Cost-savings is the watchword for today's business operations, especially when it comes to facility maintenance. The competitive economic environment has put pressure on business professionals to find savings wherever possible, and commercial property owners and managers seeking cost-effective maintenance cleaning services are no different. Often times the switch to a low-cost provider is made to achieve the cost savings required for other corporate objectives. But how can you be certain that the low-cost facility maintenance provider you select will be able to provide the level of quality that tenants demand? The bargain rate quoted by a cleaning company may actually cost you more in the long run if their lack of service causes you to lose business.
Want to know more about cost-effective facility maintenance? Here are some tips for selecting maintenance cleaning services that will meet both your budgetary needs and provide your tenants with a clean, attractive workplace.
Access to the Latest Tools for Maintenance Cleaning Services Can Mean Big Savings
One of the best ways to save money is to improve efficiency, since it doesn't require a sacrifice in terms of quality. Just as computers and fax machines have vastly improved the efficiency of today's workplace, new equipment and products, such as self-propelled space vacuums, high efficiency dust cloths and auto scrubbers with built-in dust mops, can enable a facility maintenance provider to clean your building more easily and more effectively. Contracting with a company that uses efficient products and equipment for its maintenance cleaning services can mean big savings for your bottom line.
A Well-Trained Staff Plays a Key Role in Lowering Costs
The efficiency one might gain from good equipment and cleaning products can easily be lost if the people using those tools aren't well trained. Make sure that your facility maintenance provider fully trains new employees and also provides ongoing training to keep their employees up-to-date on the proper ways to use the latest tools.
Do they provide facility-specific training, or just general instruction? Is training done only in the classroom or does it have an on-site element as well? Are instructions for maintenance cleaning services available in multiple languages, and are they easy to follow? Do they have partnerships with equipment/product manufacturers and industry organizations to provide additional employee training? And finally, do they document and keep records of the training their employees receive? Answering these questions will give you a good idea of the importance a facility maintenance provider places on employee training, and ultimately, their maintenance cleaning services. If the company doesn't provide you with information on their training programs in their proposal, ask to review their training materials.
Select A Facility Maintenance Company with a Thorough Inspection Process
Just as efficiency is the key to reducing costs, inspection is the key to maintaining high-quality maintenance cleaning services. Inspections should be frequent to ensure that work is consistently done at the highest level of quality possible. Documenting inspections enables a facility maintenance provider to uncover areas in need of improvement that might not be otherwise discovered. Finally, inspections by a variety of staff from all levels of your facility maintenance provider's company increase their objectivity and accountability to you and your facility.
A Certified Quality Management System Ties It All Together
A recognized quality management system, such as ISO 9001:2000, assures that your facility maintenance provider has a formal quality control program that is assessed by a third party at least annually. This formal quality program further assures you that the contracted company has standards for their maintenance cleaning services, including management, training, and purchasing, which also can add savings to your bottom line through increased efficiency.
Flexibility & Variety of Services Means You Get Customized Maintenance Cleaning Services
Perhaps the most important characteristic of a facility maintenance provider is their willingness and ability to adapt quickly to changing client demands. How will they handle your request to reduce their costs? Will they immediately suggest reducing the frequency of maintenance cleaning services, or will they look for a more creative way to cut costs without sacrificing service? A facility maintenance provider that is committed to customer satisfaction will take a closer look at your facility, searching for areas with problems that may be contributing to unnecessary expenses for you.
For example, if one area of your building is consistently defect-free (i.e., scoring 100 percent on internal and customer inspections) while similar areas return inspection scores of 60 or 70 percent, there is a good chance that labor needs to be redistributed to bring the levels of service to an even keel. In addition, a flexible facility maintenance provider will have a range of services that can be customized to fit your needs - everything from standard maintenance cleaning services to specialized restoration and building mechanical maintenance/HVAC options. There may be some services that you are currently handling in-house, but may want to consider outsourcing in the future. Can your facility maintenance provider meet those needs? If so, you may be able to reap additional savings by bundling them with your maintenance cleaning services.
When it comes to the bottom line, your choice of facility maintenance provider can mean big savings - or big expenses. Consider these tips before changing your service provider. They may save you from selecting the cheapest quote on paper, only to lose tenants (and income) in the long run.
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