How to Compare Housekeeping Companies Beyond Lowest Bid
Are you overwhelmed by the dozens of quotes that you have received from cleaning companies? Don’t worry, we are here to let you decide the best one with the most pocket-friendly deals. In this post, you can get a quick overview of the strategies that can help you decide the most suitable cleaning and facilities management company in Pakistan.
Tips for the Beginners!
- Obtain all the cleaning certifications from suppliers (if any). This evidences their education, skill set, and professionalism.
- Jot down at least three quotes so that you get an idea of a fair price.
- Take a few minutes out and plan a quick walk-through with the interested service providers at the site that requires cleaning and ask a lot of questions so that you can understand their skills and capabilities in the housekeeping field.
- Be clear in explaining your expectations; tell them what you exactly want. No CONFUSIONS!
Get Value For Your Money
Never make your decision solely on the basis of price. You are spending money on janitorial services which creates the first impression on your customers, therefore, you must get yourself rid of old stacks of dirt and hard-to-remove stains! Saving money on housekeeping does look tempting but there is no use in spending money when the cleaning is not up to the mark or requires a second service just after 2-3 days. The service provider must include monthly deep cleaning as part of regular cleaning services to make the overall cleaning contract financial viable. Companies that offer very low bids are either providing a low service level and/or have a high staff turnover and will most likely skip deep cleaning completely.
Be Clear in your Requirements
You must be very clear in your requirements right from day 1. This means you must have a plan in place, in other words scope of work. You are paying for every minute, a plan saves time and the staff knows the direction of work before they start. Scope will be different based on the assignment. For example, cleaning scope for an office would be very limited as compared to malls cleaning assignments where the scope would be detailed, complicated, and more complex. Cleaning rules have become more stringent from recent past due to pandemic so you must communicate well the sanitization and hygiene requirements.
Every Cleaning Company Claims to be Best, Ask them How?
Every company promises to provide great services. Ask them to prove, ask them about their expertise and unique methods they adopt that make them different from other service providers. You will see most of the suppliers would claim to have worked with big clients, such as hospitals, factories, malls etc., but you must verify their claims by taking independent confirmations from their past and present clients.
Other Considerations
- Test the suppliers before you award the contract. For instance, get quotes for seven days from the companies you have short listed and test their services for a week. The scope should include regular cleaning, deep cleaning, fumigation, and sanitation.
- Obtain the list of materials the shortlisted suppliers will use. You must check the brand, prices, and the chemicals included in those materials. This independent check will help you understand which suppliers are using quality materials which will ultimately help you selecting the right partner.
- It is important to know that how communication will take place between you and the cleaning team. You must be able to communicate with the right person at any point in time. Any limitations in this regard would mean the supplier is probably not the right one.
- Around 65% of the front-line managers of cleaning companies are not fluent in English. It can be challenging when you are not able to communicate your demands and expectations. Hence, the line manager or the supervisor must have basic English communication skills.
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