No Contracts: We Want to Earn Client Business, Not Bind Them to It
Written by: Tristin Burell, founder and President of BLUECOOPER, LLC.
For the first few years we were in business, we had clients sign a contract… but only because it was what the client was used to doing, and because it seemed an appropriate last official step before we got the keys to their building to take over janitorial cleaning services. Did I ever have any intentions of binding anyone to the terms of the contract? Not at all. Did I ever have to even consider it? Very thankfully, no. That is because, fortunately, none of these “contracted” clients ever wanted out of their “contract” with BLUECOOPER.
After some time in the industry, and going on appointment after appointment with facility managers who wanted to switch from their current cleaning provider to BLUECOOPER but only “after we give our current cleaning crew their 30 days’ notice because we are under contract with them” I realized this:
The whole contract thing is so ridiculous that I will not have any part of it.
Let me set the scene: you are unhappy with your cleaning company—(I can almost guarantee for one or more of the following reasons):
- a) it seems they do not actually adhere to their promised dusting schedule
- b) they have grown super complacent and you have to regularly request things that should come naturally with a paid professional cleaning service
- c) you have constant turnover of cleaning crew members and therefore issues with consistency and even worse, security/theft/etc.
- d) it is impossible to get a hold of someone that gives a hoot and actually does something about your problem
- e) although you take the cleanliness of your working environment very seriously, you can’t believe the irony that your cleaning company seemingly does not and they treat you as if you are a dime a dozen (which by the way, means that is how they also treat their cleaning staff and why they don’t get great results from them).
So… which was it? Probably several, if not all of those… how do I know? It is actually an interesting story—invite me to your facility for a facility tour and I’ll tell you all about it (and why I named the company BLUECOOPER… people are always curious about that… oh, and since I’m going to see the place anyway, I mine as well send you a free cleaning quote! 😉
Oh… back to the scene: so, you are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with your current cleaning crew and you are about to tell them that in thirty days they will no longer have your gig… do you think their service is going to improve? Do you think your valuables are safe with this crew who knows they will no longer be dealing with you in 30 days? Do you think it is fair to make you pay another month’s worth of service when you are telling them they have done so horrible they are being fired?
Would you EVER fire an employee of yours for terrible performance and then tell them they can remain in the office for 30 more days? Oh, I’m so sure their productivity would increase greatly and there is nooo way they would steal a stapler… or computer paper, or coffee, or tablets, etc. I think you get where I’m going with this. If the day ever comes when HEB tells me I have to sign a contract that I will only shop with them, I will quickly and gladly walk away from HEB with pretty woman style revenge (“big mistake. Big. Huge!”)
So to summarize, here is why BLUECOOPER does not make you sign a contract:
- I (founder and President, Tristin Burell) think they are absurd.
- I am too kind a person to ever insist someone continue to pay for my company’s services if they are that unhappy with the results.
- I find I get far better results from my staff by:
- Treating them kindly, rewarding them generously and being upfront from the day of their interview to every site inspection and employee review along the way that I expect great things from them, but assuring them (and delivering) so they will appreciate every day they work for me if they meet our standards…so they actually do meet our standards.
- And letting them know: they are not under contract with the facility they are assigned to—which means they will not get a 30 day notice of loss of hours/drastic decrease in pay—so, they must work every single shift to earn that company’s loyalty because our clients can drop us any day.
- And, lastly, I have seen amazing results with this and never lose a client! Our clients appreciate our stance on contracts and our employees appreciate the respect and rewards they receive (that are unfortunately so extremely rare in the cleaning industry) that they truly do work hard and stick with your facility for the long haul!
Is every day with BLUECOOPER paradise? Of course not— we can promise a more rigorous interview process than other companies, back ground checks, better training and uniformed, personable staff members and regular site inspections, and we do deliver on those promises… but, do we have times when we find an assigned cleaning associate wasn’t the best fit for your facility’s needs/schedule or the standards of BLUECOOPER altogether? Sure… but far less often than others in our industry. There are times we need to make some staff changes to best meet your needs and reach our expectations for your facility (which are usually higher than your own expectations for your facility)… but we are confident you will immediately notice what we like to call “the BLUECOOPER difference” –from the staff we assign to your facility to how extremely easy it is to get ahold of myself, Tristin Burell or one of my service managers—via phone call direct to our cells, email or even text! And it is this difference, and the fact that you know you are not bound to any contract, that keeps us and our clients smiling year after year!