The right commercial cleaning company can give your business a sense of professionalism and class that will impress any customer, client, or tenant who walks through the door.
A clean commercial building promotes productivity and safety while lowering maintenance costs. It can also create an uplifting working environment for your employees.
Every commercial building — whether it’s an office, hospital, educational establishment, data center, or anything in between — can benefit from a reliable, expert commercial cleaning service.
To start on your journey to a spotless and impressive building, here are five questions to ask which will help you choose the right commercial cleaner to meet your business’s needs:
- What services do you offer?
- How much do your services cost?
- How do you train your staff?
- Do you hire employees or use individual contractors?
- How do you handle customer support?
What Cleaning Services Do They Offer?
While it may sound like an obvious question, “What cleaning services do they offer?” is a loaded one; not all commercial cleaning companies offer the same services.
Certain companies — for example, companies in the healthcare industry with lots of foot traffic — might want to hire a cleaning company that has a heavy focus on cleaning floors.
An IT company may have particular needs when it comes to the delicate hand it takes to clean their server room. Other industries may produce a mountain of trash that requires special attention to be removed.
Before conducting too much research on cleaning companies, make sure you’ve sorted through your requirements for a commercial cleaner. This will make it easier to keep or pass on cleaning companies you are considering working with.
How Much Do Their Cleaning Services Cost?
Discussing the cost of commercial cleaning services up-front is critical. If a company you are considering working with won’t give a straightforward answer about their pricing or beats around the bush about it, do not work with them.
This Ring-Around-the-Rosie tactic can be the first sign you’d be working with an unreliable company.
In the commercial cleaning industry, service rates differ. Some cleaning companies offer flat rates, charge hourly, or charge by the amount of space cleaned.
As a general rule of thumb, cleaning service costs will depend on the:
- Facility type
- Size of location
- Types of rooms (kitchens, bathrooms, how long the hallways are, how many windows are present, etc.)
- Consumable products
- Frequency of service
- Cost of living in your area
How Do They Screen and Train Their Staff?
One of the most common complaints in the commercial cleaning industry is that cleaning company employees are lazy or don’t do their job when on job sites, which makes evaluating potential employees an important step.
All commercial cleaners should have a thorough screening and training process for their employees. If you are considering working with a cleaning company that can’t tell you about their hiring process, you shouldn’t work with them.
Franchised cleaning companies tend to focus on how quickly and how many new franchises they can sign instead of focusing on providing an exemplary cleaning service. For this reason, mainstream janitorial services often have a high turnover rate.
If you are hiring a commercial cleaner for a specialty project — like for cleanrooms or unique upholstery cleaning — you’ll want to ensure the professionals working on your projects are appropriately trained for the task at hand. They’ll need to know what chemicals to use or not use on your upholstery and what delicate parts of a cleanroom cannot be touched.
Another thing to consider: commercial cleaners get special access to business areas and parts of your building that may regularly require granted access. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure the staff members cleaning and entering these restricted areas have been background-checked, have references, and have verified legal status.
Do They Hire Employees Or Use Individual Contractors?
Many cleaning companies hire individual contractors to clean buildings. It saves them money operating this way. But, it can cause you, the client, big problems. Here is just one example of how a cleaning company, using independent contractors instead of actual employees can wreak havoc on your business.
A cleaner falls down and gets hurt. A workers compensation claim is filed. If the cleaner is not an employee of the cleaning company, the cleaning company won’t be covering the claim. It will become the client’s responsibility.
Another problem: when using independent contractors, there will not be standardized chemicals and equipment. Thereby, creating issues with SDS sheets and safety regulations.
How Do They Handle Customer Support?
As we mentioned previously, one of the most common complaints in the cleaning industry is unreliability. 
It’s important to work with a commercial cleaning company that answers your questions promptly, answers the phones regularly, and shows up on the days they are scheduled to clean your building.
A lack of engagement between you and the cleaning company can quickly lead to frustrations and issues, so make sure they offer an open line of communication and finish tasks in a timely manner.
Part of providing a reliable cleaning service includes offering exceptional customer service. A dependable commercial cleaner should give you feedback, updates, and reports on your project. Some items they might report back on are cleaning recommendations, inspection updates, and satisfaction ratings.
Hire a Commercial Cleaning Service That Fits Your Needs
Hiring a commercial cleaning company will have a positive impact on your business!
A fresh and clean business space will improve employee morale, leave a great first impression on clients and tenants, and create a safer work environment for employees.
When you’re on the hunt for a commercial cleaning company, make sure it is a company that can do everything you need, and in the time you need it done. Keep in mind any sensitive areas or specialty items you will need to be cleaned.
Look for a commercial cleaning company that you can have a long-term relationship with. As they get to know your facility and get into a regular cleaning rhythm, they will be able to do a better job and help you anticipate requirements for building upkeep.