For many cleaning companies, the question of how to improve company reputation is a key part of business success.
There is a lot of competition in the cleaning industry. There’s no way around that. To win your share of business, you need to stand out. You can do that in a number of ways, but one unavoidable aspect of this is your company’s reputation. That’s good news, though. There are always ways you can think about how to improve company reputation as a cleaning business.
This is true for businesses with excellent and not-so-excellent reputations. Of course, figuring out how to improve company reputation if you are already well-regarded is ideal. But even janitorial companies that don’t have a great reputation can take advantage of the same tactics; it just might take a little more time and work to build up a good name in your community.
Manage projects, stay in touch with clients, and more with Janitorial Manager. Contact us for a free demo right now and see how it works!
How to improve company reputation: Your 7 step guide to success
No matter how good your reputation is, there are always things you can work on and make better. Likewise, a bad reputation shouldn’t be the end of your business if you’re willing to put in the work to improve. These steps aren’t in any particular order, but all of them will help you learn how to improve company reputation for your cleaning business.
1. Don’t rest on a good reputation. If you already have a good reputation, congratulations. But you can’t rest on that and get lazy. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. Don’t let all that time and energy go to waste.
2. Do an excellent job. Sure this sounds basic enough. But what does it actually mean? Are you doing just enough to get the job done, or are you going beyond your clients’ expectations? There is one way you can ensure that your team does a top-notch job: Use a janitorial inspections app. As part of your janitorial software, an inspections app allows you to take pictures and write notes about each location you service. You can look through each site even if you can’t be there in person.
3. Respond to reviews. All of them. Review sites like Yelp! and Google can be great for your business, even when you get bad reviews. But why do you need to reply to them all? People who leave good reviews appreciate knowing you care about their opinion. And the bad reviews? Responding to these can give you a chance to showcase your customer service to the person who left the review, and to potential new customers and clients. A thoughtful, sincere reply to a negative review might even be one of the best marketing strategies around.
4. Train your team well. No matter who you hire, whether they have experience or not, be sure to train them well. That means covering everything from your dress code, if you have one, all the way to instructions on how to use your equipment. It’s also helpful to have a checklist for each location. Beyond these basics, however, be clear about your customer service expectations. There are plenty of suitable approaches to customer service and running a business, but it’s important that your team is in alignment with your values around this.
5. Treat your team well. In thinking about how to improve company reputation for a cleaning business, this probably isn’t near the top of the idea list. It should be. How you treat your team is a reflection of how you run your business. Not to mention that when you take care of your team, they will take care of your customers. It just makes good business sense. Plus, people are often more willing to hire a cleaning company with a reputation for retaining people.
6. Make things easy for your clients. You show up on time. You do your job well. You’re responsive to your clients. That’s all fantastic. Now it’s time to take things to the next level. What does it mean to make things easy for your clients? Suppose they have an unexpected meeting to sign a big contract. They’d love it if your team could quickly go over the meeting room, making sure the tables and furniture are wiped down, everything looks straight and neat, or that there are no fingerprints on the windows. They could call you, wait for you to get the message, then relay the word to your team, who then need to clarify which meeting room they need to clean. Or they could open up their location-specific Connect App and message your on-site team directly. That seems so much easier and efficient.
7. Create a newsletter. While this may seem a little unnecessary, a regular newsletter or email update can do wonders for improving your reputation. How? It helps your clients feel connected to your business. It lets them know you care about communicating with them and being part of their success story. This doesn’t need to be anything long or complicated. It doesn’t even need to be frequent. Once a month might be plenty. Share updates about new equipment, and how that will improve the cleanliness of your clients’ locations. Share information about the charity 5k you’re sponsoring (which is another excellent way to improve your reputation). Just remember not to reveal any identifying information about your clients unless you have permission.
It’s easy enough to assume doing a good job will improve your company’s reputation. The fact is, doing a good job should be the baseline from which you begin. It’s a given that when someone hires you, they expect that you’ll provide quality work. But if you can step that up, even by using a few of these techniques, you can do a lot to ensure the success of your business.
Make sure your cleaning team has the information they need to complete their job accurately and thoroughly. Implementing a janitorial software like Janitorial Manager can effectively transform your cleaning operation!