1. Maintaining property value (buildings are aging and need certain maintenance, improvements and renovations; today, commercial real estate values are off 30% to 40% from the market peak of 2007)
2. Heavy competition for renters (rents are down, many businesses are moving and competition for every tenant is at an all-time high)
3. Tenant retention (tenants are demanding more services – they want to make sure that their furniture, fixtures & equipment are in peak operating order, so they insist on clean conditions; they want their employees to be more productive, so they are insisting on healthy indoor conditions, safety and sanitation)
4. Premises liability (lawsuits are also on the rise – more people are suing for damages sustained on commercial property premises from lack of maintenance, unclean conditions, Sick Building Syndrome and mold/mildew issues in their businesses and offices)
5. Building codes and regulatory obligations (government regulations are tighter than ever, with building owners responsible for more codes and laws affecting conservation, health, safety issues and building maintenance)

All of these challenges are creating serious hurdles for commercial property owners and managers.  The things you can control become more important as you strive to increase revenues, maintain property values and decrease costs.

These challenges point out how important building services, particularly cleaning and janitorial services, are to the continued viability of your property and business.  Let’s take a closer look at each of the 5 challenges to see what you’ll miss out on if you fail to make building services a priority.

1. The value of your property.  U.S. commercial property prices tumbled at the end of 2010 to the lowest level in eight years, pulled down by declining values for distressed real estate, according to Moody’s Investors Service.  Do you have any control over value?  Clean, healthy buildings are much easier & less costly to maintain and help to ensure your property values remain high.
2. Competition for renters.  What do office, manufacturing and other tenants expect from their office environments?  They want facilities that let them promote themselves as well-organized businesses that are in tune with their customers’ needs – an almost impossible task if the offices they work out of are run down and a mess.  They also want to present a professional image to their clients and if they can’t do that in their current offices, they’ll go elsewhere.  It is clear that a well-maintained and well-kept building helps attract new tenants.
3. Tenant Retention.  It’s almost impossible to keep good tenants if they don’t get the clean and sanitary conditions they are looking for – there are just too many rental choices out there (and today, there are a lot of choices, many of which may be cheaper than the facilities you offer).  One of the things that tenants are so keen about is that they often invest hundreds of thousands in technology such as computers, fax machines, printers and other office related equipment; these devices must be maintained in a nearly dust-free environment to operate optimally.  Once dirt creeps in, they start to lose efficiency and break down.  In addition, your business tenants have invested considerably in their employees (recruiting, training, salaries, etc.) and they need them to be productive.  Lost productivity costs businesses over $60 billion per year!  Clean facilities that are free of contaminates provide a healthy employee and customer atmosphere, which increases productivity for the tenant company and encourages them to stay put.  Healthy, clean buildings reduce the spread of viruses and reduce the amount of sick time taken by employees.  Surveys show that a clean, healthy building will increase employee morale and reduce turnover, benefits your tenants will eventually attribute to you because you know how important a clean environment is to the health of their business.
4. Liability for an unsafe building.  As the owner of a commercial property, you can be liable for damages or injuries caused by unsafe conditions on your premises.  An unsanitary environment can quickly become a health hazard, leading to legal repercussions.  Facilities focused on safety and health enjoy diminished liability claims, among other related cost-savings including lower liability insurance premiums.
5. Building Codes and Regulatory Obligations.  As a building owner, you are forced to deal with certain building codes and other government regulatory obligations.  Failure to abide by these codes will result in fines, penalties and even criminal prosecutions.  If you don’t have a good janitorial service, you may find yourself being drawn into a lawsuit, and even worse, you’ll be fined and penalized by the appropriate State and Federal agencies.  In addition, many businesses and institutions have their own regulations and rules that your janitorial service needs to know and follow.  Using a commercial janitorial service that knows and follows the state, federal and industry regulations will go a long way to prevent problems in the future.

A great commercial janitorial service, like Windsor Building Services, can solve some of the most challenging issues faced by building owners today but they are often overlooked or undervalued.  Just remember that your janitorial service provider can mean the difference between having a fully rented property that increases in value and an empty building that is worth next to nothing.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to save a little money on expert cleaning services only to lose more money once they are gone.

