Quality Control

The CBM 10-Step Quality Control Program

Thorough training and inspections are important, but they are only a small part of running a top notch janitorial company and providing consistent quality cleaning year after year.  There are many critical ingredients involved in creating a well-functioning, effective quality control program. Following is a summary of the comprehensive Quality Control Program we implement at Colorado Building Maintenance to ensure the highest caliber of work.

1. Hiring & Screening:  When we interview people, we look for applicants who are highly motivated, who have the right attitude, and who have the necessary abilities we are looking for.  The person we hire for the job is screened thoroughly. We check references, and if requested by the client, also run a thorough background check. We look for employees who prefer to work evenings, who have a good work history demonstrating trustworthiness and reliability, and they must have good references from previous employers that confirm the traits we are looking for. Thorough screening is the first step to reducing turnover and finding people who will do top-quality work.
2. Thorough training:  It’s not enough to just show a new employee how to clean.  We try to thoroughly train our people by demonstrating our methods, by observing and correcting the new employee’s work, by requiring that they read our Training Manual & Employee Handbook, and by following up with supervision and reinforcement training when needed.
3. Supervision:  We supervise our new employees frequently to ensure that they understand what is required of them in terms of performance and quality. After they have proven to be reliable and trustworthy, we continue to inspect their work on a weekly basis; more often depending on the difficulty of the building and the performance of the employee.
4. Regular evaluations:  Feedback through regular evaluations is an important tool we use to let our employees know if their work performance and cleaning quality is meeting our standards.  It helps them understand where they need to improve, and clearly reinforces our expectations.
5. Regular Communication: No matter how hard we work to set up a quality cleaning program, without regular and effective communication with the customer, things will inevitably be overlooked. That’s why we set up as many avenues of communication as possible. Upon signing a cleaning contract, we negotiate several time-tested avenues of communication with the customer in order to maintain the highest level of visibility. Just a few avenues we suggest are: Communication Log Books, regularly scheduled visits from the job-site supervisor, scheduled and unscheduled inspections by the Contract Manager during work hours, and joint inspections of the facility on a monthly or quarterly basis. The more avenues of communication we can create, the better service we can give.
6. Positive Work Environment:  Showing respect, being supportive, and clearly communicating expectations is very important to a positive working atmosphere.  Most people do better work when they are treated with dignity, and are recognized for their hard work and the contribution they make.  We continually make efforts to keep communication lines open to our employees for their input. This helps employees feel safe to air reasonable grievances without fear of retaliation from supervisors or management.
7. Performance incentives:  We try to offer significant incentives to our employees in order to reduce turnover and make work more rewarding.  We pay a higher than average wage for janitorial work in this community, and regularly distribute performance bonuses to employees who meet or exceed standards. We offer opportunities for advancement to employees who are motivated and able to take on more responsibilities.
8. Detail Cleaning Crews: Janitorial employees can easily feel overwhelmed by the task of keeping a building clean. Especially if they are expected to do everything. That’s why we maintain detail cleaning crews to help out with those periodic cleaning needs—primarily the monthly and quarterly cleaning tasks. These detail cleaning crews are trained to specifically clean those hard-to-reach areas, like high and low vents, tops of shelves, hanging light fixtures, and other areas that tend to collect dust. This not only ensures that periodic tasks get completed on time, but helps increase the morale of the regular custodians.
9. Proper equipment and cleaning supplies:  Cleaning personnel cannot clean efficiently without the proper equipment, tools and cleaning products.  We want our employees to take pride in their work.  When they know that they have the best tools and products at their disposal, it encourages them to do better work.  We make a huge effort to keep our carts clean and tidy and the janitorial supply areas organized.  Cleaning tools are kept in good condition, and serviced regularly.
10. OSHA compliance and Safety:  We make sure that our cleaning products are properly labeled and that MSDS forms are kept at each site along with very specific building specifications. We educate our employees to understand the cleaning chemicals they use, and how to work safely and avoid illness and injury on the job.  To date, we have had no on-the-job injuries, and we plan to continue that trend into the future.