Tag Archives: Janitorial Service

What Are the Reasons For A Site Visit

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One of the most important steps in the sales process for any commercial cleaning company in general is a site visit and/or a tour of your facility. Yeah, it is possible to receive a pricing proposal from your potential vendor within reason without even laying eyes on your facility, but how accurate will the results be? Below, we will discuss a little deeper about the purpose of a site visit along with some best practices to prepare for the visit.


Purpose of the Visit


– 90% of the costs affiliated with a commercial cleaning program stem from direct labor and labor related costs.

-Obtaining the most accurate number of labor hours needed to properly meet your expectations is single handedly THE most important factor when estimating the cost to clean your facility. -Seeing your facility first hand helps us create the most personalized experience possible!


What Items are Cleaning Vendors Seeking to Discover?


– Space density: This is essentially looking for the “tightness” of the area needing cleaning. A perfect example would be a call center office type. An office with cubicles everywhere tends to be very dense. Denser spaces tend to take more time to clean due to reduced efficiencies.

-Working Conditions: While not necessarily having a direct impact on the number of hours needed to clean, it could play a part in the wages needed to attract cleaners to work in certain conditions. This typically is the case with certain places like manufacturing facilities where working conditions may require extra personal protection equipment.

-Flooring Types: One of the main parts of any commercial cleaning program is, you guessed it, cleaning your floors! Cleaning companies need to see what types of flooring (i.e., carpet, tile, wood, etc.) are in your space along with measurements of each type. Hard surface flooring generally takes longer to clean with sweeping and mopping as opposed to carpeting which typically requires only vacuuming.

-Current State of Cleanliness: Potential cleaning vendors tend to look for a couple of items here. Firstly, they will look to see if the space/building has been cared for well. If not, it will require more labor time to bring the space back to a manageable level. Secondly, as stated above, cleaning companies want to assess your expectations. If there is a very high level of cleanliness expectations, then this will come into play when developing an estimate for work hours needed.

-Location and Size: This one is pretty simple, how big and how spread out are the spaces. Things a cleaning company must consider is how much time a cleaner will spend traveling from one space to the next or one building to the next and so on.


How You Can Help Making the Site Visit Productive and Efficient.


-Directions/Instructions: It can be helpful to provide some things to the potential vendor prior to the visit such as where to park or enter the building, who to ask for upon arrival, and any visitor safety requirements.

-When to Clean: It is good practice to help prospective cleaning vendors when you desire to have your space cleaned, even though your may have an RFP (request for proposal) that covers this. This would cover if you wish to have your space cleaned after hours, weekends, requiring a day porter during the specific days, etc.

-What to Clean: Circling back, you may have already provided this summary of work to potential cleaning vendors. This is very important to help understand what you wish to have serviced and how frequently. A good example of this would be, some places wish to have their bathrooms cleaned every day or every service, while let’s say dusting would only be required on a weekly basis.

-Specific Information: This would entail any unique and specific information pertaining to YOUR location and YOUR needs. Certain types of buildings require specific needs that others do not require. Or even just something that is a nuance to you that you wish was fixed and never has been.

FAQs With BCS

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Purchasing a janitorial service can come with a high degree of risk. Here at BCS Facilities Group, we strive to help build YOUR trust while reducing as much risk as possible. Below is a compiled list of the most frequently asked questions received during the purchasing process. If you are unable to find an answer to your questions, please do not hesitate to contact us here.


Service

How much notice do you need to get started?

Typically, we require at least 3 weeks to launch our services in order to properly staff your facility so we can accommodate your needs as efficiently as possible.
What types of services do you provide?

While we specialize in daily/weekly janitorial services, we are well versed in carpet cleaning, tile maintenance, window washing, as well as disinfection services.
Do you supply all of the equipment?

This will vary on a case-by-case basis. We leave this up to you and what is preferred by you. We are fully capable of providing all equipment and cleaning products for the cleaning of your facility.

Personnel

Who will I contact if there is a problem?

Your account holder. BCS prides itself that you will NEVER have to worry about who to contact as your point of contact will never change from day 1.
What happens if we don’t like one of your employees?

If there is an issue with one of our employees cleaning your facility, we will make certain to make the necessary changes where need be in staffing your facility. We at BCS pride ourselves on providing the best customer service in the industry.
How many people will you have in my facility?

The answer to this varies by each facility after the initial and final walkthroughs are completed. Once we have a good outlay of your facility and have a clear understanding of the desired services, we will inform you of how we will staff your facility and an estimate of how long the process will take.


Company

How long have you been in business?

BCS Facilities Group was founded in 1987 and since then has been perfecting the science of facilities maintenance.


