Preparing Your Cleaning Business for a Post Pandemic Economy
Over the next several weeks, the country’s businesses are expected to slowly open back up in three “phases.” What that means, exactly, is pretty general and varies from state to state, and in some areas, city to city. An article that regularly updates each state’s plan can be found here.
However, there is one common denominator in every state and in every phase. Cleaning. Businesses must work extra hard to keep their facilities clean and safe for both their customers and their employees. This is not just an occasional dusting either. They need to clean and sanitize regularly, especially high-touch or high-traffic areas.
As members of the professional cleaning industry, this is great news – if you respond. It’s time to get proactive. Here’s how:
Pay attention to your state’s updates.
Figure out which types of businesses are reopening when, and then develop a plan for reaching out to them about your services before the reopening deadline. Retail shops, restaurants, doctor’s offices, business offices, etc., are going to need to keep their facilities much cleaner than they did in the past, and in many cases, they are going to want to pass as much of that responsibility on to a professional rather than trying to do it all themselves. For exterior services, many will want to have the front entry areas cleaned and sanitized before they resume business. So reach out and be ready to roll when they respond.
Pivot your marketing message.
Historically our industry has been marketed as “cleaning,” but now it’s time to focus on cleaning and sanitizing. While many soft washing companies used to try to avoid disclosing that they were using sodium hypochlorite, bleach has suddenly become your customers’ best friend – and a top choice for sanitizing against COVID-19. If you are window cleaning, adding just a few drops of Clean and Shine to your bucket now lets you clean and sanitize the glass. (Remember, COVID-19 has been shown to live on glass for up to four days. Be sure to let your customers know that!) Clean and Shine can also be used as an alternative to bleach for pressure washing, and in interior fogger systems.