Handling Complaints Between Scheduled Cleanings

A reader asks: If I am cleaning a building two times per week, how do I get the customer and tenants to quit complaining on the non-scheduled days?

This can be a challenge for a BSC (Building Service Contractor) since the people complaining have expectations that are probably due to ignorance of your task and frequency schedule. Regardless of how often you service the account, there is a time frame when it will not be clean to the standard you contracted to do. 

For instance, if you service a rest room at 7:30 p.m., it should certainly be up to standard at that time. If there is night traffic, it may not be fresh when the primary customers/tenants arrive at 7:30 a.m. the next morning. 

The key question is: Do they know that it was cleaned correctly but then used/re-soiled before they arrived hours later? This fact is important in that they also may receive complaints from tenants or visitors who are disappointed in the restroom’s appearance, odor, stocking, etc.

Often, a simple Daily Exceptions Report can be used to communicate with key stakeholders so that they know what is going on. Although it may be an imposition, consider leaving a note or message that after the restroom was serviced, there were 5, 10, 20 people in the building and agreed to turn off lights or secure building when they left. This is a polite way of informing them that you did your job and that you are documenting tenants still using the facilities.

Communication is very important to minimize unnecessary complaints that can cause your phone to ring early the next morning. 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.