Expense Reduction Analyst (ERA) cost mangement consultant, Pam Walker, finds perception is everything for this overhead. "The key to a good cleaning service is for everything to be cleaned properly and left as it was found. Basically if the job is done well then noone notices anything.
"It's very satisfying to provide a client with a cost reduction solution that not only saves money - as much as 35% - but also makes their life easier by freeing them up to focus on their job while at the same time saving their company money," added Pam.
Pam comments, "I find that when companies want to review their cleaning contract, it can create a divide between management and staff. Management are looking for the best price to cover the services needed while staff prefer a status quo because they're comfortable with the cleaner."
So in order to achieve successful recommendations for this overhead, ERA reviews the situation by talking to staff at every location or department in order to get their input, acknowledge concerns and explain the difficulties and costs associated with multiple suppliers.
In most instances there are no specifications listed so these need to be prepared, tailored and agreed upon by the staff at each site - from such considerations as frequency and times to specific specialty tasks and contact details for a key staff member.
Once ERA has a full picture of the requirements, a brief is put out to the market and a supplier chosen. The most effective implementation has been for management to take the cleaners chosen around each site to introduce them to the staff.
"We maintain contact with the new cleaners for the first couple of months, review the evaluation reports and check with staff to gauge that service levels have remained consistent and staff are happy. If there are any issues we are involved in the discussions straight away in order to avoid them compounding.
"While on a positive note, if further services are required or there's changes that need to be considered then we review the brief and again monitor the service levels," concluded Pam.
Expense Reduction Analysts - Working in partnership with our clients to maximise profits.
