Separating The Great From The Average

by Compass Cleaning Solutions • June 30, 2016
What separates a really great janitorial company from an average one? Without over simplifying the discussion, doing the job you were hired to do would be a good place to start. If there is a required time schedule then the janitorial cleaning service needs to be on time and complete their work on schedule. The same holds true for the cleaning specifications agreed to before service began. But is that all there is?


In sales we are taught that the customer wants Quality, Price and Service, not necessarily in that order. The reality is we can’t have everything, premium quality, lowest price and outstanding service. Something has to give. I would contend that the only one of the three that is not negotiable is Service. Price and quality of product can be negotiated because they are tangible. Service is the intangible that supports the other two.

I have been reminded again and again by our clients that how they are treated and how we respond to their concerns and issues sets us apart from other companies they have dealt with. How often have you had an issue with a product or service and called the company’s ‘customer service’ number, explained your problem, been assured that someone will be in touch with you in the next several hours (days) and then discover after a week or two that no one is really doing much. It happens to me all the time. That feeling I have of anger and frustration has caused me to do everything I can to insure our clients never feel that way when they call us. I am not saying we are perfect, but I am saying that we have a culture within our company that demands we give attention to our clients as first priority.

We have all heard the stories about Southwest, Nordstrom and other really great companies. What those companies have in common is that they make the client their first priority, first and foremost they are customer service companies, regardless of what else they do. Our goal as a commercial cleaning company is to always do what we say we will do, when we say we will do it and never forget who it is that makes our business possible. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, reportedly said, “We all have a boss. His name is customer and he can fire us at any moment simply by buying from someone else”. The quality of our products, the extensive training we do with our employees even the detail of our specifications will mean nothing if we do not listen to our customers and meet their needs.

So, what separates an average commercial cleaning company from a great one? Listening to our clients, responding without hesitation and always remembering that we are a customer service company first and foremost.