One key to a successful janitorial business is a good reputation. Here are 8 ways to ensure your reputation is in good standing.
Many factors go into the success of your janitorial business. Hard work, knowledge, quality service, and business sense all play a role in how well your company does. Even with all those factors, one area critical to maintaining and growing your business is your reputation.
A good business reputation is vital to gaining new customers. And the steps you take to keep that reputation in good standing will also help ensure that your current customers will stay with you.
Your reputation is the way the public perceives your janitorial business. Whether accurate or not, this perception can mean the difference between a thriving business and one struggling to stay afloat. That’s why it’s so crucial to pay attention and take steps that make your business gleam!
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8 Steps to a great janitorial business reputation
Of course, there are numerous ways you can shape your reputation. When it comes down to it, though, there are a few common things that your customers look for. They expect good customer service, fair pricing, high-quality work, and honesty. If you can offer that, you’re well on your way to a positive janitorial business reputation. And these are some of the ways you can get there.
1. Respond to reviews. When you respond to online reviews, you show customers you care about their experience. This is true for both positive and negative reviews. The positive reviews are easy to reply to; you say thank you and that you enjoyed working with them. The negative reviews require more nuance. Generally, responding defensively and getting into an online argument with someone is a bad idea. Take responsibility, respond to their complaint, explain what you can, and offer to contact them. How you respond to negative reviews can go a long way in winning over new customers.
2. Reply quickly to your current customers. When your customers have questions or comments, be sure to get back to them as soon as possible. People appreciate it when a business gets back to them quickly. It shows that you care about the customer experience and prioritize their satisfaction.
3. Explain your decisions. You won’t accommodate every customer request. For logistical reasons, financial reasons, or anything else, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you will encounter requests that won’t work. Most customers, however, will understand as long as you explain why you can’t accommodate them. That said, you do need a good reason, such as your schedule is full or your team isn’t trained for that particular request.
4. Pay attention to customer service. Good customer service is essential for an excellent janitorial business reputation. There are entire books, certification classes, and workshops about good customer service. It’s far too broad to get into in a short paragraph. At its base, though, there are a few things that good customer service offers:
- A welcoming atmosphere
- Listening to the customer
- A friendly encounter
- Politeness
- Skilled work
5. Provide excellent work. This is the primary reason people hire you. They expect you and your team to provide excellent work. You can ensure this through good employee onboarding, ongoing training and certifications, regular janitorial inspections, and good communication regarding the work your client is asking for.
6. Treat your employees well. Happy employees create happy customers. There’s no shortcut or way around this very simple fact. Happy employees provide better work, better customer service, and they tend to be more loyal and stick with their employers. It’s truly a winning situation for everyone, from your customers to your employees to your janitorial business. What does that look like? While that may vary from business to business, the basics for satisfied employees are good wages and benefits, a safe work environment, trust between employers and employees, and kindness.
7. Good communication. So much of what’s already here depends on good communication. You need it to respond quickly to your customers, provide excellent customer service, and communicate with your team regarding any issues with inspections. The benefits of good communication cannot be overstated. One way to improve communication is to use janitorial software that offers customer and employee communication apps. It’s even more helpful if those apps have built-in translation, like Janitorial Manager’s JM Connect.
8. Engage with your community. Along with focusing on your employees and customers to build an excellent janitorial business reputation, you can also spend time with your community. Volunteer your services for a local non-profit organization, support your local community radio station, sponsor amateur sporting events in your area, or participate in fun runs or other community events.
When you take steps to ensure your business maintains a good reputation, you’re on your way to success.
Take advantage of the value Janitorial Manager can bring to your cleaning operation to streamline your processes like never before. Learn more today with a discovery call and find out how to make your cleaning operation more efficient and cost effective!