Is Your Cleaning Service Falling Short?

What Does “Clean” Really Mean?

Sometimes it's easy to see that a cleaning service isn't meeting your needs, but other times it can be unclear. This article aims to help you set clear expectations with your cleaning company and offers advice on what to do if your service isn't up to par.

Setting Clear Expectations – What Defines Clean?

If you ask ten different people what "clean" means, you'll probably get ten different answers. It's similar to asking, "what is beautiful?" Everyone has their own opinion. This makes "clean" a hard concept to pin down. If you're in charge of keeping your facility clean, you've likely faced this challenge.

To avoid frustration, don't rely on the subjective idea of cleanliness. Instead, create a detailed scope of work. This document should list the tasks to be done in each area (like offices, restrooms, and break rooms) and how often these tasks should be completed (daily, weekly, monthly).

Once you have a scope of work, both you and your cleaning service can conduct regular inspections to make sure the tasks are being done as outlined.

Important Metrics to Track

Because cleanliness can be a subjective concept, consider using these objective metrics to see if your cleaning service is meeting expectations:

1. Complaint Count: A primary goal of any cleaning program is to reduce distractions by minimizing complaints. Track issues such as "there's no toilet paper in the restrooms" or "the trash hasn't been taken out for days." Keep a log of these complaints, whether they come through email or verbal reports.

2. Response Time: Establish a method for submitting service issues to your cleaning company. If they don't have a service portal, email works well. Track how quickly they respond to and resolve these issues.

3. Inspection Results: Regular inspections are essential. Ask your cleaning service to provide inspection reports regularly to ensure that they meet your standards.
   

These metrics are mostly objective, simple to track, and help ensure accountability in your cleaning program.

Addressing Poor Performance

Even with clear expectations and performance metrics, your cleaning service might still fall short. If this happens, follow these steps to improve the situation:

1. Have a Meeting with Your Vendor: Discuss the problems in detail and ask specific questions such as, "Why is there high turnover in your cleaning staff?" or "Why has your response time increased from three hours to two days?" Understanding the root causes can help address the issues.
   

2. Reiterate Your Expectations: Remind your cleaning service of your expectations and set a timeline for improvements. Give them a reasonable amount of time to fix the problems.
   

3. Prepare for a Change: If issues persist, start looking for a new cleaning service. Make a list of potential replacements, meet with them, and prepare a detailed request for their services. Inform your staff about the upcoming change so they are ready.
   

By setting clear expectations, using objective metrics, and being prepared to make changes if necessary, you can keep your facility clean and ensure your janitorial service meets your needs.