Abiding By The Cleaning Specs

A reader writes: “We are dealing with a new management team that does not accept our work no matter how hard we try. From this point forward, we are going to simply do our daily cleaning and ignore their complaints. Any advice would be appreciated.”

Wow! The short response is to start using up your supplies and do not make any major investments in new equipment for this account since your days are obviously limited. My initial impression is that there has been a massive failure in communication for you to be at impasse with this customer.

Let’s deal with the obvious possibility that the new management team wants you to leave on your own and is simply creating the environment to claim that you left on your own. If this is true, then there may not be much that you can do. I have seen this happen before and when looking back, see all the warning signs that were obvious after the fact.

Now, let’s take a look at the specifications and current results. The specifications are clear as to the level of service that is expected. Based on a quick tour, the front entrance would score a 2-3 on a 1-5 scale since the mats are soiled, entrance tracks dirty front door glass filmy, etc. The lobby and front hallway shows wear trails in the terrazzo finish (score it a 3). The restrooms had an odor, dirty grout, film on baseboards and poor stocking (score a 2). These people are either true slobs or the carpet has not been spotted in a long time (score it a 2). The elevator is smeared inside and out with dirty tracks. The only area that came close to passing was the executive offices, but even they were dusty (score it a 3.5). My question to you is: “Did their check clear last month? If so, then what is going on with the specifications? Are you missing anything?”

Working hard is not the same as working smart. Some people and companies quit but fail to leave. I urge you to be professional and do the right thing by yourself and your customer.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated. 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.