Let’s face it, the success of your business relies on appearances. To establish your authority and unparalleled expertise to your customers and visitors alongside your employees, you need to invest in keeping the areas and facilities clean and well-maintained. It’s not a simple task but it’s definitely not an impossible one. Most business owners prefer to leave it to professional cleaning companies because of their proven experience and assurance. With the right agency, you’ll be able to impress everyone and focus on your business further.

However, hiring a cleaning service is not a menial thing to do. A simple search on Google might bombard you with so many options and it can feel very overwhelming especially if you’re not sure what kind of cleaning service you’re looking for. To help you filter out your options, you should be clear on what your expectations are and make an agreement with the cleaning company you deem fit. 

Here are some questions you ought to ask professional cleaning companies before sealing the deal:

1. Since when have you been offering cleaning services?

Experts in hiring cleaning services will say that experience is always a good standard. It is imperative to know how long the cleaning company has been offering its services. It’s only natural to trust people that have years of experience up their sleeve as it’s almost always a good investment. If their experience runs for about five (5) years or more, you know that you’re dealing with a stable company and can work with them for years. You can breathe a little as there’s little to no risk of them shutting down anytime soon.

2. How confident are you in the quality of your services?

Of course, what company will tell you that they do a lousy job? No one. 

So instead of focusing on their answer, pay attention to how they answer it. It’s easy to say that their services are legitimate but to say it with full confidence is another thing. Speaking with confidence means they have received good feedback from their other patrons. Aside from the conviction, there should still be a sense of humility when they answer so you know you’re working with a professional and the communication will be smooth-sailing. Don’t just hire for skill but also consider the attitude and openness to criticism.

3. Do you have a client that I can ask about your performance?

This could be hard to ask but it’s a foolproof way to see if you can trust them. Let’s say you’re hiring an employee, you normally ask them for some references so you call these people to gauge if they’re professionally fit for your company. If they can give you any contact information of their client, of course with that client’s permission, then this means that they are trustworthy.  Once given, try to reach out to that customer and ask for their experience. If they give a generally good review, even with some room for improvements, it shows a lot that they are confident they are with their services. By establishing this mutual trust, it will be a whole lot easier to keep the services going with that cleaning service provider. 

4. What are your safety measures?

It is very important to know what their safety protocols are for everyone’s security. Knowing these will also prepare you for what you need to prepare beforehand. There could be hindrances in your office that could affect their performance, so you need to adjust to their precautionary measures because they’re obviously the experts but also try to negotiate if it’s indeed a ‘must’. This is a great way to find out if their cleaning techniques and procedures are compatible with your office standards.

5. Are your disinfectants approved?

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) approves all disinfectants that are potent enough to kill bacteria and viruses. Try to make them list everything out so you can confirm if their disinfectant is approved or has an active ingredient by asking the EPA Registration Number or the Product Name. You can refer to the tables on EPA’s site to know if they are using products that have the capacity to disable specific types of viruses or bacteria.

6. Are your cleaning supplies punctually delivered?

While this is not a common situation, sometimes not everything can be smooth-sailing. Cleaning service providers use their own supplies so using all of their supplies suddenly can happen. Asking this question will inform you if they’re prepared for it. Missing their appointment in your office could ruin your schedule and put your employees’ health at risk. Not to mention that your office is susceptible to diseases and might look lousy. They shouldn’t rely on an unstable provider and settle for less if they want to give you the best.

7. Are your employees healthy and productive?

Now if their supplies are on time and inventory is almost always managed, how about their employees– Are they productive? Are they offered good benefits and compensation? To stay productive, the company should take care of its employees properly. If they take good care of their professional cleaners, they will also take good care of you. They will make sure their job is done right because it’s not just their job but they are also passionate about the service they provide. 

8. Are your employees certified that they have completed training?

There are several certifications and training programs out there that focus on professional cleaning. Ask if they are certified and if they make it mandatory for their cleaners to routinely update their knowledge when it comes to cleaning. If they say yes, it’s a good sign that they adapt quickly and are ready if new viruses or pandemics come into play. To add, if their company provides specialized training for its employees, then the quality of their services is topnotch because they invest in their staff and their employees highly-trust the management itself.

9. What is the best price for your service?

Some companies do have promotions that they don’t publicly post or you’re not aware of. Their specialties are of course worth the price, but if you can find a way to save money, then why not take advantage of it? It’s possible that they may ask to see your office first or ask some other questions to produce an estimate. If you find it too over the top, try haggling to make it cheaper by subscribing for more than a year or reducing the work coverage. Nonetheless, make sure the price will not affect the quality of their service because their work should be the priority, not cutting the budget that you’ve already set for cleaning services.

10. Do you have a slot for me in your schedule?

This type of industry is in demand these days with more people inquiring and hiring professional cleaning services. Make sure to ask them if they have a regular schedule available to meet your sanitary needs. Some companies try to squeeze in as many clients as they can into their schedules even if they don’t really fit. When this happens, cleaners underperform out of exhaustion because they try to finish the task to keep up with the time constraints. Haste makes waste, so if you know they cannot accommodate you, don’t force it. There are still a lot of professional cleaning services out there that have the capacity to do more workload.

Of course, you should not be limited to these questions. If you have more questions in mind, make sure to ask them so you can get a better feel on how their agency operates. This is merely a guide to help you be more confident in choosing a cleaning service that’s tailor-fit to your needs. Once you find one, the next challenge will be coming up with an action plan to satisfy those needs which is something that both parties should have met eye-to-eye during the interview and consultation to create a win-win situation.