John Pletz is CEO of ServiceMaster Clean by Pletz, based in Crystal Lake Illinois, and has years of experience in the professional cleaning business. Here he talks about how to check references – and what questions to ask – when you are looking to hire a professional cleaning contractor
A professional cleaning contractor has to have many skills, qualities and traits to do the job. And your job as someone who wants to hire him is to find out if they’ve got what it takes. It’s one thing to check references and find out if they are legitimate. It’s another to delve a bit more deeply and see if they really are the right people for the job.
As someone who has been in the business for years, you should only hire someone who is willing to present references upon request. Here are some of the qualities I would look for when hiring a professional cleaning contractor, and some of the questions to ask when you follow up a reference:
- How long have you been working with this contractor?
- How responsive are they to concerns that arise from time to time?
- How often do concerns arise?
- Do they do regular inspections?
- How is their employee turnover?
- What would you say are their strengths?
- What are their weaknesses?
- If they could do one thing better, what would that one thing be?
- Do they do regular account visits with your company to discuss your cleaning needs and concerns?
- Can they provide for all your cleaning needs, such as carpet cleaning, floor maintenance, upholstery cleaning, window cleaning and special cleans?
- Why should I enter an agreement with this company?
- Why do you do business with them?
Hiring a professional cleaning contractor is an important decision, and when you hire the right company you might be entering into a professional relationship that can last years. Do your research from the beginning and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you feel necessary, and you won’t go wrong.
