What Makes a Good Customer?

When you are looking for a cleaning company, you search for who is going to give you the best service for your value. Quality and Value. Well, did you know there are things that make a good customer, too?

What it boils down to is if you have a good cleaner, you’ll be a good customer. No reason to complain, right? There are things that you and your office can do to make that cleaner’s job a little easier, too. Here are some tips to being a great CUSTOMER:

Have Good Communication with Your Cleaner

This means having a relationship with your cleaner or cleaning crew that you can talk to them about potential issues. With the hours cleaners tend to come in (at nights and on weekends), that is sometimes difficult. The use of a log book fixes this dilemma. The customer leaves a note for the cleaner to take extra care in the conference room for an upcoming meeting, for example. The cleaner comes in, immediately goes to the log book and sees the special instructions. Bam! They know what to focus on.

Be Informed of Your Cleaning Schedule

Knowing what is to be done can minimize uncertainty when it comes to your cleaning schedule. As long as everyone knows what processes are to be done at what times, there should be no room for inconsistencies. So know your schedule; it will help you know what to expect and what to look for if things aren’t going as planned.

Have Legitimate Complaints

Again, the log book is a terrific way track complaints and knowing your schedule will legitimize your complaints. If the trash is to be taken out everyday and it’s not, then that is a legitimate complaint. If a customer calls because a specific item has been overlooked that is not on the work schedule or in the log book for the cleaner to know, that might not be as easy to reconcile.

Make it Easier on Your Cleaner by Cleaning Throughout the Day

The cleaning company is there to maintain a clean office. Of course there are specialty cleans for post construction or initial cleans to bring the facility up to standard, but those are just that: specialty. Cleaning up basic messes yourself throughout the day will maintain a cleaner facility so when your cleaners come in, they can concentrate on the details to truly make a healthier facility.

Payment

People who pay their bills and on time are always appreciated in any service field.

Fun to Work With

People who treat their cleaners with respect. Common courtesy is greatly appreciated and builds a valuable relationship with your cleaner. A cleaner who has a good relationship with your company will go that extra mile to make sure everything is in tip top shape. Does that saying go “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”? Being a fun person who is helpful will really build a great respect for you and your company.

There are lots of ways to be a good customer for your cleaning company. Starting with a smile is step number one.

VCT Flooring No Match for Stratus Green Miracle Pad

To see Connor describe Stratus in his own words, visit his testimonial on StratusTube at http://bit.ly/YouTubeVCT.

Connor Crimmen is somewhat a veteran to the distribution business. Corr Distributers Inc. has been around since 1925, with him working in the shop since the young age of 13 or 14. Throughout that time, Connor had the opportunity to learn the processes, the chemicals and the equipment to the commercial cleaning industry. He learned this by working various jobs around the company like working in the warehouse, driving the trucks and working the counter helping customer and providing customer service.

Needless to say, he’s very familiar with the processes, procedures and equipment of a professional cleaner. With a man of that experience to call the Stratus Green Miracle Pad a “game-changer” was pretty dynamic.
Connor discusses his first experience with the Stratus Green Miracle Pad on a warehouse floor, where grease and dirt is constantly being tracked in. He reported when they used the Stratus Green Miracle Pad on the floor, he could literally see the dirt and grime in the traffic lanes coming up.

One thing that amazed him was the process was green from start to finish. The chemicals are green and the Pad is green, which means there was no health risk for anyone involved. That includes the person doing to work or the employees in the facility after the work is complete. Everyone is safe from toxic fumes and chemicals. Overall he said the process “uses less equipment, is easy and not a dangerous process.”

We know how great our products are and it’s nice that an expert in the industry recognizes that, as well. For more information on how to purchase your own Stratus Green Miracle Pad for floor machines or the handheld version called the Doodle Bug, just call 877-731-2020.

Indoor Air Quality - What is it?

What is Indoor Air Quality?  How does it affect my daily environment?  Can I control Indoor Air Quality?  These are questions you DO need to ask yourself. 

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of air within and around buildings and structures and how it relates to the wellness and comfort of the facility’s occupant.  All sorts of things affect the IAQ: biological contaminants, environmental agents, gases, particles, indoor air pollution, the list goes on. 

The first installment of this two part series will identify what exactly IAQ is and what affects it and the second part will explain what you can do about it.  Knowledge is key.  First, here are some definitions from the EPA.gov website that will break down exactly what we’re dealing with here:

AIR EXCHANGE RATE: The rate at which outside air replaces indoor air in a space.

BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS: Agents derived from, or that are, living organisms (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi, and mammal and bird antigens) that can be inhaled and can cause many types of health effects including allergic reactions, respiratory disorders, hypersensitivity diseases, and infectious diseases.

BUILDING-RELATED ILLNESS (BRI): Diagnosable illness whose symptoms can be identified and whose cause can be directly attributed to airborne building pollutants (e.g., Legionnaire's disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis).

ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS: Conditions other than indoor air contaminants that cause stress, comfort, and/or health problems (e.g., humidity extremes, drafts, lack of air circulation, noise, and over-crowding).

INDOOR AIR POLLUTANT: Particles and dust, fibers, mists, bioaerosols, and gases or vapors.

OUTDOOR AIR SUPPLY: Air brought into a building from the outdoors (often through the ventilation system) that has not been previously circulated through the system.  

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: Regular and systematic inspection, cleaning and replacement of worn parts, material and systems to prevent failure by ensure everything is in good working order.

SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS): Term that refers to a set of symptoms that affect some number of building occupants during the time they spend in the building and diminish or go away during periods when they leave the building.

All of these things affect the quality of the air you are breathing every day.  While sitting in an enclosed space (like a professional office or classroom), that space becomes a major part of your environment.  Just  like all the pollen and dust blowing around outside, even more deceptive things are going on inside.  That's because most of the things floating through the air of your facility are not visible to the eye – or even the nose! 

Biological contaminants are the things we normally associate with poor indoor air quality, but environmental agents play a large factor, as well.  Hot areas and cold areas, stale air and even external stimulation from overcrowding negatively affect the comfort and health of one’s internal environment. 

Visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Area’s website by clicking here for more information on IAQ. Up next, what YOU can do to improve your Indoor Air Quality.

Professionally Clean is Easy - WE Do It!

Gummy trash can liners.  Cleaning the Ladies Room trash receptacle.  Wiping out the fridge.  Wiping out the TOILET.  There are many reasons to hire a professional cleaning company, and these are just a few of them.

Anyone with a pair of rubber gloves and a mop can make your bathroom (or dare I say KITCHEN) look clean, but what is really growing beneath the visible surface?  Have you ever measured just how dirty it might be?  A professional cleaning company can. 

Technology is a big part of cleaning these days.  It’s a lot more than some glass and all purpose cleaner, a roll of paper towels and a bucket.  Now, using a special machine called an ATP Meter, we can actually put a number to how clean (or dirty) and surface is and measure the level of cleanliness.  Is the computer keyboard really as dirty as the ground by the toilet?  What if it was dirtier…

The technology doesn’t stop there.  You’ve seen a feather duster, right?  Long handle, secured feathers… sounds about right.  To use, you simply brush the dust off the surface.  Here is where a professional cleaning company does things a little differently.  Instead of removing the dirt from the surface, a professional company removes it from the facility.  Sure you would catch most of it by vacuuming, but mostly done is not professionally done.  To accomplish this, a color-coded set of microfiber towels not only remove the dirt but also prevent cross-contamination. 

Click here to find out other ways a professional cleaning company can benefit your facility.  You never know what kinds of ways you will improve the look and feel of your facility.

Dirty jobs are a part of life.  Let us take over that part.  Let us guarantee you a solid clean.    

Stratus Office Cleaning

Stratus Janitorial Services provides a customized cleaning program to meet the specific cleaning needs of your business or facility.

Professionalism, Quality and reliability
Commercial cleaning
Window washing (interior & exterior)
Post Construction site clearing & cleaning
Pre-occupancy / foreclosure site clearing & cleaning
Day porter services
Power washing
Metal & stone polishing
Painting and light construction
Parking lot striping
Security services
Multi-unit Discount
Free Estimates
SYSTEMS
Microfiber cloths
High filtration (HEPA) vacuums
Entrance matting
Recycled trash liners, toilet paper and paper towels
PRODUCTS
No petroleum distillates
No heavy metals
No ammonia
No chlorine bleach
No phosphates
No nonylphenol surfactants
Our environmentally responsible services, systems and products will leave your facility:
Healthier
Improved air quality
Immaculately clean
So you can breath easier
For information, call Stratus Building Solutions at:
Office: 314-731-2000
Toll Free: 877-731-2020