I am oftentimes invited by attendees at my workshops to provide either onsite or telephonic consultations for dealing with topics ranging from productivity to performance issues. I have learned to ask some leading questions in our first conversations so that I can get a handle on the true issues. Following are some questions I usually ask:

1. Please describe your current Quality Control program (as required by the contract) and please share the last three inspections before the call. This question helps to identify if they know where they are and what standards they are using to guide their decision.

2. Please describe what chemical product line do you use (brand) and what kind of support you get from your distributor. This is important in that if they are using a mix of various products, I will be recommending standardized, color coded systems.

3. Please describe your floor care program including sub-contractors and your own scheduled floor work for hard floor and carpet as per specs. Do they do their own work or rely on sub-contractors is important as to the equipment and chemical lines they use.

4. Please describe current training program, certifications, etc. that you maintain for front line workers. Ongoing training is very important for success.

5. Please describe how long the worker(s) are in the contract, what they do and how often they are there. Are they workloading correctly?

6. Please describe your floor mopping system (traditional mop or microfiber flat mop) currently in use. This question relates to High Performance Cleaning concepts.

7. Please describe use of paper towels, cotton cloths or microfiber cloths. This question can impact their understanding of the importance of microfiber cloths, laundering and impacting cross contamination.

8. Please describe the color coding system and any other High Performance Cleaning you currently implement. If they do not know what I am talking about then this is an opportunity to introduce them to these concepts.

9. Please describe credentials/certifications of supervisor/PM. Is the person(s) in charge qualified to do the job they are tasked with? Of course, I try to determine experience level since that can oftentimes trump empty certificates.

10. Please feel free to ask any technical questions related to custodial operations. The quality and type questions they ask can give me an insight on how to proceed.

There is a time to talk but also a time to listen when consulting. 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 1/16/2017