A reader writes: “I have a customer who expects the restrooms to be “cleaned and stocked at all times,” which is causing me to reassign workers and go over budget. Any suggestions on how to deal with this unreasonable demand?”

Actually, the quotation you provided is right out of the signed contract, which means that you agreed to provide this service but failed to understand the implications and actual costs. Although you can try to modify or change the language, I do not believe it will do you much good since this is an expectation of some of the key tenants in this building. We noted that there ae only a few floors that are high traffic and high profile so my suggestion is you find a way of complying if you want to keep their business.

We noted that you actually have day workers in the area in adjacent buildings who could be routed to this account at varying times during the day to “police” the key restrooms. I suggest you rotate different staff so as not to negatively impact their work in their primary accounts. Please note that they will not have the time to conduct a full cleaning which probably is unnecessary. We noted that the building has high capacity paper and toilet tissue dispensers that only have to be serviced every 3-4 days at night during the full clean. Your custodial “police” would simply check in, inspect and either pick up/sweep trash, spot mop or touch up the sinks and mirrors as needed. A final thought is to have someone on call to respond to accidents and spills or requests for service so that you are fulfilling the specifications.

Making their presence known to management indicating that you not only “heard” but responded in a positive way could be a plus. 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.


posted on 1/19/2017