If you were asked by your employer to clean your workplace, would you know what to do? Where to start? What to clean? How to clean it? What equipment and products to use?
It would be pretty difficult to know where to start right?
I mean, most of us know how to clean our own homes (not saying that we like to), but our workplace is completely different. There are usually more people going in and out, and usually more areas and different surfaces to clean. And yes, some people can just be really dirty.
And although it may seem odd that some companies have their employees clean their own workplace (which I might add, is usually unheard of in the commercial cleaning industry), it can and DOES happen.
In 2020, we had a prospective client contact us after they realised that having their staff do the cleaning was failing – they really needed some help on how to fix their problem.
But how did our client find a trustworthy commercial cleaning company that would be able to take over the job their staff had been doing for months?
Well, what better way to show you than delving deep into a case study that reveals how a cleaning company was able to educate their client and absolutely transform their workplace from dirty to pristine?
Within all our case studies, we keep the clients name and their actual location private, due to confidentiality reasons as they are an actual client of In-Tec! Our clients expect information to be kept confidential as it can go into sensitive matters such as cost.
I’m sure you would feel the same way and would prefer to keep all your details safe.
To help paint a picture of the process undertaken with this client from start to finish, the case study will cover off on the following (in two parts):
The problem and result –
- What problem the client was facing
- How the client came to a solution
- How the client felt about partnering up with In-Tec
Site specifics –
- The description of the site
- The labour allocated to the site
- The set-up costs for the site
- The monthly cost for the site
Although this case study is for anyone and everyone, it does cater to those of you who have a small site (300sqm or below). In the site specifics section of the study, we go into the diagnostics of the site which details information such as the areas we clean and how much their overall costs are. If you’re looking at finding details on pricing, then this will be the section for you!
And with that all said, let’s begin.
What problem was the client facing?
Unlike our other client case studies, this one’s a little different.
The problem our client faced wasn’t to do with their previous cleaning company, rather, themselves. We don’t often hear of employees having to clean their own workplace, but in this case, this is exactly what was happening.
When we initially visited the site, it was very, very, very dirty. If grease was able to be somewhere, then there was grease.
Although they had a cleaning company a long time ago, they had been relying on their own staff to do the cleaning. Unfortunately, this led to the site being filthy especially the carpet, stairs, and the lunchroom.
What about the bathrooms? Well, the urinals (that were supposed to be white) were dark yellow…. pretty yucky right? And let’s not talk about the smell!
In essence, having their employees clean the site was resulting in a dirty and unhygienic workplace.
How the client gave employees back their time
It was clear that believing their staff could clean the site was just not working.
So, how was the client able to come up with a solution to their problem?
The solution began when a new staff member was brought on, specifically, a warehouse manager. He was immediately appalled at the condition of the warehouse and how wrong the cleaning was – this is when the client decided to contact us in 2020.
One of the first things the client said to us was, “what do we do, you tell me what needs to be done.”
After consideration, we went to the client with a 1 and 2 time a week scope of works and pricing. We argued that the once-a-week clean will be pushing the dirt and grease around, not actually picking it up. Whereas the twice-a-week clean would give our cleaners a fighting chance to keep the grease and dirt at bay.
Could you argue the site needs to be cleaned more often? Yes, however as the site is part of a large multinational firm, the budget was small so we had to find a way around to get things done.
To ensure the client chose the best option for themselves, we did have to educate and inform them as to why cleaning frequency and cleaning methods are important. For instance, the workshop has a bench where the staff members take their i-pads back. We were told by the client that the bench only needs disinfecting, no cleaning whatsoever. To the client’s surprise, we were straightforward with our answer that it simply cannot be done this way.
Disinfecting any surface without cleaning first only moves the dirt around, it doesn’t capture it. Whereas, following the correct steps – cleaning and then disinfecting, will result in a surface that is clean and disinfected, not just looking clean.
The client reviewed our suggestions and agreed to have their site cleaned twice a week. They knew it was the best option to guarantee dirt and grease would be kept at bay.
Of course, due to the state of the site, the client agreed to an initial deep clean to bring the site standard back up to where it needed to be. This required 3 of our cleaners to attend the site for a couple of days and go to town in all the areas with Enviroplus and an electrostatic sprayer. They understood that this extensive clean needed to be done in order to bring the site back to a clean state.
You know those dark yellow urinals I mentioned earlier? Our team of cleaners were able to transform the urinals from yucky and yellow, to looking as though they were brand new!
So, how did the client feel about partnering up with In-Tec?
