Many residential cleaning business owners want to expand into commercial cleaning without realizing how different it is from their core business. The mentality is that clean is clean, whether at home or in the office. This approach is why residential cleaning companies that expand into the commercial space can often turns into failure
Here Are The 10 Difference Between Commercial Cleaning And Residential Cleaning
Residential cleaning is done during the day, and most commercial cleaning is done at night, sometimes late at night or on weekends, so it is best to have two separate crews. This will require hiring additional cleaners, team leaders, and/or promoting existing staff to oversee commercial cleaning teams.
Hiring your commercial workers can be more challenging than hiring your residential cleaners, because people are more willing to work day shifts than late night or weekend jobs.
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Stuff Training
You will need to retrain your current cleaning staff if they will also be working among Commercial cleaning service Sydney staff. Because residential cleaning is much more detailed than commercial cleaning, your commercial team needs to clean faster, pay less attention to detail, and do more to complete the cleaning specifications required by your facility.
Privacy
Residential cleaning is done in the client’s personal space rather than their workspace. Since you are touching their personal items, they tend to be more sensitive and “picky” than commercial cleaning customers. They are usually pickier about the little details (e.g. how do you place pillows on sofas and beds, how do you hang or fold towels, how do you replace picked-up items with dust…). Commercial clients are more concerned with making sure you fulfil the cleaning specifications agreed upon in the contract. If you are looking for a large area rug that is soft, durable, and stain-resistant then Rug Source has a great selection of Oushak rugs to choose from.
Timing
When your residential customers are at home while you clean, they tend to pay attention to your every move. They expect you to arrive on time and may check the clock to see how long the cleaning will take. Business clients don’t look at the time to make sure you’re on time (even if they’re there when you arrive). However, they can leave “cheats” to ensure employees are thoroughly cleaned.
Communication
Residential cleaners have more customer interaction, so you want to hire someone who has good communication skills, is personable, and is neatly dressed. While these are qualities you want all employees to have, commercial cleaners typically clean at night, after the building occupants go home, so there is usually less interaction.
Cash Flow
You have to wait to get paid for commercial cleaning, so expect less cash flow. Residential cleaning companies are usually paid the same day they provide their services. Commercial cleaning Sydney companies usually contract with payment terms. This requires monthly invoicing to customers, resulting in longer payment wait times. That being said, many commercial cleaning companies are now billing ahead of time for cleaning services, rather than billing at the end of the month for that month’s service.
Cost
Prices and profit margins are different. In addition, the higher costs of chemicals, supplies, and equipment for commercial cleaning result in lower profit margins per customer. However, larger accounts may be easier to manage, and lower margins can be offset quantitatively.
Pricing
Residential and commercial productivity differs. Residential average productivity (how many square feet a person can clean per hour) is typically 700-1000 square feet, while commercial average productivity is 2,500 to 4,000 square feet or more per hour. Trade pricing will also take more time. Commercial clients typically require a bidding process, a tour of the building, and a completed agreement that includes cleaning specifications, payment terms and conditions, signatures, and a list of references.
Business Structure
Marketing is different because residential cleaning is business-to-consumer, while commercial cleaning is business-to-business. Also, there are far more potential residential opportunities than commercial businesses, so naturally, there will be more competition for accounts. commercial.
Business Name
You may need to change or change the name of your current residential business or create an entirely new business. Your business name should match the services you provide. You will find it difficult to attract new commercial cleaning customers with the name: Squeaky Clean Maid Services. Find a name that works for both residential and commercial customers.
Business Plan
If you decide to take on this new challenge and move on, start developing a business and marketing plan to determine how you will fund and manage your expansion. Research and try to predict all aspects of new business expansion, good and bad. This way you don’t go unprepared into uncharted territory, and you’re able to deal with glitches, problems, and roadblocks as they arise.