Are you local/regional?

Yes. We are a local family owned and operated commercial cleaning company based out of Newtown, Pennsylvania servicing Eastern PA, New Jersey and Delaware. BCS is in what we like to call the “Goldilocks zone” of janitorial cleaning companies
How is your company different from all of the others?

Probably one of the most important questions ever asked. We are not just a janitorial service. It goes deeper than that here at BCS. Our main priority is building your trust, reduce risk, give you peace of mind. We take care of your business so you don’t have to! We view ourselves as an extension of your staff and a partner that will provide you a place that you can be proud of.

Tell-Tale Signs That It Might Be Time To Change Your Cleaning Company

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When it comes to finding the right cleaning service for your office space, you want to make sure you get the best quality of cleaning you deserve! Too many times do we all fall under the trap of a good first impression, however when the work begins the service seemingly falls off to the point of wondering if they even show up. And to top it all off you are more than likely stuck and locked in with some sort of contractual agreement with what seems like is forever and a day. This is seen to happen far too often when a cleaning company starts cutting corners because they either underestimated time to complete the scope of work and/or they estimated wages due to “low-balling” the price initially leading to additional difficulty in finding higher quality staff.
Here are just a few tell-tale signs that your cleaning company no longer is making you a priority and that it may be time to make a change:
Slow Reactions to Calls, Service Issues or Complaints There will be times where things are missed or an issue occurs. It happens. We are all human beings and human error is bound to happen. However, when issues or complaints do happen your service contractor should be prompt in their response time. If the issues are happening more frequently or you just straight up are not receiving timely correspondence, this could be a tell-tale sign that your cleaning company may be stretched too thin. Not to mention it could be a red flag that there may be deeper problems within the respective company itself. Ask yourself when was the last time you received proactive communication from your cleaning service?
Staff Is Starting To Complain More Than Usual The whole purpose of outsourcing your cleaning is to (let’s face it) make your job AND life a whole lot easier. The goal here is to not be bothered by mundane cleaning issues. If you are starting to get bombarded with comments from employees in regards to the toilet paper running out, no paper towels, if your office ACTUALLY GETS DUSTED, etc. then it may be a warning sign that your cleaning company is no longer dedicated to you.
Unrecognizable Faces Cleaning Your Space Each office, warehouse, facility is not ever one in the same and with this come specific nuances that must be handled appropriately. This is something that will be figured out by a dedicated contractor and its staff that is assigned to the task at hand. As with anything else, there will be some turnover expected since the cleaning services industry specifically has a high turnover rate of nearly 200%. If this is happening fairly often, this could point to a possible HR issue within the company with the inability to keep its employees. Not to mention it will cost YOU in the quality of service provided and could lead to a potential security issue.
Your Primary Contact Changes Often This is probably going to be the greatest tell-tale sign of all that there are some lingering issues with your current cleaning service provider. You have absolutely no idea who is in charge or who to call if you need to get in contact with the company. As just previously noted, turnover is higher in this industry, but in the manager-level positions this is a sign that there may be trouble ahead. This is an indicator of a troubled and unhealthy culture lying within the company.
If some or all of these problems persist, then it may be time to start preparing for a change. Develop a game plan and set a list of expectations not only for the next service contractor to walk through your doors but for yourself and your business’s safety in mind.


BCS Facilities Group can help you with cleaning of your commercial or industrial facility. We strive to build and grow a world class service organization.

Top 5 Cleaning Myths You NEED to Stop Believing

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It seems that today more than ever we are bombarded with different so called “hacks” that help create some form of short cut for even the simplest of things. Cleaning being one of the most popular out there! Whether you are clicking on a random article on the front page of Yahoo, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter you name it it’s on there. Now, most of these are meant to be for a “that’s pretty cool I might give that a try!” type of response and I’m sure we’ve all tried at least one of these so-called hacks at one point in time.
Read on as today I will be putting on my fancy “myth buster” hat to debunk some of these outrageous myths on cleaning that could be doing you more of a disservice than actually helping. Because who wants to live by taking short cuts in life am I right?

