Back to blog
Contributed by: Admin 2

The Right Facilities Maintenance Partner for the Right Approach Against the Coronavirus Outbreak Threat

by Robert Stern, National Sales Executive

The decision to recognize facilities maintenance service providers as an essential business is based on their efforts to help counter the spread of coronavirus. Selecting a facilities maintenance company has always been a crucial business decision, because partnering with an ineffective or inept service provider would not only cost you money but will also impact your operational efficiency, resulting in a waste of time and effort. In the current pandemic crisis, however, facilities maintenance companies are expected to respond with a comprehensive maintenance plan and meet wider demands than ever before. As a result, your decision of selecting the right facilities maintenance partner has also become more imperative than ever before. It is therefore important to work with a partner that has capability to tackle the coronavirus threat by:

  • Helping you prevent the outbreak at your facility, and
  • Helping you control the problem in case an infection is identified or reported by your staff

This commitment to prevention and containment of the coronavirus spread at customer facility is demonstrated only by those facilities maintenance companies that work with a deep sense of responsibility towards efficient and effective cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting of each space and surface, as well as towards the health and safety of the employees and visitors at the facility. Your selected facilities maintenance partner should have the following strengths and strategies to help your business be better prepared to mitigate the risk of coronavirus exposure and spread at your facility:

Equipment and Resources – Amid the coronavirus pandemic, facilities maintenance companies with limited resources are unable to meet the demands of extensive cleaning routines adequately. These small scale companies often operate locally, whereas those with wide-reaching and national footprint are better equipped with required tools, products, and of course human resources to overhaul their deep cleaning schedules and shifts for each customer.

Number of Employees and Quality Assurance – Along with other social distancing measures, it is important for facilities maintenance companies to ensure each cleaning shift is managed by a smaller team to minimize the physical proximity and unnecessary contact between their staff. However, thorough training, accountability, and quality assurance practices, there must be continued transparently to ensure that increased workload is managed in the safest and most effective way possible.

Financial Stability – Despite their continued operations during the shutdown, a large number of essential services are facing the challenge of reduced cash flows, resulting in disrupted operations or business closures. When selecting a new facilities maintenance partner, it is crucial to work with a company with proven expertise, longstanding experience and financial stability to withstand the economic impact of the coronavirus challenge while ensuring consistent, reliable, and ongoing service at all customer sites.

Vendor Partnerships – It is important that your cleaning company has a good partnership with their chemical and supplies provider to ensure that your facility has access to the required products. A reliable partner is one that focuses on selecting trustworthy vendors with quality products and disinfectants, particularly emphasizing on the use of approved chemicals with coronavirus claim.

Diversified Maintenance is CIMS-GB Certified company that has developed protocols for deep cleaning and disinfecting high-risk touch points, using effective products and chemicals, and has implemented training for all frontline managers and staff to ensure compliance with social distancing and safety guidelines without fail. To learn more about the new and effective cleaning and maintenance practices to help fight the coronavirus spread at your facility, get in touch with me at Robert Stern –  mrstern@diversifiedM.com.