The Importance of Certifications

If anyone takes the time to look at the history of the cleaning industry in America, they will find that it has come a long ways in the last few years, yet still has a ways to go.  Custodial certification has little or no perceived value to most of the non-custodial world simply because most people consider such credentials unnecessary for a job that entails simply emptying trash. 

When informed that the XYZ Company is ABC certified, the usual inquiry is: “Does this cost extra?” The fact is, most property managers struggle with hiring a cleaning service since they always want the “best value” for the funds they will expend, while at the same time looking for a long term relationship with a quality service.  

The question always gets down to “why should I hire you to clean my building?”  Unfortunately the answer has too often been decided based on price and price alone, since there has not been a real measure or standard to go by.

The automatic response should be that legitimate certification does not cost; rather it pays dividends in productivity, safety and many of the behind the scenes costs lost when a new contract has to be negotiated due to poor performance.  The reason for using the term “legitimate” is to differentiate between those companies that have a piece of paper on the wall and those who practice the values of having achieved such a certification.  

There are myriad of certifications for individuals and companies that helps to answer this question and assure the prospect that they are choosing the right company for their service needs. Although being a member of an association is a positive sign, it certainly does not guarantee that the cleaning contractor is qualified to provide custodial services for a certain type building or factory or a campus. Having individuals with certifications in supervision, floor care or safety certainly helps but still does not give much assurance the company providing services can handle the challenges of a particular account.  A history of successfully cleaning similar type accounts (hospitals, banks, schools, etc.) can be a positive sign. But what about financial stability, consistency of service, flexibility, training, sustainability, security and so on?

What everyone wants today is a guarantee that the XYZ Company is the right one. No such guarantee can exist but there are companies that have credentials demonstrating progress in that direction. More on this topic later.     

I hope to hear from you soon.  Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.