There are easily over a 1,000 cleaning companies in Singapore today. And guess what? All, if not most of them will claim to provide professional cleaning services. But how do you go about the process of hiring a cleaning company that is ideal for you or your company? What are some of the pit falls to look out for? Does it feel like you’re trying to find a needle in a haystack?
We provide here some guidelines and considerations that should help you make a more informed decision about the cleaning company that you choose to hire.
Step 1: Do your research
Spend some time thinking about your requirements:
- What services do you require? Office cleaning only? Office cleaning with pantry and tea lady services?
- At what frequency should the services be rendered? Daily, weekly or monthly basis?
- Do you require any other add-on or specialized services such as high dusting or high pressure jet washing?
Step 2: Time to shortlist
Shortlist your top three choice cleaning companies. From there, be sure to call them in for a face-to-face meeting and site visit of your premises. It is one thing to ask for quotations to be emailed to you but when it comes to the final selection of a cleaning company, it’s best to have a face-to-face meeting.
Step 3: Ask the right questions
During your face-to-face meeting with the cleaning company representatives, be sure to enquire about how long they have been in the business, about the cleaning techniques used, available equipment and last but not least, the availability of manpower. Barriers to entry in the cleaning sector are rather low which means that you have to be extra diligent about asking the right questions to ensure the cleaning company can deliver as promised.
Step 4: Know your people
The cleaning business is a people business so be specific about the requirements of the cleaning crew. Do they need to do heavy lifting? Do they need to provide tea lady services? Is it sufficient for the cleaner to be able to speak in a language other than English, or do you need a cleaner who is fairly fluent in English?
What happens if your assigned cleaner is on sick or annual leave? Will the company be able to provide “breakdown coverage” i.e. station a temporary cleaner at your work site to minimize service disruption within reasonable time?
And don’t forget to ask if the cleaners have attended at least 1 module under the EC WSQ Framework or the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Skills Certificate in Housekeeping Operations (Healthcare). This is a mandatory requirement for the cleaning workforce in Singapore.
You also want to be sure that your shortlisted cleaning company has a valid NEA License for Cleaning to legally operate within the context of Singapore.
Step 5: Is it all about the money?
Most service buyers make the mistake of asking about the price first and base their decision solely on this. Don’t get us wrong. Price is an important consideration but if you want assurance that you are getting what you’re paying for in terms of other intangibles such as service reliability, a skilled and professional workforce etc, then be sure to work through Step 1 to 4 first. This way, when you arrive at Step 5, you would have a clearer and more informed decision on your service provider of choice and that you’re getting the right value for money!
