If you’re looking to hire a janitorial service, knowing how to compare professional cleaning quotes could help you find the ideal fit for your business. As much as you want a reliable, trustworthy commercial cleaner, you also likely want to get a good deal. Who doesn’t, after all?
It’s best to start by getting quotes from three different janitorial companies. If you ask the right questions and read between the lines, these three quotes should be all you need to ensure you’re selecting a reputable professional cleaner.
When you get your three quotes back, it’s easy to be influenced by the price. The highest price may seem outrageous compared to the lowest, and the lowest obviously looks tempting. But there’s more to a professional cleaning quote than the price. Let’s review the best ways to compare the quotes you’ve received.
You’ve likely heard that lower prices can be deceiving, but you may not know why. Here are four things to consider when weighing the price of a commercial cleaner:
Almost all janitorial companies base their costs on how long they expect it to take to clean a facility or office. If a company expects the job to take four hours, they will quote you for four hours of labor. The real question is if it will take their workers four hours every time they clean your facility.
It’s not uncommon for some janitorial companies to intentionally underestimate these times in order to price their jobs more competitively. This can become a serious issue once the quote is accepted and they begin performing cleaning services. If the janitors are told they have three hours to clean your facility when it actually takes them four hours, they will not be able to complete their required duties in the allotted time.
Cutting corners or rushing to complete the work is a common theme with underpriced quotes. The commercial cleaning company can’t turn a profit if they have to pay their janitors for more hours than they quoted the job for.
Training and supervision both take time, especially when done correctly. Janitorial companies must account for training and supervision, which affects pricing. Higher quotes likely reflect time spent on preparation and supervision.
With lower quotes, janitors may not be trained adequately and they may not be supervised on the job, both of which can lead to poor results and unhappy customers. If you are concerned about this, make sure to ask prospective companies whether they factor training and supervision into their quotes.
The janitorial industry experiences high turnover to begin with. Workers are often paid lower wages and getting raises can take a long time. Poor wages can cultivate unhappiness, leading to disgruntled workers who aren’t being given any incentive to do a better job.
Janitorial companies that want to retain good workers must pay them competitive wages. A natural side effect of this is having to charge customers more for their services.
Janitorial companies that cite unrealistic cleaning times and intentionally under-bid proposals to generate business may be hiring subcontractors. This means that, once the contract is signed and delivered, the company uses another janitorial service to do the work.
Frequently, these subcontractors realize the budgeted hours are insufficient for providing quality cleaning services. However, they must turn a profit themselves, so they abide by their contract. This frequently results in poor service and unhappy customers.
If one of your quotes is suspiciously low, make sure to ask if they are using subcontractors.
Once you’ve weeded out professional cleaning quotes that are too good to be true, you can look beyond the price to deduce which janitorial service is right for your business. Here are four things to consider at this stage of your search:
Review the scope of work included with each quote to better assess each company. It would also be beneficial to ask additional questions to get a better understanding of the services they will provide. It’s usually smart to select a company that has budgeted more time to clean your office or facility. The more time they are actually spending on-site, the better the bang for your buck.
Supplies and equipment should never be overlooked. Some professional cleaners may use cheap or inferior equipment and supplies in order to reduce their costs and boost their profit. Having the right tools for the job is essential, and you will surely notice if they consistently opt for cheap supplies instead of quality commercial cleaning products.
The more information they can provide, the better. Are their supplies approved for fighting COVID-19? Do they have MSDS sheets? If they aren’t giving you this information up front, make sure to ask for it.
Communication is important to any partnership. Ask them how they plan to communicate with you and how they will resolve any issues or incorporate changes. Knowing this in advance will alleviate frustration in the future.
Think of some scenarios and ask the company how they will handle them. For example, if a room is locked and they can’t clean it, what will their janitors do? How will they alert their supervisor? How will they alert you?
Although you will be receiving quotes for regular services, that doesn’t mean you won’t need additional services from time to time. Don’t wait until you need one of these services to find out the company you hired doesn’t offer it. If you want occasional carpet cleaning, exterior maintenance, and floor stripping and waxing, make sure to ask if they can handle these jobs for you.
If you’re stuck between two great professional cleaning quotes, selecting the company that offers more services is probably your best option.
When it comes to comparing cleaning service quotes, it’s best to look beyond the price tags. The lowest price doesn’t automatically make it the best – or worst – choice. Take some time to research these janitorial services before you hire them. Review their websites, read testimonials and reviews, ask for references, and ask them as many questions as possible.
At Bay Area Janitorial Force, Inc., we are committed to delivering excellent professional cleaning services at reasonable rates. This attitude has helped us build a reputation as the Bay Area’s leading janitorial service provider. If you’re looking for a free cleaning service quote, contact us today!
A “Force” you can Depend on!