This partnership was one of those wonderful occurrences that happen every now and then, where you take a site that was absolutely putrid and completely transform it. The client was blown away at how we were able to remove all the grease off the floors and walls and clean the amenities.
Another thing the client likes is that our team of cleaners understand the importance of rules. As we have previously worked at the Brisbane airport, we are aware of the conditions that need to be followed. One of those being that we must leave rubbish in a certain spot without crossing the big red line at the end of the warehouse. Why? Because it is federal land and the minute your foot hits the ground it’s a $10,000 fine.
The client was also amazed at how our team was able to go to the next level. For instance, in the male locker rooms, they had items in there that just didn’t need to be like old desks, furniture, etc. Our team took initiative and moved all the items into the spare storage room so that their employees had the space to get changed.
In a nutshell, the client has been super impressed with In-Tec and has had no complaints since partnering up with us.
Here’s some more information on the site specifics
To paint a better picture for you, we thought it would be a good idea to include some facts about the client that may provide you with a little more insight into who the client is and their monthly cleaning cost.
Description of the site
The client is located on the border of Brisbane airport and services aircraft equipment. The majority of the site is a workshop with some office space and breakout areas for the workers. The site has:
- Main corridor
- Staircase
- 2 supervisor offices
- Bench (for the staff i-pads)
- 1 office upstairs
- Male and female toilets
- Hallway
- Open air lunchroom (on a big balcony)
Do you have a similar number of areas that need cleaning?
How much labour is allocated for this site?
In order to work out the monthly cost for this site, we need to consider the amount of labour allocated per week.
The site is cleaned 2 hours per clean for 2 days a week – the allocated labour per week totals 4 hours.
What did the client pay in equipment set-up costs?
Just as a tradesperson needs their toolkit to build a house, cleaners need their equipment to clean a workplace.
Equipment for the cleaners is included in a set-up cost for the site. Set up fees are an investment that In-Tec makes on their behalf that is built into the contract with the client. During the contract length, the client pays a percentage (not all) of the set-up cost.
The equipment used at this site includes:
- Stormpac battery vacuum and vacuum bags - $928.95
- Rubbermaid pulse mop - $159.50
- Rubbermaid disposable mop covers (red, blue, green) - $412.50
- Rubbermaid disposable microfibre cloths (red, blue, green) - $518.10
- White magic blocks (sponges) - $26.02
- 82L blue bin liners - $61.16
- 36L white bin liners - $45.47
- 3 1L bottles of Enviroplus cleaner - $117.91
As you can see, the total cost to set up the site with equipment for the cleaner came to $2,269.61 (inc GST).
Of course, the above items are the main things the cleaner needed for the site. However, there is a list of other items such as spray bottles and buckets that are not itemised - these are those things a cleaner needs to complete the tasks that may not cost a lot on their own but are needed.
How much does the client pay per month?
After all that information, you’re probably eager to find out how much the client pays per month.
The answer – $874.62 (inc GST) with In-Tec.
Essentially, the client increased their budget by 100% because if you can remember, before the client partnered up with In-Tec, they had their own staff clean the site. So, for quite a few months, they were not paying a monthly fee to a cleaning company.
Although they were not paying a cleaning company previously, they were relying on their staff to pick up the cleaning tasks. Even if this actually ended up being at the bare minimum, such as emptying the bins, or someone being assigned the vacuuming when required, it did result in an ineffective use of their employee's time. While it’s impossible for us to quantify the cost involved, it’s worth keeping in mind that the client has benefited financially from the improvement in employee productivity.
If you haven’t read our article on how much a cleaning service costs hourly, then we totally recommend having a read of it as it gets into all the factors that affect cost. If you want to know exactly what goes into commercial cleaning costs, then you’ll walk away with all the information you were looking for!
Let’s snapshot the main points
And there you have it. A case study that shows how one of our clients was able to understand their problem and find a reliable cleaning company to take over the job their staff had been doing for months. The employees can now focus on doing their jobs whilst working in a clean and hygienic workplace.
The case study also looked into some of the site’s specific details that relate closely to cost.
- The site is no longer cleaned by the company employees – In-Tec clean the site twice a week (total labour allocated per week is 4 hours)
- Their cleaning equipment set up fee is $2,269.61
- Their monthly cleaning cost is $874.62
If you’re considering hiring a commercial cleaning company for your workplace, and you think we may be the right fit for you, schedule a call with Paul or Caitlin. We’re happy to help.
If you think you might be ready to choose the right commercial cleaner for you, download a copy of our 10 questions to ask before hiring a commercial cleaning company eBook below.
