2020 has been the year for businesses to re-evaluate how they spend every penny, and rightly so. There are aspects within an office where the ‘price over quality’ debate makes sense. Cheaper coffee and stationery, cutting oat or almond from the milk options, or even restrict printing to black and white only are things that one can live with.
Can you pay the price if you look for the cheapest supplier?
One can argue that cleaning has become the most, if not one of the most important tasks in offices.
Choosing the best cleaning supplier does not mean you must break the bank. When starting the process of onboarding a new supplier, there are questions that need to be asked before getting to the nitty-gritty of finances. First, take into consideration a supplier’s:
- Covid-19 protocol to protect both their employees and clients
- Experience and proven track records of successfully delivering a quality service
- Specifications and plan to meet your cleaning standards
- Personal and professional feeling within the quoting process, do you see yourself having a successful business relationship with them long term?
And anything else that you may consider important and expect from a supplier!
Going for the cheapest quote can end up costing you a lot more than you may think. The process of onboarding a new supplier is extensive. If you get it wrong by compromising price over quality, chances are that within a few months you will have to do it all over again. And you don’t want to do that.
Cleaning businesses are also aware of the industry benchmark in terms of pricing, and most will offer competitive prices, you just need to find the business that works for you; which a lot of the time comes to aspects that are not specifically cleaning-related. Professionalism and trustworthiness built within the quoting process also play a key part.
Always get at least 3 quotes to make an informed decision as to which company you are going to take on. Once potential suppliers tick all your boxes, start looking at how much is going to cost you to partner with the best one.
What if the price sounds too good to be true?
When it comes to cleaning, if the price sounds too good to be true, it most probably is. Most cleaning jobs are quoted based on square meterage, or the number of hours that the supplier believes will take to complete the work. So if quotes are miles apart in terms of money, one must really look into the reason why that is.
Not too long ago, consumers looked for free music, movies and services in general, people are now willing to pay for quality services. Netflix and Spotify are perfect examples of streaming services that have taken the quality approach over the “cheaper alternative” approach.
The same thing should apply for cleaning services, price shouldn’t out weight quality.
You may also want to read our helpful tips to keep a cleaner office.