If you’ve decided to hire cleaners in Birmingham, it’s vital that you know what to look for. You need to pick a company that’s not only professional and efficient but is also cost-effective and trustworthy. It’s pretty standard for cleaners to visit when you’re not at home, for example, so you need to know you can rely on them.
But what does this mean for actually choosing a cleaning service? Well, in this article, we’ll cover what to look for when choosing the best cleaning service in Birmingham.
Choosing the Best Cleaning Service in Birmingham
1. Start by Searching Online
The most obvious starting point is Google. Either go for something general like “cleaning service in Birmingham” or something a bit more specific, such as your local area. Either way, you should be presented with a list of local cleaning companies.
Google Maps gives you a good option for visualising these companies, although their location doesn’t matter as long as they cover your area. Other options include Yell, but you’ll likely find more customer reviews on Google.
2. Decide What Services You Need
Once you’ve got an idea of the local offerings, you need to decide what you actually want from a cleaning service. The obvious points are things like hoovering, dusting, and so on, but you should also figure out if you need anything more specialist.
For example, do you want carpet cleaning, deep cleaning, decluttering, or anything else that might not fall under regular domestic cleaning? Thinking about this will hopefully help you narrow down your options.
3. Check Websites and Customer Reviews
Next, visit a couple of cleaning company websites to see what services they offer and what areas they cover. It’s likely that they’ll have customer reviews on their sites, too, but take these with a pinch of salt.
Instead, check what reviews are like on Google or social media sites like Facebook. These are less likely to be biased, as they’re posted by customers and don’t have to be moderated by the company being reviewed.
A company with loads of 5-star reviews looks great, but these don’t tell you all you need to know. Generally, people will give 1- and 5-star reviews with very little in between. But the 2- and 3-star reviews are where the important information lies. These are often more detailed and will give useful pros and cons. So, spend some time reading as many reviews as possible.
4. Arrange a Test Visit
A decent cleaning company will offer a test visit or in-person consultation before they sign you up to regular cleaning services. This is important because it lets you get a feel for their processes, work speed, and quality.
Hopefully, by this point, you should have a couple of potential companies in mind. Contact them, see about getting a quote, and then try arranging a test visit. A professional cleaning company will give you a price upfront based on the number of hours your job will take, and it should then stick to this during the test visit.
5. Check their Insurance
It can be easy to forget about checking things like insurance, but it’s a must. After all, you’re letting this company into your home, potentially unattended. You’ll want to ensure they have public liability insurance that covers things like breakages, theft, and accidents.
Also, while not as necessary, it can help to look for accreditations and membership in national bodies. These might include the British Institute of Cleaning Science and the National Carpet Cleaners Association.
While these might not mean loads to you as a customer, they signal that a company is professional and works to established industry standards. This can tell you a lot about the service you can expect.
6. Try the Customer Service
At some point, you’ll have to deal with the company’s customer service. This might be during your initial consultation, or it might be when setting up your contract. Either way, you’ll want to take note of the conversation you have.
For example, ask questions, see how they’re answered, and how the agent speaks to you. This can tell you about their level of training – both from a customer service perspective and their industry knowledge.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best cleaning service in Birmingham can be a bit overwhelming when you realise how many options there are. However, these tips should make the process a bit smoother and should help you narrow down your choices to a few good picks.