There are many moving parts to a cleaning business. All need to work seamlessly together to provide for a pleasant customer experience. Some of these moving parts are minor while others are major.
To draw a comparison, think of your car. A flat tire can bring it to a stop just like a failing transmission can. One is an easy fix while the other will set you back some serious cash and inconvenience.
In the cleaning business the flat tire would be the equivalent of having a vacuum cleaner break while on the job. It will set you back a few minutes (and a few bucks) but nothing more. Keeping a spare (just like the tire in your trunk) keeps this inconvenience from becoming a big deal.
The transmission of your cleaning business is your staff.
Your employees provides the forward momentum (or backward slide) of your company. When you hire correctly your staff can make you look really good. They provide the right mix of performance and personality. This results in your company running smoothly, as if it’s on autopilot.
When you don’t screen and hire the best candidates is when you run into problems. This results in poor performance and poor attitudes (and everything in between).
This is also an expensive proposition.
From the cost it takes to run help wanted ads to the time associated with training new hires. This does not even begin to address the cost of losing your cleaning accounts due to staff related issues.
Take your time during the hiring process and get it right the first time. Some suggestions include:
- Having a job description in place.
- Writing an effective help wanted ad.
- Tracking the effectiveness of the help wanted ad.
- Eliminating some candidates over the phone.
- Spending the time to effectively interview in person.
- Check out their references.
- Performing background checks.
- Training the recruit.
I know it sure seems like a lot to worry about. But trust me, not taking your time and rushing through this process will give you much more to worry about! So go nice and slow and get the right person.