If you like this info, you’ll really like this “30 Success Strategies for Building Owners & Managers: How to get through these tough economic times”.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

 Construction jobs utilize large quantities of materials and a number of independently working employees that create substantial “work waste” in the process of getting their jobs done. Additionally construction job sites require a number of specialized cleaning services that the team you hire will need to know in order to get the job done correctly. 

Here are 7 of those services that you’ll want to know about before hiring your next final construction cleaning company.  They should be able to:

1. Dispose of General Construction Debris – General construction debris that’s not hazardous may need to be recycled or disposed of in a trash bin and your cleaning crew should completely clear out any materials discarded during the construction process. 
2. Clean areas not normally cleaned & handle new equipment properly- cleaning a brand new building is not the same as cleaning any other building, so it’s important to hire a team that knows the difference between the two jobs. Newly constructed buildings are substantially dirtier than a building that’s had regular cleaning, and hardware [such as toilets and sinks] is “new” and has labels & tags that must be safely and completely removed.  New windows, for example, demonstrate how totally new and clean hardware can become especially dirty through the installation process.  A knowledgeable cleaning crew will know how and what to clean to make your new or remodeled facility impeccable. 
3. Use specialized equipment – in order to clean a construction site, specialized equipment is used that may not normally be used on a non-construction related site.  For example, if the front of a new building is made of glass that spans from the ground level to the top of the 2^nd floor, the cleaning crew will need to be able to use a lift to reach those areas inside and out in order to scrape off labels and clean smudges and stains acquired during the installation process.  A fully trained team needs to know how to clean these areas and will need to know how to use the specialized equipment that’s used in the cleaning process. 
4. Interact with construction superintendent – On a final construction project the cleaning company should have a supervisor on site that will interact with your construction superintendent or designated representative.  The cleaning company’s supervisor will not only work with your representative on the front side to develop and approve the quote, but they will also meet with them to find out what specialized things need to be done to make sure that all work is done to your satisfaction. 
5. Have handled jobs of a similar size – You’ll want to know that the cleaning crew you hire has previously handled jobs that are similar to the jobs you’ll need help with.  You can evaluate your potential cleaning companies by looking at the square footage that company has cleaned and for how long and by asking for references from other construction companies.  Make sure the team you hire isn’t learning what to do on your dime! 
6.  Emergency cleaning services – it will help to have a cleaning crew that’s trained in a variety of different cleaning methods that is available to clean during or after the completion of the project, if an accident or emergency should arise.  Cleaning crews may be required to clean up after employee accidents or illnesses, so look for a team that’s specifically trained to clean up after these types of medical situations.  These crews will be extremely helpful if the need arises to clean blood, for example, on an emergency basis. 
7. Work according to YOUR time schedule – more often than not by the time you are done with your construction or remodeling project you’re creeping up on the end of a deadline  Make sure the final construction cleaning company you hire is able to work according to your schedule and get the job done when you need it done. 

For more information on how to hire a Final Construction Cleaning Crew feel free to email the author, Mary Windsor at Windsor Building Services or visit www.windsorservices.com.  If you’re building or remodeling in the South Texas area please contact Mary for a quote the next time you need final construction cleaning services. 

If you like this info, you’ll really like this “30 Success Strategies for Building Owners & Managers: How to get through these tough economic times”.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

Over the last 10 years there has been an increasing appearance of a variety of new, virulent infectious diseases throughout the world such as the H1N1 Virus, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the Norwalk Virus and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).  These outbreaks pose dangerous risks to patients & workers in medical facilities and have been the impetus for the creation of a new model for more effective cleaning developed by janitorial professionals, facilities managers and public health officials. 

 It is critical to understand the specific needs and issues related to cleaning a medical facility as well as the associated dangers of cross contamination.  Also, it takes special training, techniques and tools to properly clean a medical facility and as a matter of fact, some environmental scientists maintain that it’s actually better to not clean than to clean using ineffective methods.   

While the cleaning of a medical facility has historically been handled by professional janitorial service providers, today we see an increasing level of responsibility being taken by building management as well as by the employees of the facility’s tenants.  There is an increasing level of decision making being made at the facilities management level which is being implemented by building service providers. 