Vinegar is an Effective and Appropriate Cleaner for All Surfaces This one is a popular one that I have been seeing float around the internet and this is a huge NO! While vinegar may be able to help with certain tasks like removing grime on certain surfaces, it is not appropriate for everything. It can cause damage or corrosion to metal, glass or even certain ceramic and stone surfaces due to the acidic acid in the vinegar. It can strip the wax on the wax floors and even unseal tile grout over time. Pete He, PhD, the chief scientist and co-founder of Dirty Labs also notes that the EPA does not recognize vinegar as an antimicrobial agent for sanitization or disinfecting.
Using Newspaper to Clean Windows and Mirrors Another NO! This myth used to have some validity to it as newspapers used to be made with thicker paper than what they’re made with today. The thinner newspapers today will quickly deteriorate when they are wet and leave spots on your glass mirrors or windows. As if we all want to see last week’s headlines on the window when we want to take that much needed break from work and stare out the window wishing we were outside instead of inside.
Baking Soda to Remove Odors From Carpets Don’t hold your breathe on this one if you think baking soda can help you out with this. Yes, it seems like it comes in handy a lot for us all and has many uses but not for this. And yes, even myself included have done this before so guilty as charged but it’s a lazy way out. While it can absorb unwanted odors, it does not attack the main source of the odor and only masks the smell for a brief period. Just get your carpets cleaned once a year people!
Bleach Cleans Everything I know this one may anger a lot of people but the truth must come out and you can always count on me to have all of your backs! Yes, on its own it can be good for spot stain removal but still needs some sort of surfactant to lift the actual dirt out. And check this out, according to Caroline from Winc, bleach “degrades the layers of a surface, making them more susceptible to bleach resistant superbugs which breed when bleach is overused or used as a sole cleaning agent”. I am just going to leave that one there for all of you. Just use disinfectants that are less harmful.
Using Coca-Cola to Clean Your Toilets As with just about every single myth listed above including this one it may seem like an interesting cost-effective idea, it may not be the smartest. The sugar contained in the soda is actually very harmful as it attracts more bacteria. You vinegar folks this may be your moment as a good alternative to this with your toilet bowl is actually vinegar!
Any of you out there have any other fun cleaning myths that have been debunked? Or just myths in general? Please provide in the comments below and let us know!

Top 3 Benefits of Hiring a Professional Cleaning Company

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Let’s face it, we all have busy schedules. It’s just part of life. But, what the most annoying part about it all is when we’re busy and are preoccupied with other “bigger and better things” we tend to push certain tasks into the back of our minds or simply just brush it off for a later date. Now, will these tasks be completed? Who knows, right? One big task that gets pushed aside more often than most might admit is cleaning. There are the simple solutions such as hiring one or two internal employees to do it to keep it maintained, or you just brush it off completely piling up your to-do list saying “I’ll get to it eventually”. If you’re uncertain about hiring a professional commercial cleaning service, keep on reading and we will go over some of the key and crucial benefits of hiring a commercial cleaning service.
There is Higher Quality and Standards A professional cleaning company will make your space as clean as possible since they likely have a higher standard of “clean” as you do. The cleaners are professionally trained and certified to offer the best quality of service. Professionals know exactly where to look and no more constantly look at dust on baseboards! Life is hectic and we get that! Nobody has the time to set aside for a deep clean of your work space. So why not get that peace of mind that your work space has been thoroughly cleaned by people who, you know, clean for a living. There is no such thing as “out of sight, out of mind”.
Not to mention, most of the supplies used will be better. No offense. Cleaners use cleansers and equipment that are not always widely available to the general public. It is just a better way all around to improve the image of your business by leaving it tidy, clean and polished. This will lead to motivated employees, which we touched base on in a previous blog post. And the sky’s the limit when you have a happy work environment!

It Gives You Less Stress As stated up top, our lives are all hectic. Our to-do lists are probably all at least a mile long at this point so why not make life just a little bit easier on yourself? I am sure that cleaning tends to fall to the bottom of that list because NOBODY loves to clean. What if you had an unexpected business client or impromptu meeting at your office or work setting? You would hope for the best appearance possible and to avoid that unnecessary embarrassment of cob webs stringing across the walls and ceiling! Gross! And definitely a turn off to anybody.
This will all allow you to focus on your other objectives that need to be completed with more undivided attention. Not to mention it gives you the peace of mind and makes you just feel more comfortable and secure.
It’s Cost Effective The cost of spending nowadays can add up quick! Supplies, and equipment of all sorts can get very expensive. Not to mention the labor costs you would have to pay an employee to do the job itself. Why not get rid of at least one of these costs? With a professional commercial company, you only pay for the service! Hiring an external cleaning company will be a long-term cost-effective solution.
Gone are the worries of vetting employees, and worrying about salaries or benefits. Now, you’ve eliminated time, money and stress off of your plate!

Convinced yet? What’s stopping you from enjoying these benefits and then some? So, the next time you want to inquire about booking a professional commercial cleaning service or simply just looking, make sure to look for these benefits so you are doing what’s best for you and your business. Please feel free to check out our services page and schedule an appointment today for your business’s needs!