Back to blog 11/15/2021

Know What It’s Like to Work with a New Janitorial Partner Dedicated to a Smooth Transition

Contributed by Mark Gilbreth, Regional Sales Executive

Any business seeking a new janitorial service provider is likely to base its final decision on the company’s ability to deliver exceptional standards of service. In order to achieve such high expectations from a new customer, janitorial service providers must not only prioritize building a successful core team for on-ground operations, but also work with a dedicated transition team to ensure the customer has a seamless experience. Subsequently, specialized attention on the transition phase should be included in the assessment criteria by potential customers, as it can directly impact the continuity of their core business operations.

An outsourced janitorial service provider, with the competence to fully manage contract transition without causing havoc for the customer, is highly likely to have advanced capabilities of ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the contract period. However, transition management as a key assessment criteria should have no ambiguity with vague benchmarks. It should in fact be set as a clear and measurable standard to evaluate the potential janitorial service provider’s work ethic and best practices.

The most effective component of smooth and successful service transition is the time allocated by the service provider prior to start-of-service date to ensure that all transition expectations and phases are clearly communicated to the customer. In order to allow its dedicated transition team to completely grasp crucial customer requirements and operational practices, a janitorial service provider should ideally allocate at least 30 days for the transition phase. As a result, the new customer will receive desired service standards with the implementation of the most adequate and effective performance model right from the first day of start-of-service. It is also important to consider working with a janitorial partner that allows its service transition plan to seamlessly proceed through the first three months of actual contract performance to provide the customer with an effective Transformation phase.

Diversified Maintenance implements an innovative approach for the start-up of a new janitorial and facilities maintenance program. The comprehensive strategy is based on a transition phase that spans over four milestones, each of which is considered complete after several important steps are performed by the relevant personnel. For instance, the Start-Up Orientation is the first milestone that comprises of reviewing the new customer account, understanding its specifications, analyzing the organizational layout, and determining the logistics for a plan of action. Similarly, the final milestone for Transition Service Review commences 1 week prior to start of service and includes a detailed review of equipment, supplies, training completion, ID badges, building control logs, among others. To learn more about the impact of working with a dedicated business deployment team for a seamless new service transition, send me a note at: Mark Gilbreth mgilbreth@diversifiedm.com.