Here is some great information you can use to succeed in the jantiorial business.... Majestic Janitorial enjoys helping others and would be glad to hear from you with any suggestions or comments. Enjoy!
Coffee, the most common stain in the cleaning industry, can be the most difficult to remove. If allowed to remain on the carpet, the oils and dyes in coffee penetrate the pores of the carpet fiber and become a permanent stain.
Prompt removal of a coffee spill is still the best solution. Because prompt removal is not always possible, give your crew these tips to remove old coffee spots:
- Remove the excess coffee by extracting the area with a hand tool.
- Apply a detergent spotter to the coffee spot, agitate and rinse the area. This removes all the coffee oils fromt the carpet fiber.
- Apply a tannin spotter, agitate and rinse the area. This step is necessary because coffee beans come from a plant which is naturally acidic. A strongly acid tannin spotter is needed to remove the dye stain left from coffee.
- Finish up with the detergent spotter or a protein spotter to remove any milk or creamer stains; then thoroughly rinse the area with water.
Spots can reappear when you re-clean.
Spots that seem to be completely removed may reappear upon drying or over time. This usually happens because residue from the original spot was not completely removed or residue from an inadequately rinsed spotting agent is left behind.
Sometimes spots can reappear when you re-clean the area because the spot was not completely flushed out of the carpet's backing. It saturated the carpet's backing and wicked up to the carpet's surface when re-cleaned.
If the spot reappears, re-wet it with a small amount of water and place a thick, dry white cotton towel over it. Then place an "even" weight on the towel to create equal fiber contact and let it sit overnight. A piece of plywood will help distribute the weight of whatever object you use. This will cause the spot in the carpet to wick up into the towel.
Developing Cleaning Specifications
Clear, accurate cleaning specifications are the cornerstone of all performance-based cleaning contracts; they are the standards upon which the entire contract is based. Good specifications ensure that a contractor knows what needs to be done and how long it will take, allowing the contractor to submit reasonable, profitable bids.
The four steps to developing cleaning specifications are:
Facility assessment. Determine what and how many kinds of surfaces you will be responsible for cleaning, the amount of cleanable square feet of floor space, how many desks, stairs or fixtures will be included and the number of different cleaning methods the facility will require. Be sure to note areas that require special care or present special challenges, such as clean rooms, high traffic areas, and food preparation areas.
Developing a list of tasks and task frequencies. Ban the phrase "as needed" from task frequencies. One reason for developing cleaning specifications is so that cleaning managers and their customers will know when various tasks are needed and what criteria was used to determine need.
Determining how long it takes to perform each task. This step is crucial because it determines how much the job will costs.
Defining desired results. This step requires input from the customer to make sure specific concerns are addressed. It also is the point at which negotiation takes place about what can realistically be accomplished for how much money.
As part of defining quality standards, consideration should be given to chemicals, equipment and systems. Once a cleaning professional and the customer have reached an agreement about quality standards, go back and adjust tasks, task frequencies and desired results to bring them in line with the quality standards that have been agreed upon.
For building service contractors, bidding is a constant dilemma. Do you bid low enough to get the job but not make any profit? Or do you bid high enough to make a profit but risk losing the job? Can the two goals ever be achieved in the same bid?
As you prepare your next bid, beyond determining pricing in your contract, build in quality assurance. Sell your customer service and quality of service - not just cleaning!
Other elements to take into consideration when completing a bid include:
- Startup costs to purchase equipment and supplies sand front payroll while you're waiting to be paid.
- Calculations for labor cost must allow for break times, travel to the work site and crews changing shifts.
- Cleanable square feet vs. total square footage: total square footage is the entire building footprint, whereas cleanable square footage is what actually must be cleaned. Know exactly what is expected to be cleaned.
What is the greatest reason why companies fail to grow and prosper?
Basically, their failure to successfully maintain their existing customers. Keeping customers is the main factor in furthering your success in the janitorial business.
Customer relations and a commitment to providing quality service is the key to maintaining your customers. Open communication must exist in order for you to be successful in maintaining your account.
In order to increase your profits on existing accounts you should review and fine-tune your accounts. All this entails is making adjustments in labor, supplies and equipment needed to more efficiently maintain your customer's account.
There are three reasons to review and make necessary adjustments.
- Increase your profit margin by reducing unnecessary expenses.
- You may find out that your customer's account requires more expenses on your part to properly maintain the account and therefore keep your customer satisfied.
- Reviewing your accounts and making the necessary adjustments may help to keep your services competitive.
To build a staff into a team that does the best possible job for the organization:
- Be friendly to staff members but don't treat them like close personal friends. They want you to be the boss and they want to be the employees. It works better that way.
- Tell them everything. And expect them to tell you the same. Shared knowledge builds loyalty and trust.
- Practice Pulitzer Prize plagiarism: Steal only from the best. If you need help, reach out to your professional community. Someone, somewhere, somehow will know how to help you.
- Invest heavily in loyalty. If staff members know that you're always loyal to them, they'll give you the same in return.
- Realize that fairness establishes your credibility.
- Never be too busy to laugh. Nothing gets people through a crisis like a good laugh - and a manager who's willing to enjoy it with them.