Rags, mops and cleaning cloths have been replaced by new technology which is part of a revised “cleaning model” and which dramatically contributes to improved sanitation in medical facilities. This new technology includes the use of items such as microfiber, chemical injection technologies, pressure washing, squeegees and “no touch” cleaning systems.  These new tools clean dramatically better than previous methods, such as mops & cloths, which were actually shown to spread contaminants rather than clean them.  A recent study conducted by the “Cleaning Industry Research Institute” (CIRI) indicates that these new cleaning systems actually remove disease-causing germs from surfaces and help to prevent the spread of contaminants dramatically better than traditional cleaning methods. 

The new cleaning model not only includes advanced cleaning technologies but also recommends increased sanitation of areas that for some reason were not traditionally considered as “prominent” such as “high touch” areas like elevator buttons, light switches, door handles, equipment controls, computer equipment and all other areas that are potentially contaminated by human interaction.  A recent CIRI study showed these areas to be highly contaminated: 

“Potential pathogens cultured from more than 50% of the computers included coagulase‐negative staphylococci (100% of keyboards), diphtheroids (80%), Micrococcus species (72%), and Bacillus species (64%). Other pathogens cultured included ORSA (4% of keyboards), OSSA (4%), vancomycin‐susceptible Enterococcus species (12%), and nonfermentative gram‐negative rods (36%). All disinfectants, as well as the sterile water control, were effective at removing or inactivating more than 95% of the test bacteria. No functional or cosmetic damage to the computer keyboards was observed after 300 disinfection cycles.

This study underlines the significance of the new model that stresses the importance of correct cleaning methods and techniques of both areas that are obviously contaminated and those that may not be quite so obvious. 

The new cleaning model identifies two cleaning processes:  “Routine/Preventative” and “Frequent/Outbreak” cleaning.  Routine cleaning covers a preventative cleaning process that cleans areas that did NOT have a disease outbreak or some specific health concern, but which required routine cleaning none-the-less.  Outbreak cleaning covers a more aggressive and frequent protocol and is implemented when disinfecting or sanitation is required of infected areas.  For more in-depth information about cleaning as it relates to medical facilities, disease control and outbreak prevention visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov or windsorservices.com.

If you like this info, you’ll really like this “30 Success Strategies for Building Owners & Managers: How to get through these tough economic times”.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

1. Make sure the vendor can handle your job: When evaluating commercial janitorial services companies you’ll find that there is a wide variety of different sizes & types of companies to consider that range from small, mom and pop sized businesses to huge multinational providers.  It’s important to consider the square footage of your own facility and compare that to what your applicants can handle and have handled in the past.  Also be sure to consider the number of years they’ve been in business, how long their clients tend to stay with them as well as the amount of square footage they clean each year. 
2. Consider how much personal attention you’ll need: Make sure the potential vendor can provide you with the level of customer service that you’re looking for.  If you won’t be satisfied with an impersonal approach, you may want to consider hiring a mid-sized company that is big enough to handle your job while at the same time small enough to provide some personalized attention from their management staff.  Don’t underestimate the time it will take you to handle problems that will result from a cleaning staff with no management team on hand. 
3. Don’t underestimate the value of experience & references: There’s nothing worse than paying a vendor while they learn how to handle your job.  To avoid this, make sure the vendor has a history of working with customers of your size and type.  Your business has specific needs that would be best met by a provider that has handled similar customers in the past.  Look for a provider that has references you can talk to, who has either handled other customers in the same industry or at least one that has worked for companies that have similar needs.
4. Get everything in writing: Take some time to review the quotes and keep in mind that those vendors that provide detailed, well thought-out proposals are most likely more experienced, knowledgeable and honest about what they do.  Shady providers don’t want to invest the time in your account until they’ve got your business so they’re less likely to provide great detail in their quotes.  At first glance you may even find that these vendors appear to be less expensive, but be sure to review or ask for the details from those vendors to confirm that you’re really comparing apples to apples.   
5. Check the company’s insurance, certifications and training:  Make sure the companies you are considering are fully bonded with general liability insurance, business service bonds, worker’s compensation as well as liability insurance.  Ask your potential provider about the preparation of their staff to ensure they are trained to handle and fulfill your needs. Consider the type of additional certifications that might be applicable to your business and find a provider that has the proper accreditations. 
6. Try to anticipate the services you’ll need and match those up with the best provider:  Don’t forget that in the world of facility management sooner or later you’ll need “emergency cleaning services.”  Make sure your provider is available 24 hours a day and is willing to handle & clean up all sorts of messes that you’re more than likely not going to want to tackle yourself.  Some companies provide inventory and purchasing services that make it easy for you to acquire and keep track of the supplies you need to maintain the bathrooms and other areas of your building usually at reasonably discounted prices. 
7. Remember your janitorial staff will interact with YOUR customer:  Ask how the vendor’s staff is compensated because a staff that’s paid based on performance is one that is motivated and dedicated to quality.  Keep in mind that the janitorial staff will be interacting with your customers so look for a team that has professionally printed company ID’s and uniforms that look clean and professional. 
8. Go with your gut and remember you get what you pay for:  In this difficult economy the tendency is to go with the cheapest provider rather than the best provider.  But if you’ve been in business very long you probably know that the cheapest quote doesn’t always equate to the best deal.  If a crummy provider makes a poor impression on your tenants or new potential tenants, then saving a penny here or there won’t be worth it in the end.  To get an idea of what kind of company you are really dealing with, take a look at their website and look for misspellings and a general lack of attention to detail.  If they can’t spend any time on their own website, it may be less likely that they’ll pay much attention to your business.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

