What Makes A Great Office Cleaning Contractor? 

Some people may find it too bold to answer while being a part of the industry. But we have pondered on the question ever since we took our first job – a bi-weekly overall cleaning for a three-room office at Tottenham Court Road – some years ago. Is it the cleaners? Is it the range of services you provide? Or the reputation you build throughout the years? Or perhaps a combination of all these combined? 

Never Shy Away From A Cleaning Challenge

Many of the cleaners we have worked with have started in some domestic cleaning business branch – either housekeeping or carpet and window cleaning. Home cleaning, however, allows for a well-defined comfort zone – you will hardly ever be required to clean a 20-bedroom mansion or a Victorian country estate. The nature of office cleaning is almost by default different. You may start with some small businesses with limited office space, but if you want to grow, sooner or later you will have to upgrade to large-scale corporate premises cleaning.

The transition requires no small amount of courage and even more self-confidence. But once you make the leap of fate, there is no coming back. For us, the crucial moment came when an international consulting agency asked us to send them a detailed office cleaning offer for their Kensington headquarters. We did not have enough cleaners to independently take the job, but the opportunity was too good to miss. After coming to an agreement with a local subcontractor, our team took on its most important job since its foundation. It was tough, exhausting, and demanding – and we had our share of nail-biting moments. But in the end, we succeeded. 

You Must Always Adjust To The Customer

Usually, managers have a perfect sense of the pulse of their office and what it requires in terms of cleaning. They have a precise set of requirements and are rarely willing to move away from them. Your job is not to argue about the demands – it is to meet them to the best of your ability. I firmly believe flexibility is the most critical single quality that an office cleaner should possess. If you are dogmatic in your operative approach, you will not get far in the industry. 

Prepare For The Long Hours

If you get two large-scale corporate customers – and I am not going to count the smaller ones – you can say goodbye to the idea of having days off. Upscale office cleaning is a roller-coaster – if you do not feel like being on edge 365 days per year, you should not jump on it in the first place. The business is not for slackers or fun-loving freelancers – the competition is too great for lackadaisical amateurs.