Intrinsic Benefits
Look beyond just the basics. Some companies may provide other important benefits. These benefits include being able to provide a wide variety of services, being local, or having well seasoned, happy employees.
Take into consideration what other services they offer. Some janitor and janitorial services offer a wide variety of services. These services range from company to company but could include: light landscaping and yard maintenance, basic building maintenance, laundry service, and window cleaning. Depending on your time and your budget, you may find it more effective to hire one service to do everything or hire a separate business to do each job.
Be sure to follow up with the companies you are most interested in. Be very straightforward in anything you expect of them before you sign a contract. It is easier to work out expectations and disagreements before you have them hired than after. It may also be helpful to sign a short agreement of one to three months and include option for a one year renewal if you are satisfied with the service after the first few months.
Lastly, sign on the dotted line with assurance that you have done great research and you are mostly certain that this janitor service will be a good fit for you. Of course there are no guarantees, but doing the proper homework increases your chances of a long mutually beneficial relationship between you and your janitor service.
Filed Under Step Seven | 4 Comments
Formal Written Estimate
Do not give work to companies that are not willing to invest the time to do a formal walk through. Rather than just giving a bid based on square feet it is essential for the following reasons:
1) Age of the building – older buildings are going to take a little longer the clean properly.
2) Number of people working in the building – more people = more mess.
3) The building layout. A two story building is probably going to be a little harder to clean than a one story. Also, some layouts are more conducive to janitor service than others.
4) How many restrooms they will be responsible for. This is a big one as it takes more time to clean restrooms than another room of the same size.
5) What you use the building for. A hospital is going to need much more time than a retail store.
6) They need to know what types of supplies they are going to need. They more it will cost them in supplies, the more it will cost you.
It is important that they give you a solid bid so they will not cut corners in the future to make up for a low bid. In order for them to give you a good bid, they need to do the walk through.
You should get a written estimate before you hire any janitor service. This is insurance for you if they are doing a bad job. You will usually be hiring on a contract basis, which means you are responsible for keeping their service for a certain length of time. It will be a real headache for you if they do a lousy job and you are in a contract with them.
You should receive a formal bid within 24 to 48 hours. Your decision should be based on this estimate as well as all of your previous experience with the company in your research process. Be picky! This is a big decision that will either save you hours or cost you hours & hassle.
Do not feel obligated to a company once you have gotten a written estimate. You should be getting at minimum 2 written estimates (and up to 5). Pick the best company. A company that is willing to take the time to do a formal walk through and give you a solid written estimate are more inclined to work hard to protect the investment they have made in you as a client.
With several written estimates you are picking the best janitor service from the best companies out there (that fit your needs). This is a great place to be.
Filed Under Step Six | 8 Comments
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