Hiring a commercial cleaning company in Chicago is often seen just as a cost, a number to be minimized at all costs. However, cost is just one factor to be considered in looking for the right commercial cleaning company for your site. Equally important is value. There is a common saying “cost is what you pay, value is what you get”. The relationship between cost and value is not linear and often bears no connection to each other at all.
A low cost does not necessarily mean more value for money is being delivered, while a high cost is not indicative of an overpriced service.
When looking for the right Chicago commercial cleaning company, it is important that you judge the cost you are quoted against the value of the service that is going to be delivered. It doesn’t matter how low the price is, if the value delivered is less than that, you are paying too much. On the other hand, you may receive a relatively expensive quote, but if what that cleaning company is offering meets and exceeds your needs, you are getting good value for money.
Hiring a commercial cleaning company is an important business decision and needs to be treated as such. It requires the same due diligence that any other contract does. Otherwise, it will end up costing your organization too much money, without receiving the service you require. The first thing you need to appreciate is that cleaning is a trade as much as the traditional trades of plumbing, carpentry etc. It takes a lot of time and experience to acquire the kind of knowledge that is necessary to provide professional janitorial services to a site. Cleaning is a labor intensive business and to get excellent cleaning operators, it is necessary to pay them at a rate commensurate with their training and experience. Similarly, to do a professional job requires using professional tools and products.
Naturally, quotes from the best Chicago commercial cleaning company will be a little higher than their competitors. This is why it is so important to consider the value that is being delivered. Be very wary of any company who offers a very low quote, very quickly. They are simply trying to undercut the rest of the market, without any appreciation of what your business actually requires. They are very likely to employ inexperienced operators and use substandard tools and cleaning products. Regardless of how little you pay them, you will be paying them too much. The inevitable litany of problems and unreliability will quickly cancel out any cost savings.
A professional commercial cleaning company will take longer to develop a quote for your project, but this is how it should be when creating a bespoke quote or tender. It requires at least one meeting to determine your needs, at least one site visit to consider specific site requirements and data on your headcount and facilities. That information then needs to be formulated into a clear, transparent and all encompassing quote for exactly the services you need. It is this level of detail that will ensure you are receiving exactly what you need, no more and no less.
You should focus first on getting this kind of detail on the service (value) that the commercial cleaning company is going to deliver. You now know what you are getting and this is the most important part of the process. Only then can you realistically consider costs. Comparing costs without something to relate them to is impossible. How can you say if something is good value for money if you don’t know what you are buying?
The very first step in this process is to know what kind of janitorial services you want for your site.
A little time invested in developing a clear plan will yield dividends in the long term. Search for a Chicago commercial cleaning company with a reputation for quality and excellence of service. Don’t worry too much about price just yet. Consult with them and have them develop a quote specifically for your site. How they go about this will tell you a lot about this company. Do they visit your site? Do they seek a lot of information about specifics like tiled or wooden floors, floor areas, number of bathrooms etc.? Do they use that data to suggest services that may be required to achieve your goals or do they try to sell every service possible?
When you receive your quotes they should be clear and itemized so you can see how the commercial company arrived at those prices. The quote should cover every aspect of your request without unnecessary extras. At this stage you have enough information to judge which quote offers the best value for money for your organization.
It is easy to fall into the trap of paying too much and getting too little janitorial services in return. However, it is almost always due to poor planning in the tender stage. It is also quite easy to avoid those pitfalls and find a Chicago commercial cleaning company that offers excellent value for money and exceeds your expectations. It can take a little time to get right but it will save you money in the long run.