Bundles – the way forward for efficient and effective management of all your cleaning services.

One of our Leeds Hotel clients asked us to clean and power wash the bin store area of their hotel. The manager had been on a routine tour of inspection and was, to say the least, not pleased by what he found! Everybody was using the area but nobody was taking ownership. By chance, we were due to jet clean a different area on site later that week and by tying the 2 jobs together, thereby avoiding an additional visit, we were able to move the equipment around and complete the work very cost-effectively.

That started us thinking. We already provided a number of services for this client and there had to be a way of managing the projects more efficiently and therefore more cost-effectively. We looked at ‘Bundling’ services together and found a process that, by working together, had benefits for both our clients and us.

We looked in detail at the cleaning services and frequency of provision at this 90 bedroom hotel:

• External windows cleaned bi-monthly.
• Internal windows in 30 bedrooms cleaned every 3 months dependent on occupancy levels.
• Carpets in corridors, public and function rooms cleaned as necessary and on-demand when management noticed a problem.
• Carpets in bedrooms cleaned following guest spillages, so that gradual deterioration went unnoticed.
• Sporadic and unplanned cleaning of soft furnishings in the bars and restaurants.
• Gutters were clogging up and blocking as a result of everyone overlooking the need to inspect and clean.

Whilst some services were arranged on a regular basis, the unplanned call out cleaning was proving time-consuming, wasteful and potentially costly!

We approached the client with our idea for a Bundle of cleaning services based on an annual rotation. We discussed the detail and the timing of all services:

We also agreed on some additions to the work we had been providing which would ensure that cleaning in preparation for busy times of the year would be included.

For example:

• Public areas thoroughly cleaned in November before the onset of the busy Christmas period.
• Cleaning the gutters in October after the trees had finished shedding leaves – this would ensure a full year without the need for further maintenance.

We priced all the additional work and then set out all the services in an annual cleaning Bundle which was approved. Because we now have a rolling twelve-month contract, both our clients and ourselves benefit greatly:

Clients:

Scheduling:

• A rolling programme of cleaning services at a glance.
• Cleaning will be carried out according to the agreement.
• Peace of mind that we arrive to clean as scheduled.
• We e-mail in advance all concerned in the various departments, copy to the manager, when we are due with actual times and dates and check that it’s all convenient.

Flexibility:

• With built in flexibility we are able to respond quicker if required and either increase the cleaning schedule or extend it as needed.
• Services can be adjusted around ‘special Events’ too

Cost Control:

• Improved budgeting with no large invoices arriving at irregular intervals and no need to check invoices.
• Potential to SAVE costs due to avoiding unplanned call outs.

Phoenix

• We are able to schedule our workforce efficiently.
• We invoice the total annual amount in equal monthly payments rather than when the work is completed.
• Less admin time for us and better planning all around.

Bundles are a really good illustration of working in partnership with our clients, developing closer relations to give a better more focused service tailored to YOUR needs. Bundling is the way forward and works for other sectors and businesses.

For instance, Schools want services carried out during closedown periods. By using the same formula we design a comprehensive plan tailored to their specific needs. Car dealerships again have different needs, such as registration dates and new model launches, that we can work around to tailor a specialist service.