Some commercial cleaning certifications pay off in multiples. What about CIMS certification?
If you’re thinking about certifications for your commercial cleaning business, whether that’s CIMS certification, LEED certification, or any other, you want to know you’re making the right move. You want a certification that will improve your business and help your team grow.
There are a lot of certifications out there. Some are more useful than others. And it can be confusing to look through the online brochures and sales pitches to determine the best choice for your business.
Real quick, though, let’s talk about whether or not you need any certifications. In many cases, no, you likely don’t need certifications of any kind. Your state or local laws may require a business license or other paperwork, but in general, you can hang a sign on your door and open your cleaning business.
This is precisely why you want to pursue certifications. You’re in competition with anyone who decides they want to open a commercial cleaning business. For example, in San Francisco, there are 24 pages of commercial cleaners listed on Yelp. It’s the same in Dallas. Portland, Maine has seven pages, and Madison, Wisconsin has 11 pages of listings.
Unless you want to get lost in the crowd, a high-quality certification, like CIMS certification, is a smart move.
Increase the efficiency of your team, reduce your costs, and improve results. With Janitorial Manager, all this and more isn’t just a dream; it’s your new reality. Learn more today with a free discovery call!
CIMS certification: What it is and how it can help you
CIMS certification stands for Cleaning Industry Management Standard certification. There’s also a CIMS-GB for green building standards that qualify for LEED credits.
CIMS certification is a program of ISSA, and there are multiple programs and ways to achieve certification. The goals for these programs are based on “quality, efficiency and overall customer satisfaction.”
That’s all good, but how can it help you in your daily operations? The standards adopted for these programs are “consensus-based,” and include frameworks and templates for commercial cleaners to ensure customer satisfaction, thorough cleaning and disinfecting, a focus on health and safety, and improvements in overall performance.
CIMS certification requires specific documentation, strict inspection protocols, and testing the effectiveness of cleaning practices.
What about GBAC STAR Service Accreditation?
Another certification that can help you more than ever, given how much we know now about the spread of viruses, is the GBAC STAR Service Accreditation. This is a program of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, an organization comprised of experts in the fields of public health, microbiology, biosafety and biosecurity, infectious disease response, and similar areas.
This accreditation is explicitly focused on infectious disease outbreaks. The program includes intensive cleaning protocols, learning how to limit the impact of epidemics, instructions on the proper use of PPE, disinfectants, equipment, and in-depth studies of the life cycles of viruses and bacteria.
However, this training isn’t just about Covid. We’ve had other major virus outbreaks, such as H1N1 (the swine flu) in 2009, a measles outbreak in 2019, and, of course, the yearly flu.
GBAC STAR Service Accreditation is also helpful in cases of hoarding, crime scenes, and other similar situations. And if you’re interested in bidding on commercial cleaning work at medical offices and facilities, this kind of training and certification could help you stand out.
How to put your certifications to work
Whether you pursue CIMS certification, GBAC STAR Service Accreditation, or some other certification, the final step is getting them to work for you. Your clients and future clients probably won’t know what these certifications mean, nor will they know you have them unless you broadcast it. So here are some ideas for getting some marketing mileage out of your efforts.
Make any certificates or logos easily visible on your website, social media headers, and prominent on your proposals and even your invoices. Take the next step, too. Add a short sentence or two about what these certifications mean.
You could expand on this on your website by providing a page about what the certification entails. Again, you don’t have to get too in-depth. Even a few bullet points will do the trick. For example, if you have your CIMS certification, you could list these points underneath it:
- Consensus-based protocols for the highest levels of cleaning and disinfecting
- Industry-leading standards for health and safety
- Goes beyond looking or smelling “clean” and provides a verifiable reduction in viruses, bacteria, germs, and other microscopic contaminants.
There’s little question that the commercial cleaning industry is a growing and competitive market. But when you take the extra steps to provide excellent, professional service, your business will stand out.
As a bonus, CIMS certification also benefits your business outside of cleaning and marketing. Your business can run more efficiently and with higher quality output. That’s something every business can agree is helpful!
Harness the advantages of Janitorial Manager to enhance your overall service and customer support. Learn more today with a free discovery call and find out how to make your cleaning operation more efficient and more profitable!