As a building owner or property manager you most likely have a wide range of building service contractors working in your facility including laborers from companies that provide mechanical/repair, cleaning, security, parking, leasing, food and other types of services.  These workers not only handle and use your facility and equipment, but they are also seen by and interact with your tenants and employees.  As a result your exposure to hidden liabilities or risks is increased and these risks increase dramatically when those contractors aren’t properly trained or insured. 

In my previous blog I discussed the multitude of regulations and standards that are in place and required to be followed by commercial cleaning service providers in the State of Texas.  While these regulations cover a variety of important issues, the law only requires that workers be minimally trained.  In order to reduce your own risk and liability, make sure the cleaning service provider you hire has a staff that is trained beyond the basics.  Higher level janitorial education trains workers to properly and safely clean commercial buildings as well as teaching them how to implement industry regulations and as a result, worker safety and confidence is dramatically increased. This is particularly important when janitors are working in medical facilities or even in regular office buildings where they’re asked to clean up blood spills or other germ-infested areas.  Most people assume that the work of a janitor involves simple common sense…and it does….but in addition to that it requires some basic skills training that greatly reduces the level of risk in your facility. 

Even though the trend in Janitorial services is to clean with less hazardous materials and to implement “green cleaning techniques”, there’s still a good chance that the cleaning crew you have right now is working with some dangerous chemical cleaners as well as interacting with a host of bacterial and pathogens that are not found in your average home.  Those chemicals pose a risk to the workers themselves, to your staff and the employees that work in your building. 

Your risk can be dramatically reduced when you hire properly trained janitors that have been taught how to correctly handle these materials and how to use them in the areas that you and your employees interact with on a daily basis.  By using these chemicals & materials correctly, a properly trained janitor reduces communicable diseases within your facility that cause illnesses and as a result the health of all the workers within the building is improved.  On-the-job injuries are also reduced when properly trained workers are taught how to safely mix chemicals.

In addition to reducing risk in your facility, hiring only well trained janitors will ensure that your own employees’ sick days and lost productivity is as low as it possibly can be.  Plus you’ll notice your own employee’s workers comp rates go down when they realize and react to the fact that you’re serious about promoting safe work practices in your building.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

The main regulations & standards that apply to janitorial building services in Texas are as follows:

