Introduction
In today’s busy world you, as a business owner, maintenance manager have many things to think about besides what the interior or exterior of your facility (or your home) looks like. We’re not talking about decorating; we’ll leave that up to your own tastes and budget. No, what we’re talking about is how clean and hygienic it is—inside and outside—on a regular basis.
Today’s Current Challenges
Whether you are in charge of an auto dealership, an office building, or a yarn store you want your facility to present well to clients and potential customers. It can often be overlooked and it is often underappreciated but how a building looks and even smells when a person walks in the front door for the first time is a very important part of keeping that customer interested and coming back. Today’s customer has many choices and if he is put off by the outward appearance, he will go to your competitor first. If you went to a CPA’s office for the first time and the first thing you saw was dirty carpeting, overflowing waste cans and the office smelled of mildew, you might not be inclined to come back—no matter how good an accountant they were. How a building looks speaks to how the business inside is conducted.
In that vein, the Facility Manager today needs to address this facet of the workplace (or, as we said before, even one’s own personal home). Consideration should be given to your facility.
- Do you have a professional office environment, with carpeting and cubicles and a coffee kitchen?
- Do you have a sales floor with hard flooring and many display kiosks?
- Or do you have a complex, architecturally accurate building with many detail pieces and corbels and heritage woodwork?
Whatever the case there are many options and choices available for commercial cleaning and the person looking for commercial cleaning can easily start at the bottom of the pyramid. (Note: bottom isn’t meant as a negative connotation here; if you only need a once-a-week maid type housekeeping service that is a perfectly viable option for you; just make sure that the firm you choose upholds the highest standards of their profession).
Professional cleaning companies run the gamut, from a maid service which may focus primarily on housecleaning (interior of the home or office, with an emphasis on kitchens and bathrooms), to a more multi-service-oriented firm which can do the interior cleaning as well as manage the exterior cleaning of the building, including minor grounds-keeping work.
The latter is a niche which we feel is under-served in Northern California right now and North Bay Maintenance would like to become partners with you in achieving a clean work space.
Assess your needs
This is a very important first step. If you recognize that you would like your facility to look its very best, you’re already one step ahead of your competition. Now ask yourself what it is you truly need, or expect from a cleaning company.
In today’s world it is all too easy to find a cleaning service online that purports to be all that you are looking for (and more!).
By assessing your needs first, you will know what to ask for when you solicit a bid for a cleaning service. Are there special services which you may need performed? Window washing-inside and outside, pressure washing of the exterior walls and parking lot, carpet cleaning, floor and laminate cleaning, dusting, minor paint touch-ups, janitorial, etc. These are all tasks which a good cleaning firm can take on and will excel at. Speak to the company sales representative. He or she will walk you through the cleaning processes and services available.
We cannot stress enough the importance of hiring a reliable company at the outset. Although North Bay Maintenance is a relatively small, family owned business, it has been in business for over 8 years in the S.F. Bay Area and has enjoyed a very good reputation. Initially a window washing service, it has expanded and now offers many other services such as:
- Pressure washing
- Painting
- Janitorial cleaning
- Day porters
- Street sweeping
- Spill clean-up remediation
- Handyman services
- Window cleaning
- Landscaping
- And more
They have purchased new state-of-the-art cleaning equipment and their methods are to the latest industry standards and laws. Because of their staffing and customer service model, they have the flexibility and wherewithal to “go places” other companies can’t or won’t go. They have the ability and talent to take on unique or unusual jobs. If a specialized piece of equipment is needed they have the rental/leasing contacts and the skillsets available with their staff to bring the job together.
Check references, social media and word of mouth
The Importance of a Lasting Relationship
As a caveat, be wary of the low-price bid from a cleaning professional. As in life, low cost does not always mean better. In fact, North Bay Maintenance may not be your lowest bid, but in the long run we think it will be your best value. We can assess the job at the first meeting and point out areas which another firm may not see. If something needs minor repairs beyond our scope, we will point that out to you and recommend another professional. We can also suggest ideas or methods which may make your facility look better. (Examples of this could be: minor landscape upgrades, especially near front entrances, minor accent painting to bring dated building into today’s color schemes, improved lighting fixtures or wattage—which in the case of LED lighting can save the client money).
Once you’ve made the choice to hire out a professional cleaning company, make sure you hire one that will be here next week and five years from now. Do your due diligence and check the reliability and reputation of the company you choose. North Bay Maintenance, we believe, is a wise choice because we treat each client relationship as though they were our partners. We want you to be more than satisfied with our work. We want you to be able to tell your colleagues and friends and neighbors that you had a pleasant customer experience with our company. The old adage that a happy customer is the best advertising holds very true in this profession.
