Commercial Building First Impressions: Your Responsibility as a Building Service Contractor
Steve Hanson
They say first impressions are the most memorable. When you comes to commercial buildings, where are first impressions created? The entry? The lobby? The reception area? No. The first thing you see when you pull into the parking lot is the exterior grounds. Is there trash blowing around the parking lot? Empty pop cans, bottles, bags, papers, or any debris often litter the parking lot. What does this say about the business owner?
As you walk up to the entryway, you observe the landscaping and sidewalks. Here you can see more debris close up. You notice even smaller pieces of litter the closer you get to the door, from candy wrappers to gum to food wrappers to the most insidious litter of all, the dreaded cigarette butts. A dirty ashtray greeting you can also leave an impression of uncleanliness.
At the entrance to the building, you can see doors of course, where the outside elements can leave the glass looking poorly. There is more than that, however. Window ledges collect blowing dust and dirt, and when combined with rain or snow become an eyesore on any exterior surfaces. Door and window frames also suffer from this problem.
Entryways also are prone to another source of nature's unsightly remains, the intricate remnants of your local arachnid, the spider web. Not only can the web itself be an eyesore, but the same dust and debris gets trapped in the sticky strands, along with the carcasses of several six-legged meals of the hungry spider. Hornet nests and bird nests are also nature's remnants that may be present. If your building grounds are frequented by the local gaggle of geese, you know it by the side-stepping dance you need to perform to avoid the inevitable droppings of our feathered friends.
"Policing the grounds" is the common term used to describe the process of dealing with these issues. If your building has a day porter or matron, this may be one of the duties they can perform, as doing this during the daylight hours is a good time to perform these duties. If not, assign this task to your night crew to be done early enough to take advantage of natural lighting.
Use a good flat broom/corn broom along with a lobby dust pan to sweep debris from sidewalks and parking lots, as well as knock down spider webs from door and window frames, or structural overhangs. Many items will need to just be picked up by hand, paying attention to corners and nearby landscaping, such as shrubs and bushes. A bottle of glass cleaner and some rags are also good tools to have, to wipe ledges and frames. Clean out any ashtrays frequently, and if sand is used, keep it clean by sifting out the cigarette butts and changing it on a regular basis. A doggy pooper scooper is an economical tool to use for this!
First impressions start before you walk in the building. If you are not currently offering this service, think about adding it. You may be able include it in your contract price, or offer it as a periodic service (weekly, monthly, or quarterly.) The objective is to make your buildings look as appealing as possible, which starts as soon as you pull into the lot.
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Steve Hanson helps owners of commercial cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. For more tips on owning a profitable cleaning business, watch the popular Web TV show CleaningBiz.tv and sign up for the newsletter, House Cleaning Profit Tips.
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Copyright TheJanitorialStore.com. All Rights Reserved.
Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.
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