1. OSHA and other Legal Regulations for all janitorial services – One of the most ethical regulations deals with paying employees illegally or hiring illegal immigrant workers.  In addition, every cleaning crew must be trained to operate in secure environments, adhere to your internal regulations and minimum insurance and bonding are a must for any professional janitorial services company.  
2. Medical Facility Cleaning Regulations & Standards – Medical facility cleaning is one of the most highly regulated in Texas.  This includes abiding by HIPPA regulations as well as Texas OSHA regulations for mitigating exposure to blood-borne pathogens.  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which can include scrubs, masks, hair nets, latex or rubber gloves, shoe covers and eye protection when necessary which protects the cleaning staff and ensures that they do not touch contaminated surfaces and are protected from spills and splashes of contaminated items (such as lab samples).  In addition, medical and healthcare guidelines may need to be documented as part of the cleaning process.  For example, for all operating and procedure rooms that are cleaned, a log is filled out with information such as who cleaned, what day they cleaned and how long they cleaned.  
3. Educational Facility Regulations & Standards – Educational facilities have specialized security policies in Texas that require all cleaning staff have completed background and drug screens.  Government requirements must also be followed which include proper identification, etc. In addition Green Cleaning has become a must for most educational facilities to help control infection among the students and teachers.  Some facilities must maintain a higher degree of cleanliness in order to pass OSHA inspections.  
4. Construction Clean-Up Regulations & Standards – Construction clean-up regulations for Texas include cleaning crews to wear appropriate safety equipment which may include any or all of the following; hard hats, steel-toe boots, safety straps and long pants. In addition, cleaning crews need to be able to work around other contractors and strictly adhere to the general contractor’s rules and security policies on site while still abiding by the Texas OSHA regulations.

Janitorial Services Companies can meet the demands of Texas’ Regulations and Standards for janitorial services by keeping current on what those regulations are.  In addition, knowing the specific client’s security protocols, special needs and expectations will enable a janitorial services company to provide the highest quality of service to their customers.  Property managers and building owners need to ensure that their service companies are meeting these regulations or face the risks associated with not abiding by these policies and regulations.  Windsor Building Services is one of the few companies that meets and exceeds the requirements addressed in this article.

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

Here are a few ways that you can save green ($) by using green services:

1. Using fewer chemicals saves money over time – The cleaning industry uses an estimated 5 billion pounds of chemicals each year and “green cleaning” products such as “microfiber cloths” allow for either chemical free cleaning or the significant reduction in the use of these chemicals. The City of Santa Monica estimates its cleaning product purchases have eliminated 3,200 pounds of hazardous materials annually and reduced their cleaning expenses by approximately 5%[2].  
2. Cleaner air increases tenant retention – Client retention and satisfaction is improved through the reduction of the use of these chemicals, many of which have significant adverse impacts on indoor air quality, human health and the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks indoor air quality (IAQ) among the top five environmental risks and links it, in part, to cleaning product exposure[3].
3. Liability & costs for your facility are lowered with healthier employees – The average janitorial service provider uses approximately 28 gallons of traditional chemicals each year[4].  Businesses in the U.S. spend more than $75 million a year on medical expenses and lost time wages for janitors due to chemical-related injuries.  By opting to use green cleaning services, you’ll be contributing to the health of workers, tenants & employees in the building and the result will be less “lost time”.  When your tenant’s employees (and other workers) are happy, you’ll have a successful business and satisfied, loyal tenants. 
4. Green Cleaning Products save Water – Green cleaning products use fewer chemicals and as a result reduce water use and expense.  LEED, the association that certifies building sustainability, estimates that total water savings from their green programs & certifications through 2009 is estimated at 15 billion gallons, comprising 0.5% of annual non-residential water use. By 2030, this will equate to nearly 1.3 trillion gallons of saved water, equivalent to 30% of current annual non-residential water use[5]. 
5. Tenants can help save money too! – Just like when someone goes to a hotel and they’re asked to “request” new towels by throwing the soiled ones on the floor, tenants can also work with you to lower their costs and save the environment at the same time.  This might include agreeing to have the janitorial staff dispose of trash (and subsequently reduce the use of trash bags) fewer times each week or by reducing the number of areas of an office that are vacuumed each night and participating in recycling programs. 

Using Green Building Services will not only save you money, but there are a number of other benefits that will equate to savings for you and your organization.  To ensure your facility is benefiting from green building services be sure and hire service providers that are certified by the Green Business Bureau.  For more information or to locate a certified provider visit the Green Business Bureau or Windsor Building Services. 

