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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DOMESTIC CLEANING COMPANY

For many the idea of owning and running their own business is very appealing. It is something many aspire too, all the more so in these days of economic uncertainty. One business which invariably attracts a lot of attention from aspiring entrepreneurs is the home cleaning industry, either a maid service or some other domestic service such as upholstery or carpet cleaning. One reason for this is that at the start at least you can establish this kind of business without any great outlay. You could even run it from home initially, until finances improve sufficiently to merit acquiring business premises

So for anyone out there considering a change of direction and thinking about embarking on a new career in home services we thought we would outline below just a little of what is involved in the day-to-day running of a home services business – in this case more specifically a domestic cleaning agency, courtesy of Proclean Domestic Cleaning Glasgow and Carpet Cleaning Glasgow.

Strangely the title above is something of a misnomer – for a well organised busy and successful cleaning agency the “day” in question actually starts twenty four hours earlier. It is all really about planning when it comes to running a busy maid service.

Most successful cleaning firms will have an established roster of regular customers for whom they provide cleaning every week or fortnight – or indeed at other pre-determined intervals. Some companies will specialise in one-off jobs, but for most the key to a successful cleaning operation is the number and quality of regular customers. In effect, they give any cleaning business predictable future income. So, it stands to reason that these regular repeat customers are very much the priority. It is essential to plan your cleaning schedules a day in advance, so that you are able to let your regular customers know if there is likely to be a change – either in the team who will be carrying out their cleaning job or in other details such as the cleaning team’s arrival time. A quick phone call the day before to let a customer know that their regular cleaner is perhaps on holiday or unavailable for some other reason, but to let them know who will be coming instead, can mean an awful lot to some clients and is a perfect example of how pre-planning can be a considerable aid to customer service.

There are other things which have to be dealt with the day before as well. There are basically two types of domestic cleaning services out there – one where the customer provides all the cleaning materials and equipment and the other where the agency deals with all of this, as well as providing the cleaning personnel. The latter model tends to be more successful – customers usually just want to hire a cleaner and have nothing else to think about, except how sparkling clean their home will be after the cleaning team have been in. That means that as owner you need to ensure the day before that each cleaning team has a full stock of cleaning materials and general cleaning
technology, such as polish, glass cleaner and toilet cleaner, as well as peripheral items such as hoover bags and cleaning cloths.

Assuming you have made all your preparations, the actual day will begin pretty early for most owners of a cleaning business – this is definitely not a job for someone who likes to have a lie-in in the morning. You need to get in to the office early, so that you can check on any emails or voice messages which you may have from customers and which might impact on your carefully planned cleaning schedules. It is not uncommon for customers to contact you overnight by email or otherwise, either asking to cancel their scheduled clean or to alter their arrangement in some other way. This means you have to be flexible and be able to adapt to these changes quickly. Cleaning staff normally arrived around 8.00pam or thereabouts. If you want to have a successful business then staff will be a big part of your responsibility. They are effectively carrying out the day to day functions of the service in people’s home. It is important that they feel valued so that they are motivated to do their job well – after all, cleaning several homes each day can be physically tiring.

Take time to speak with your staff to make sure they are all OK. This is also an opportunity for them to highlight any issues they may have had with a particular job, so that you can make any appropriate adjustments, such as allocating more time. At this stage in the morning also make sure your staff is well presented. Are they wearing their uniforms? Are they neatly groomed? Are any male staff members shaved? These may appear to be relatively minor points but for some customers they can be very important.

Once your cleaning teams are away for the day, you can start preparing for the next day. In addition to this, you will have an ongoing succession of email and phone calls to deal with, as well as any appointments you may have. You also need to remember that for even the best run business unexpected problems can arise. Vacuum cleaners can break down, meaning you have to rush out a replacement to a cleaning team. What if one of your vehicles has a puncture? You would then need to alert customers that their job may be a bit delayed. And so it goes on.

Running a cleaning business well is not easy, as the owners of Proclean Carpet Cleaning Glasgow can testify. It can involve long hours and can present a number of challenges, not least of which is the handling of customer complaints. Again, no matter how well you run your firm there will be situations where customers may not be entirely happy. The way you deal with these complaints can be very important. A responsible firm which is in business for the long term will be happy to go back and rectify any problems – doing so promptly and courteously can result in you keeping a customer for many years with the obvious financial benefits this will incur – the lifetime value of a customer is a valuable consideration for all cleaning operations, whereas if you neglect a customer’s complaints or do not deal with them professionally, you will almost certainly end up losing that client.

Most people tend to think of the visual appeal of a home after it has been cleaned and there is no doubt that once you have used the services of a professional cleaner, your home should be looking pristine and fabulous. But there is another aspect which some people overlook – or indeed which simply never occurs to them, and that is the way your home smells. A house that has not been deep-cleaned in a while can pick up a stale, musty smell, which can often be a little unpleasant. A deep clean will eradicate this and leave your home smelling great again. Try to keep it that way, both by regularly cleaning and with the use of home fragrances. A simple, inexpensive way to give any home fresh appeal, especially so after it has been professionally cleaned, is by using some scented candles like Yankee candles or True Grace candles.