How Satisfied Are You With Your Cleaning Service?

I have been contacted by several individuals who either want to start a cleaning service or have one or two small accounts and want to grow.  There are some basic questions to ask when marketing your services that can help you identify potential customers and actually get a few.  

The crucial question after a polite introduction is “”Are you satisfied with your current cleaning service?”  In a prior article we suggested how to respond if they said yes since the first no should not be their last.  If they answer that they are not satisfied, then how do you respond?

Question 2:  As I mentioned Elmer Fudd’s Cleaning Services provides daily office cleaning as well as floor work, both carpet and hard.  I have a brief five question survey that will help me to identify areas of concern.  Please rate the following areas as to Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory at this time:

Area # 1: Front Entrance, lobby and hallways

Area # 2: Restroom stocking and odors

Area # 3: Overall vacuuming and hard floor appearance 

Area # 4: Dusting and trash removal

Area # 5: Your office space

Based on the person’s response you may be able to get them to walk you through the building pointing out areas and sharing stories of poor performance.  Listen, grunt occasionally, and make notes.  Be careful NOT to criticize the “idiot who chose the current cleaning service” for obvious reasons.  Ask leading questions, such as “Tell me about……”  If you go into a rest room, note the odors, does it have a floor drain (that may not be serviced), deodorizers that mask rather than deal with issues, etc.  If appropriate, take a wet paper towel and wipe under the urinal or urinal partial/wall to see if there is residue.  Make note that your workers are trained to handle such areas on a regular basis to avoid build up.  This also is a good reason to have a pair of disposable gloves with you as a professional touch.

Your comments and questions are important. 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.