the sector. Thus, it applies to a janitorial service provider as well, who as the facility manager should not be skimping on employees’ training. Janitoring is as essential as any job, and requires skilled knowledge as well. An employee cannot just use phenyl and complete the work. In the cleaning of public space, there are several types of equipment and techniques needed to do so. Trained employees use suitable products appropriately and are aware of the consequences of poor service. Besides, a well-trained employee will also develop a professional attitude, and feel like their job matters.
6) Poorly Maintained Equipment
Industrial cleaning equipment has developed over time; they have become better, quicker, more eco-friendly, and effective. Now, why does janitorial equipment affect you as the manager? Besides, providing a low-quality service while cleaning, poor sets of equipment will increase the labour hours of the servicing. Increased labour hours will add up to the pricing billed by your janitorial service provider. The provider could overlook this issue to get their cut of the profit.
7) Lack of Transparency
When you get a client in your company, you probably give them a track of their expenses to assure that your company provides quality services. The same goes for janitorial service providers; they too must be transparent about the services, and pricing that they have agreed to do for you. Transparency is crucial in forming good customer relations and loyalty. As a manager, you have to be questioning enough to make sure they resolve your queries. Ask them what kind of training do they give their employees, the types of equipment that will be used by them, and an insight into how their hiring procedures work. But if you do not get the answers you were looking for, it is time you should seriously start looking for a new janitorial service provider.
Now that you know that when the red flags have waved, you have to look into the matter and resolve it. You could also inform your employees with various ways to keep the desks tidy, to cut down on the pricing budget. You should start looking for a reputed janitorial service provider and ask the right hiring questions this time.