“Labor costs are steadily rising, while the scope and nature of the cleaning services we need remains fairly constant,” Anne said. As the CFO of a non-profit educational facility, she was examining the budget closely for any area to save money. “I reached out to the local commercial cleaning company in Braintree, and asked for a quote that covered everything our in-house team was doing.” The numbers made the decision fairly easy. “You always hate to eliminate positions, but right now, we need to focus on improving our financial position. By outsourcing the cleaning, we can still provide the same high quality visitor experience while keeping our payroll down.”
Anne is not alone in making the decision to outsource the cleaning. Choosing a local commercial cleaning company or janitorial service is increasingly the preferred option to maintaining those functions in house. In addition to the costs of labor and employee benefits, keeping a business properly clean involves a significant investment in equipment and products. All of these items need to be stored, which requires having enough space – an expense in and of itself. When the cleaning is outsourced, these expenses are reduced to a single, manageable line item.
“What I also appreciated was the flexibility that comes with outsourcing the cleaning,” Anne said. “When you have employees, you need to provide them with 40 hours worth of work, each and every week. Now we have the contract, the cleaners come in twice a week and as needed for special events. It’s so much more efficient.”
Choosing a Commercial Cleaning Company: Size & Experience Matters
“Because our organization has a certain reputation to maintain, I couldn’t take chances with a vendor who might not do a good job,” Anne said. “I made a point to work only with a commercial cleaning company that’s large enough to get the job done – even if a cleaner or two called out sick or had a health emergency. And I found peace of mind working with a company that has worked with other museums and educational spaces.”