Janitorial Services And COVID-19

More than a year and a half ago, when the pandemic hit the world, there were many changes taking place. To keep everyone safe, most companies began implementing work from home mandates and had their staff get as much as possible, remotely. The changes meant companies and offices, or at least their physical spaces were shut for a long time. Several months later, they started opening up, with new rules and restrictions that everyone had to follow.

One of the most significant changes was that offices were opening, and they needed to start getting cleaned up again after being shut for as long as they were. Additionally, most of them, especially with public lobbies and waiting rooms, had to make sure that they cleaned and sanitized the place after seeing clients. There were other rules they had to follow to make sure they were getting through the process and were allowed to function through the pandemic.

We were adapting to the changes throughout the process, which was the only choice we had if we wanted to keep functioning as a business. COVID heightened the need for and increased the standards expected of janitorial services by clients. We’ve had to develop policies and procedures to ensure the safety of frontline cleaning staff while delivering high-level service that conforms to the increased sensitivity to health and cleanliness.

There was a point in time where we were not getting as much work as we did in the past, but that seems to have turned around. Overall, there were no disruptions, but we increased the demands on workers and brought about the need for new equipment and chemicals to meet new challenges. Overall, as a job, we had to make a few changes and began improving the way we were communicating with one another. We now worked with more frequent communication and assurances to clients regarding the quality and depth of janitorial services performed.

Unfortunately, while most companies were working remotely, janitorial work had to be done in person. Although I coordinated all my meetings over the phone, the teams had to work on a convenient time to go to the office or commercial establishment to get it cleaned up. Depending on the nature of the work they needed, we created a plan that would make sense to that client.

When it comes to going to the office, the administrative staff take the usual COVID precautions. We ensure the office does not get much foot traffic; our business involves employees working in the field, not visiting HQ. However, we were getting a lot done through the office, which helped us get through processes. Additionally, we would thoroughly clean and wipe all touchpoints while employing electrostatic sprayers regularly. We made sure that the people we were working with were safe through the entire process.

We had a lot of pending work and were working on making sure we could complete as much of it as possible. We changed the hours we were putting in because, with more hours, we were meeting greater demands on janitorial work, responding to concerns from clients, supervising electrostatic work. It was never challenging for our clients to get their hands on us.

When it came to some of the processes we followed in the past, if they were working for us, we thought that it would be best to use the same ones and not change them unnecessarily. We use some of the same ones like email because we do not need secure servers in this line of work. Otherwise, we use our phones, Whatsapp, and regular text messages to get through to people.

When it comes to the clients we work with, we are open to making changes and working with them to get through processes. We like meeting our clients in person if they are okay with it. However, we try to dissuade them from an in-person meeting if there is no need for one. We have clients who prefer virtually connecting with us, and we use Google Meet and other software to speak to them. Overall, we rarely require virtual meetings in this business. We look to participate in virtual public events and Business Expos.

If you need a commercial cleaning and maintenance company in Mississauga, Ontario, connect with us at Bestway Janitorial Services. We ensure customer satisfaction through three verticals, first-rate service quality, cost efficiency, and responsive communication. We have worked with various clients, and we assist them through processes and understand their requirements before we begin making any changes. If you want a better understanding of the services that we provide, please click here. If you are looking to get in touch with us or have a need that we can assist with, please click here.