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.

1. A clean environment is a productive environment. 60% of “time off work” illnesses are contracted from dirty equipment in the office. E-coli, Staph and bacteria are the most common germs in today’s work places. However, regular cleaning of a desk and computer accessories can reduce the bacteria count by 99.9%*. Statistics have shown that employees are sick and absent less often and they deliver better productivity when they have a clean working environment. Keeping your tenants’ offices clean will help their employees stay well, motivated and focused. Your tenants will be happy when you help their employees remain productive by providing working spaces that are clean and sanitized.
2. Make sure your janitorial staff measures up because your tenants see the effects of what they do every day. Beyond that, the janitorial staff is working throughout your building and often your tenants see them before they ever see you. In a way they are representing your business! For that reason it’s important for your janitorial staff to be well-groomed, uniformed, properly identified and highly trained to do their jobs correctly and to interact with your clients appropriately. Only the better janitorial companies can provide these benefits. There’s no doubt we are living in an era when price is important when it comes to building services, but don’t save a dime on cleaning only to lose a dollar on client retention. Put just a little bit of extra care and money into selecting a janitorial company that can represent your building in a way that will help you to attract and retain clients.
3. When a potential client walks through the front door and enters your facility they will immediately judge your company based on what they see. If clients walk into a dirty office they immediately evaluate your facility, your services and even your credibility based on the negative things they see. Are the floors dirty? Are there any peculiar odors? Are the windows and common areas clean? Are the bathrooms sanitary and well maintained? Facility owners often get so caught up in their daily schedule that they forget that keeping an office clean can be a major benefit to themselves and their tenants. Keep your facilities clean and you’ll have happy, long-term tenants.

Too many facilities owners under-estimate how vital it is to maintain a clean environment, not only for their own sake, but also for the sake of their tenants and their employees. The janitorial company you choose will become a critical aspect of your building’s “branding” as well as being representative of your business when they interact with your clients. Keeping a clean facility will help you to retain and gain new tenants while improving your tenant’s employee wellness and productivity.

Times have changed and providing quality property services and maintenance should be at the forefront of any tenant retention strategy. Not only are such services minimal in cost when compared to the cost of office renovations and incentives such as office fit-outs and rent-free periods, but they also represent a small percentage of the overall building operating costs and an even smaller percentage of rental income. These costs may be minimal, but the services they provide can have a dramatic, measurable impact on tenant satisfaction.

The International Facility Management Association reported that “poor janitorial services” was the third most common complaint among office tenants after “it’s too hot” and “it’s too cold”.

A survey of tenants found that employees recognize the link between health and the level of service maintenance in a building, with 85% of office workers thinking regularly about the cleanliness of their office and 69% believing a clean office makes employees more productive. Furthermore, 64% of office workers saw a connection between the cleanliness of a building and the number of times they called in sick, and only 29% of office workers believed that their offices were being cleaned as effectively as possible. Employers are willing to relocate for gains in health and productivity as a happier more productive staff and a healthy working environment are virtually priceless.

Owners and managers looking to deliver quality services to their customers and tenants should choose a building services company that is committed to appropriate staffing levels, implementing green cleaning initiatives and innovating on an ongoing basis. This type of service provider delivers the high level of service that is required for facilities to stand out from the competition, thereby allowing commercial property managers to improve tenant satisfaction and retention rates.

Data Source: The International Facility Management Association, IFMA Survey Ranks Top 10 Office Complaints, Media Release, IFMA

This report was created in association with Market Research International™ (www.marketresearchinternational.com) for Windsor Building Services®, an award winning commercial cleaning company specializing in medical, office buildings and other multi-tenant facilities.

For more information about building management and success, download your FREE Special Report here.  “30 Success Strategies for Building Owners & Managers:  How to get through these tough economic times”

About the Author: Mary Robinson is president of Windsor Building Services. She has been on the leading edge of commercial cleaning for more than 20 years. Windsor provides the framework for achieving the highest level of commercial cleaning services that allow property managers and building owners to retain tenants and attract new businesses. With a specialization in medical office buildings, Windsor cleans over 2,000,000 square feet of MOBs every night.