Starting a house cleaning business is a good business decision. However, it’s not just a matter of learning the best cleaning methods or how to charge your clients for cleaning services. While focusing on the growth of your business, you should also hire and train housekeeping staff. If you’re in need of professional assistance, consider exploring House Cleaning Services in Blockhouse Bay. Here are seven tips on housekeeper training.
1. Schedule a Strategic Team to Cover Basic Training
How you train your cleaning staff depends on the way you run your business, and how big and complex each job is. Sending a new employee along with your regular cleaners can provide valuable on-the-job experience.
The more members of your team you have, however, the more important it is that each new employee works with every seasoned employee. You want to make sure that every employee is familiar with the company’s culture and expectations, such as the uniforms they wear or the way they communicate with their clients. They should also be familiar with the specific duties of each cleaner.
The longer a maid is on the job, they will perform better. You can instill confidence into even the most inexperienced employee by providing a comprehensive and partnership-type of training process. By starting them off with the right resources, you can ensure that they will do a thorough job.
These are some general guidelines for training maids:
- Provide staff training on housekeeping procedures and how to steam clean carpets.
- Multiple methods can be used to achieve the desired result. Employees will use whatever method works best for their needs while still achieving consistent results.
- To learn about the cleaning business, pair each new employee with a maid who has experience.
- Give employees a uniform, or specify colors or dress codes to ensure uniformity.
- Practice customer introductions. Ask each employee to give a welcome, introduce themselves and discuss any legal or technological details before they start their job.
- Refer to the insurance policies and coverages for information on how to deal with property damage.
- Set parameters for the scheduling of employees and their responsibilities.
2. Focus on Soft Skills
Soft Skills includes personality traits and social awareness. These qualities can be difficult to teach, but you can encourage emotional intelligence and “people skills” among your staff.
Encourage your staff to develop personal relationships with clients rather than focus on metrics. It is not necessary to know the life story of every client. Being sensitive to the needs and expectations of your customers is a great way to ensure repeat business.
Soft skills include the following traits, areas and traits:
- Communication skills
- Think outside the box
- Work ethic
- Teamwork
- Networking
- Decision Making
- Positivity
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Flexibility
- Motivation
- Conflict resolution
Onboarding is less stressful if you hire employees who have positive personalities and can do attitudes.
3. Give Your Employees the Power to Upgrade Customer Service
Your employees should be confident to go above and beyond. Allowing your employees to offer “extras” to your customers, such as a free carpet deep cleaning or a 10% discount, will increase their ability to provide amazing service.
You should include in your cleaning business training program tactics to provide great customer service such as:
- Take notes about client preferences and pass them on to the team.
- Answering client questions.
- Responding to emails, phone calls and other correspondence as soon as possible.
- Allowing time gaps to reduce the likelihood of arriving late or having to leave early in order to make it to another task.
- Arriving at the worksite in uniform with all necessary equipment and tools (plus any backups if necessary).
4. Focus on Building Long-term Clientele (and Lucrative Relationships)
It’s easy to think that all you need to do is find clients, complete cleaning tasks, and process invoices in order for your professional cleaning business run smoothly. If you focus only on your current clients and jobs, it may be that you don’t see the growth you want.
You and your staff need more than cleaning supplies and equipment to build lasting relationships with clients. Software tools are needed to automate client billing and Billing. You also need to track employee Scheduling as well as maid training.
Encourage your team to use all marketing tools at their disposal, from email communication to Facebook or other social media pages. This can elevate the customer experience .
Make sure that all staff members are familiar with email creation and other tools. Train your staff to use any technical features, such as appointment reminders or satisfaction surveys.
You can ensure the longevity and success of your cleaning business and brand by incorporating these tools into your daily operations. Today, providing exceptional customer service is not enough. You need the tools you use and the passion you have for your business to grow.
5. Use Positive Reinforcement Training Tools
You should already have a team of motivated and qualified people to take care of your clients’ homes. If you are concerned about a new employee or the team as a whole, then it is worth investing in extra training.
You could, for example, use evaluation metrics to award bonuses, pay time off when employees meet specific goals or ask for customer reviews and reward the employee who receives high marks.
Another option to help grow your business is a secret shopper program. You can get detailed feedback from your clients by offering them a discount. Employees are more motivated to complete their tasks because they never know who will provide a review.
Negative reinforcement, such as demerits or a points system, can lower employee morale. Positive reinforcement can, on the other hand, encourage healthy competition between staff members, improve customer service, and boost employee morale.
You may be surprised by the results of your cleaning crew when you provide them with motivation and space to excel.
6. Prepare for Potential Damage
It is possible for any employee, especially new staff, to have an accident at a client’s house and cause damage or break property. Staff should be instructed on how to clean thoroughly but with care, but mistakes can happen.
It would be ideal if your business had insurance that covered your clients’ properties and the safety of your employees. Each time your cleaning staff visits a client, they should carry the necessary insurance details and contact information. The cleaning staff should be briefed on what to do in the event of such an incident.
You and your staff should have insurance coverage in case of an emergency. Make sure your staff knows how to use their coverage and how they can communicate this information to clients.
7. Be Flexible and Open-minded
It is rewarding and challenging to grow your cleaning company brand. The most important part of developing, training, and retaining cleaning personnel is to keep an open mind. Since no two employees will be the same, a little flexibility is essential for your business.
Maintaining your brand’s consistency and image is easier when you have policies and procedures, such as dress code requirements and uniforms. Allowing your maids some flexibility in the way they handle clients and carry out routine tasks encourages them remain productive and to take ownership of their job.
Focusing on your employees’ needs is the best way to grow your business. useful technical tools and the right attitude can help you grow your business far beyond your expectations. You will also be bringing along the brightest and best employees for the ride.