Technology today gives everyone a forum where they can express their opinions of products and services. This is also important in the janitor service industry. In this business we're always under a microscope so to speak. The service is only as good as the last time it was provided. Each day brings along new challenges to keep the facilities we service in pristine condition. If problems arise that are not fixed in an expeditious fashion a damaged reputation can and will result. There are a lot of things that can give a company a bad reputation. Below are a few I feel are most important.
Poor service can be the result of several things like insufficient time, turnover, inadequate training and lack of supervision to name a few, but it's usually a consistent pattern of poor service that causes a loss of contract and a tarnished reputation. Customers understand that issues will arise from time to time, but when they have to allocate a portion of their day to resolving cleaning issues there's a problem. If the same problems persist for a period of time they lose confidence in the service contractor's ability to do the job which results in the loss of the contract. At CMS our Regional Managers consistently perform quality control checks to assure the customer's expectations are being met. They are proactive in resolving issues often before the customer notices. This is key to keeping complaints to a minimum.
Communication is a key element in building and fostering a healthy business relationship. Only through consistent communication will the service contractor know where they stand in terms of performance. This task is usually assigned to the company's account managers. At CMS our managers conduct regular scheduled and unscheduled inspections to assess the condition of the facilities we service. The customer often participates in the walk through. This gives them an open forum to discuss the service and expectations. It allows our managers to personally interact and respond to any issues before they become a serious problem that could negatively impact our reputation.
Cleaning is very labor intensive which requires hiring employees to perform the work. A company's employees can lead to success or failure so putting the right people in place is critical. At CMS every employee must pass a criminal background check and often times drug testing if requested by the customer. If we are recruiting for a school the applicant is also screened for child abuse history. This is all in addition to a face to face interview for every applicant. If an employee is not performing to expectations it is important that it is addressed sooner than later to avoid customer complaints. If after a performance action plan the poor work continues the appropriate steps must be taken to replace the employee to avoid losing the account. There are also other reasons an employee may need to be removed. At CMS if an employee is accused of stealing from the customer or engaging in any unprofessional conduct CMS will conduct a thorough in-house investigation during which time the employee may be suspended until the investigation has been completed. If the employee fails to cooperate they may be suspended indefinitely. Poor employee management can severely damage a companies reputation and should be taken very seriously.
The web affords our customers an open forum to critique the service they receive everyday. Unfortunately most people only go online to express their thoughts if they're unhappy or have had a bad experience. CMS is proactive in managing the various facets of a our business that could negatively affect our reputation and ultimately result in lost customers. The janitor service industry is a small world so a damaged reputation can be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Maintaining a positive image is something that must be worked at every single day.
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