5 ways to maximise value from the cleaners of your medical practice

As a practice manager, finding good cleaners can be an onerous task and as the industry has a low barrier of entry and is extremely price competitive it can be a daunting prospect.

The old saying; “pay peanuts and you get monkeys” probably had its origins in the cleaning industry, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are 5 tips to ensure you get maximum value from your cleaning dollar in 2017:

1. If you are looking for a new cleaner make sure you ask for references. After 11 years in the industry I still find it amazing how few times practice managers will ask for references from potential cleaning companies. This one step can save you a lot of time and grief.
2. Ensure you have a comprehensive Scope of Works of what you want done AND how frequently. Be specific. “As required” means “never”.  If there is no clear specification of what tasks are to be done on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, the cleaners will default to emptying bins and a bit of vacuuming, and before long your waiting room will be covered in dust.
3. Follow up. Once you have agreed what each cleaner has to do, make sure you follow up that it’s actually getting done. This can be as simple as each cleaner being requiring to complete a check list after each shift. It is then a simple task to see if what is being ticked off is actually getting done.  A professional company will normally have an Area Manager who should do a cleaning audit for your practice on a fortnightly basis.
4. Check the hourly rate you are paying. Under the Modern Award 000022, the current rate for cleaners finishing after 6pm is $27.57. Once you add superannuation and WorkCover and chemicals and materials, the hourly rate should be between $35-$37 dollars.
5. Check times religiously. The most common way for a cleaning company to increase profit is to cut hours. E.g. A Company may tell you they will charge you for 10 hours work per day.They will then start the contract at 10 hours for the first week and then slowly wind it back to 6-7 hours over the next 4 weeks. By week 4 you are paying $50 per hour.

In Conclusion we’ve given you five tips on ensuring you get maximum value from your cleaning dollar. We leave you with this piece of food for thought:

“A reputable company will have no problems being kept accountable for their hours.” 

If you would like to receive a no obligation quote for your cleaning services please contact us on 1300 763 356.