Episode 77: Why Commercial Cleaning Clients Cancel Service And What You Can Do About It

Finding out you've lost a commercial cleaning account is never a fun experience, but it's your job as the owner to find out why your client cancelled service, figure out what went wrong and then make adjustments, if needed.

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Episode 77 - Video Transcription

Losing a commercial cleaning account is never a fun experience, but it's your job as the owner to figure out what went wrong and then make adjustments if needed. Can you salvage the account? Possibly, but if you've received a letter of termination, chances are they've already made up their mind and selected your replacement.

There are many reasons commercial cleaning clients cancel accounts. On the top of the list is sub-par performance. Other reasons include lack of communication, theft, the client went out of business, they're relocating outside your service area, they're switching to in-house cleaning, or the client is going with another cleaning company for personal reasons - perhaps they have a friend in the business.

There are some things you can do nothing about, such as a client going out of business or relocating outside your service area. But there is something you can do about sub par performance and lack of communication - at least as far as improving your company so you don't lose any more clients.

First, review your quality control procedures if performance is the issue. Make sure all employees understand the cleaning specifications, and make sure the supervisors are following up according to your standard. What usually happens is that when Supervisors do quality control checks, they do a quick walk-through of the location, not using the critical eye that we as owners use. Pretty soon all the locations are showing signs of neglect, when YOU thought things were going along smoothly. Clients have little patience for a cleaning company that offers sub-par service, so stay on top of quality control.

If you're not sure why you lost the account, communication could be the problem. You need to make a concerted effort and take the time to communicate with your clients. They may not always tell you, but most clients DO want to hear from you on a regular basis. Communicating with your clients regularly is often more important to them than the quality of the service; especially if they can reach you easily and you resolve concerns immediately.

If you address the reasons you lost the account and take steps to correct the problem, cancellations should be a rare occurrence. If you lost the account due to no fault of your own, or if you've managed to turn things around for your quality control issues, stay in touch with the former client. You may be able to win them back over time.

Now I'd like to hear from you! What are some of the reasons you've lost accounts, and what did you do to win them back? Please share your comments by posting below the video at CleaningBiz.tv