Making the Argument for Outsourced Cleaning vs In-House Cleaning
Owning or managing an efficient commercial facility is a tall order. Many building owners and property managers make their workloads even larger by hiring employees to do in-house cleaning. The question is whether their perceived benefits of in-house cleaning actually outweigh what we in the cleaning industry know to be the advantages of outsourced cleaning.
Why Go After Buildings That Do In-House Cleaning?
Most BSC's do not consider a facility that does in-house cleaning a worthwhile prospect. After all, the sales cycle is long enough, right? Who needs to spend even more time trying to convince someone that's perfectly happy with his in-house cleaners that hiring a BSC makes more sense?
But building owners and managers that do the cleaning in-house don't always succeed. And the irony is that some don't even realize it. Many end up spending far more time and effort on hiring and managing the cleaning department than they would if they simply relied on a professional commercial cleaning company.
This presents you with a largely untapped source of potential business. What if you could make a strong case to in-house cleaning managers as to the benefits of making the switch? Yes, it's going to be more work on your part, but if you can present a strong argument and eventually present a case study or two, you've got a new source of potential clients that your competitors are not going after.
Why Do Some Companies Clean In-House?
Some facilities like hospitals and schools have traditionally cleaned in-house, so they never consider making a switch. They like having control over their operations and feel they've got a working system that is budget-conscious. But with all the changes related to cleaning for health and the environment, many of these same institutions have started making the switch. They've come to realize that professional cleaning companies have the resources to stay up to date on new technologies, more efficient equipment and training procedures. Plus they are able to accommodate a wide range of unique needs.
The Argument for Outsourcing
How can you convince an in-house cleaning prospect that your services are worth their while? Keep the following points in mind.
The Myth of In-House Efficiency
Facilities such as schools, hospitals and some industrial plants have traditionally favored in-house operations. Some mistakenly think this is the best option simply because it's what they're used to. After all, if it's been working for so many years, why make a change?
In reality, however, the idea that a veteran in-house cleaning team has gotten the routine down pat may be a misconception. Research cited by the Association of College Unions International noted that in-house custodian productivity can be notably lower than industry standards. This makes a huge difference in large venues like four-year colleges, where individual custodians are each responsible for some estimated 36,354 square feet of space.
Outsourcing Lowers HR Costs
One of the major inescapable expenses associated with in-house cleaning is human resource management. Businesses that want to maintain a custodial staff are responsible for:
- Interviewing, performing background checks and hiring candidates,
- Training cleaning staff in the use of tools and equipment,
- Paying salaries, and
- Covering benefits, such as worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, vacation time and sick leave.
Outsourced cleaning companies absorb these expenses precisely because it's their business to do so. Services that specialize in custodial work are also able to distribute the costs of HR management across multiple client accounts. In other words, no single one of your patrons is solely responsible for the total sum of your staff overhead.
When presenting this argument to your prospect, be sure to site the extra time they'll have available to find new tenants, keep existing tenants happy, and manage other vendor relationships.
Custodial Companies Manage Material Overhead More Efficiently
Similar to the way they deliver lower HR costs, outsourced cleaning companies reduce the fiscal burdens associated with supplies. For instance, your professional custodial firm can handle expenses such as:
- Paying for cleaning equipment upkeep,
- Purchasing/managing cleaning and consumable supplies, and
- Ensuring cleaning supplies comply with safety and environmental regulations.
True, a business that performs in-house custodial work can foot these bills, but doing so may not be ideal. Dedicated cleaning companies can establish ongoing relationships with a wider range of partners devoted to custodial support services, such as supplying consumable items. Because your business depends on staying compliant, you're also more likely to adhere to applicable laws and minimize the cost of transitioning to new standards such as the recent OSHA/GHS Compliance changes.
Convincing Potential Clientele
Of course, understanding the pros and cons of each strategy is one thing, but you also need to communicate them effectively. It's critical to your business that you make a convincing argument about each of your advantages and offer real-world performance facts and testimonials to support your claims.
One great way to get started is to create a one-page summary document that compares the advantages of outsourcing versus in-house cleaning. That way you can give it to them to keep as they consider the option.
Approaching companies that do their own in-house cleaning can seem like a lot of work, and you will likely have several meetings before they make that final decision to make the switch. But be patient – it's a process that takes time. The first time we converted a prospect to outsourcing the cleaning to us it took about 2 years from the first conversation to closing the deal.
With the facts on your side, you can feel confident in your efforts to convert them into clients. Get started by downloading your one-page benefits sheet at The Janitorial Store. It's free for members, so sign up today.
Many commercial businesses utilize in-house cleaning instead of outsourcing their cleaning needs. Most owners and facility managers don't have a true understanding of the costs and energy they have to devote to maintain in-house cleaning.
Present this benefits guide sheet to your cleaning prospects explaining the advantages of outsourcing their cleaning services and you may just be able to convert them to new customers.
Free download for members of The Janitorial Store
IN-HOUSE CLEANING VS. OUTSOURCED CLEANING doc.
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