FAQ: How to source a good quality office cleaning company
The team at Wixted Cleaning have been delivering commercial office cleaning services for 21 years, and in that time, we’ve been asked (and have answered) a lot of questions!
If you haven’t hired a commercial cleaning company before, or are looking to change from your current provider to a new cleaning provider, we’ve put together a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) list that you might find useful.
Companies looking for a new commercial cleaning company usually ask questions because they’re concerned about common factors such as trust, experience, management and what is included – or not included – in the contract. Increasingly we are asked about the types of materials we use and whether they are green or sustainable.
General advice
The general advice we offer to people who are looking for a commercial cleaning company is to do your research, ask the right types of questions – and don’t hold back. It also helps if you have some kind of idea of what you want your cleaning contract to include.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the most frequently asked questions.
FAQ for companies looking for a new commercial office cleaning provider
- What experience do you have of commercial office cleaning?
Experience in the business counts for a lot when it comes to office cleaning, so you want your cleaning company to have plenty of it.
Wixted Cleaning has over 21 years of continuous, uninterrupted cleaning industry experience – including through the Covid-19 pandemic – as well as the expertise to match.
2. Can you provide me with some customer references?
With extensive experience, you’d expect your commercial cleaning company to have references and testimonials from happy customers. If they haven’t got any, there’s something clearly wrong.
If you want to see any testimonials from Wixted Cleaning’s customers, just message us here and we’ll be pleased to share a selection with you.
3. How many staff do you have?
Size isn’t everything, but it’s a simple fact that a larger company with more staff can service your daily office cleaning requirements efficiently, and will have the systems and procedures in place to do so.
At Wixted Cleaning we have over 150 staff, enabling us to allocate specific cleaning jobs and areas to specific cleaning operatives using our advanced management system.
4. Who will we deal with on a day-to-day basis?
Nobody wants to be serviced by a faceless company that hides behind voicemail and emails. It’s always best to check who you can contact when you need to talk to someone from your cleaning provider.
At Wixted Cleaning, we provide our customers with a named Customer Contracts Manager whose job it is to liaise with you regularly and make sure your cleaning is delivered professionally and to a high quality at all times. If you need to contact your Customer Contracts Manager, he or she will be available to talk to you right away.
5. How do we know we can trust you to do a good job?
This is a key point. Once you sign the contract with your commercial cleaning provider, you will have to trust that they will do their part to deliver on their obligations. Yet it’s an unfortunate fact that sometimes standards can slip after a short time.
With Wixted Cleaning, not only do you get a contract with us, but we make a commitment to you which is clearly visible on our website. These are the principles we work to, and are very important to us.
6. What kind of Public Liability Insurance do you have?
This is very important. Your commercial cleaning company must have access to all the areas of your site or office in order to do their job, and this naturally means that all possible risks must be covered. Some less reputable cleaning companies may operate without adequate insurance, so make sure you ask for a valid insurance certificate.
At Wixted Cleaning we are covered by 3 types of insurance, each for £10,000,000:
- Public liability
- Product liability
- Employers’ liability
This means that whatever accidents may occur, we are fully covered to meet our obligations in putting things right.
7. What ISO certifications and processes do they have in place?
Not all companies are certified for ISO 9001 because the process to obtain certification can be long and arduous. Similarly, not all customers insist on their suppliers being ISO 9001 registered.
Having said that, Wixted Cleaning is an ISO 9001 registered company, showing that we have professional quality management practices and processes in place.
8. How often will our offices be cleaned?
Your office cleaning intervals will be determined by your type of business, the number of employees and the nature of work that goes on at your premises. A good quality commercial cleaning provider will be able to recommend an appropriate cleaning schedule for you, but ultimately it is up to you and your provider to work this out between you.
As mentioned above, Wixted Cleaning has a large workforce of cleaning operatives, meaning that we can clean for our customers on a daily basis. In fact, most of our contracts involve daily cleaning, so if that’s what you want, we’re ready to go!
9. What will my office cleaning contract include?
Again, the exact nature of your cleaning contract will be agreed between you and your cleaning provider based on your specific circumstances. In healthcare, for example, where hygiene is of the utmost importance, cleaning contracts need to be very specific, down to what areas of a GP Surgery will be cleaned with which equipment.
For Wixted Cleaning, the name of the game is “flexibility”. We will agree with you the areas of your office to be cleaned, along with what – if any – special requirements you have, and then we will manage our team very closely to ensure that these agreed cleaning schedules and procedures are followed each time.
10. Will our office be cleaned by the same people each time?
This is a reasonable question to ask, because most customers are concerned about trust. There is also a learning curve, as first-time cleaners need to become familiar with your office layout, the areas to clean and any special requirements you may have.
Not all companies can guarantee that the same cleaning operatives will attend each time, but at Wixted Cleaning we do our very best to ensure that your cleaning team is consistent and to achieve this goal we provide Contracts of Employment for our operatives so who are dedicated to your site, allowing continuity so that your cleaning service quality is kept up to a high standard at all times.
Wixted Cleaning is the Answer to Your Requirements
Get in touch with us by phone, email or contact form to find out how we can help ensure that your cleaning is fully compliant with the NHS standards.