There are a variety of reasons why you may find it necessary to make a change in custodial vendors. Unfortunately, the most common reason for change tends to be poor performance. This video shares some
One of the questions that I am asked most often during the sales process is: “How long will it take your company to get started cleaning our facility?” The short answer is: 30 days.
During this 30-day period your new cleaning vendor will be performing two very important start-up processes.
Process #1 – Building the Team
There is a common misconception that companies in our industry have a pool of cleaning team members ready to start work almost immediately. That is simply not the case. Unlike temporary employment agencies, janitorial services companies start the recruiting process only after a new client has been secured. As such, it takes a few weeks to (1) recruit, interview, and screen applicants, (2) perform onboarding activities, and (3) appropriately time training new team members.
Process #2 – Developing an Operations Plan
The second process is the development of a working operations plan. This process involves (1) labeling all the spaces in a facility, (2) learning the workflow of your facility – break periods, high visibility areas, areas of greatest concern, etc., and (3) developing a timed work plan for each team member.
Again, the entire transition process normally takes about 30 days.
In a perfect world, you would provide a 30-day termination of service notification to your current vendor and they would honor their service agreement until your new company is in place. Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t work out this well. We have seen vendors who will simply walk off the job once they have been given a termination notice. So, here are a few things that you can do to prepare for the transition
Tip #1: Ask the New Vendor for Transitional Service
The first, and best step, is to talk with your new vendor and ask them if they can provide a transitional service before the actual official start date. This transitional service will likely be a scaled down version of the full service.
Tip #2: Reach Out to a Temporary Staffing Agency
If your new vendor is unable to provide transitional service, another proactive solution is contact a local temporary agency letting them know of your potential need. Find out how quickly they can provide temporary labor to provide transitional service.
Tip #3: Remind Your Current Vendor of Their Obligation
With these proactive steps taken, simply talk with your current vendor and remind them of their obligation to serve you through the end of agreement. Remind them that how they finish up this agreement will have a bearing on future opportunities to work with your company.
If you are planning on making a change in your custodial vendor, you will likely have a 30-day transition window to consider. Having a plan during this time will help save a lot of headaches and get your new vendor off on the right foot.
