Every business has its share of challenges, however, getting into a business will all the facts is essential in ensuring that you run a sustainable business. This article is not to discourage anyone from venturing into the cleaning business as it has tons of pros. I have outlined 5 challenges commercial cleaning companies are facing and their solutions I hope that this is helpful.
Unrealistic expectations from the customer
Not sure who’s to blame for this most of the time, a salesperson will make so many promises to justify why they are charging premium prices. Some salespeople will even promise that the cleaning will reinstate their home back to although this is not always the case.
Solution
Find out the customer’s expectations – Before committing to any job, find out what the customer expects from the professional cleaning services. During the tour around the home or office, a customer should point out their expectations of the cleaning engagement.
Conduct a test or a demo – During the site survey, you can bring some of the cleaning supplies so you can test and see whether the stains will be able to come off. Communicate with the customer beforehand. This way you will be able to close a sale with ease because, in the process, you will be conducting a demo and making realistic promises.
Be honest – Do not over promise and under deliver this will always work against you in the long run. You might be able to land that one sale but miss out on further business opportunities. A happy customer will refer you should an opportunity arise. The nature of business for a cleaning company is that cleaning is a recurring need always work towards winning a customer and not a sale.
Too Much competition from other cleaning company,
Let’s be honest starting an office cleaning company is one of the easiest businesses to venture into due to its skill level as a result, the cleaning industry is among the most flooded in Kenya. In economics, there is always a direct correlation between demand and supply. This factor will affect how you price your services, your marketing strategy, and so on. So how do you bypass this challenge?
Solutions
Stand out from the rest- Easier said than done, but seriously how do you differentiate yourself from the crowd? Here are some suggestions. Create a brand for your company. There are so many factors that go into building a brand. Physical branding is how people can identify you. Create an appearance that is unique and appealing to your potential customers and community at large. Physical branding will include your uniform, stationery, logos.
Your company’s reputation is a contributor to a brand- honesty, timeliness, optimum performance, e.t.c and the only way you will create a brand is by always being consistent in how you conduct your selves.
Sales and marketing – In this crowded market, your number one aim should be to be in the right place at the right time. So how do you stay ahead of your competition? Have a proper marketing strategy in place to ensure that whenever there is an opportunity, your company should be at the forefront of any potential customer. Some of the best ways are through targeted advertisement, search engine optimization, and customer outreach. The key is ensuring that your company doesn’t sink into oblivion and always stands out.
Pricing Mechanism
Due to the high competition in the marketplace, it becomes quite impossible to set up a standardized price structure. Before settling for a cleaning company, most customers will compare prices to get the best deal. In most cases, some companies have set up some supplier prequalification procedure of acquiring at least three quotations. So in most cases, you will be competing against other cleaning companies that are ridiculously low priced at times you wonder, how do they even cover their cost, let alone make a profit. So how do you bit this?
Solution- In my honest option, I feel that you shouldn’t underquote to be awarded a job, as this will, in turn, lead you to compromise on the quality of services. Sometimes it is better to miss out on an opportunity rather than feeling cheated. Besides, it is better to have 100 profitable customers as compared to 1000 loss-making customers. When you are engaging with the potential customer, try and sell the value.
Convincing customers to digress from in-house cleaning to outsourcing
Outsourcing of cleaning services was a concept that was introduced in Kenya not too long ago. Due to the high rates of unemployment in Kenya, the cost of unskilled labor is low as compared to most of the first world countries. So how do you justify outsourcing cleaning services when the potential customer can easily hire someone at a relatively lower price?
Solution- while there are so many benefits of outsourcing cleaning services. I will only outline a few.
- A professional cleaning company will use specialized equipment and detergents to clean. Casing point the use of a floor scrubber works like magic. Picture scrubbing your floor with a machine that rotates at supersonic speed with a scouring pad. It works like magic.
- A cleaning company will manage all the administrative tasks relating to the cleaning staff. From leave management, vetting, training, disciplinary, payroll management, and all other issues you name them. In this case, a client should expect exceptional uninterrupted services without having to deal with all the drama.
Coronavirus spread and prevention
The newest challenge we are facing in 2020 is the As we are being encouraged to stay at home, minimize interaction with people, and social distance, this, in turn, has affected the cleaning business. Most of the customers are concerned that by inviting people in their homes or offices that may lead to exposure to the COVID 19 Virus. How to you count this as a company?
Solution – As a company, we have set up new protocols put in place to ensure safe cleaning and prevention of the speed of COVID 19 to your customers as well as your employees. A simple solution to this is to provide your employees with proper and clean masks that are comfortable enough for your employees to work while wearing. From the time they enter a customer’s premises to the time, they leave to ensure that they properly wear masks and gloves and add on Covid 19 disinfection services to the scope of your work.
