by Matt Nord

Created on: April 22, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2009

As an owner of a janitorial service, I find that most of our clients find us by word of mouth. We are a very small company, but surprisingly we are growing even in this economic environment. A lot of our clients come to us after letting go other cleaning services that they weren't happy with. I own the company with my wife and at this point I am the main worker with the most hours. We are both prior military having both served in the Army as Food Service Specialists (a.k.a. cooks) and trust me, we were schooled on how to get a kitchen clean. We know a thing or two about sanitizing.

Being the owner of the business and having it be our source of income, it's important for me that my employees and I do a thorough job at all of our clients offices. In general, it's important to have open communication about what services are provided by the janitorial service as well as what is expected by the client. It's not as simple as "Come in and clean the place." As the cleaning service, we need to know exactly what all needs to be cleaned (i.e. bathrooms, vacuuming, etc..), is there dusting involved, are windows included or extra.

Also important to know is the amount of time you, as the client, are looking to pay for. Will you be billed per occasion or by the hour. Will you be billed per occasion, by week, or by month. It is necessary to take these things into account when going over specifics for a contract, be it written or verbal.

I find that many of our clients who have let go another cleaning service come from two scenarios. 1) They had one person who cleaned on the side come in, or 2) they hired a large company subcontract to come in and clean. In the case of the "on the side" cleaner, it seems that they don't have the workforce necessary to complete everything that the client wants, and sometimes the correct chemicals aren't used when cleaning. In the case of the uber-companies, the customer service just isn't there. A smaller client could fall along the wayside, with poor cleaning service, because if the larger company loses them, it's not going to hurt.

With the smaller, locally owned companies customer service is key. It is necessary for us to keep all of our clients happy. Honesty is essential. If we can't provide a specific service, being local we can put you in contact with somebody who can. Also, hiring a local cleaning company keeps local money local. We purchase vacuums through a local small business vendor and purchase chemicals from another. We get much of our business through the local chamber of commerce as well as from recommendations from our clients. So, if you're looking for a janitorial service, think of hiring locally.

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