An alarming 95% of shoppers base their decision of where to shop on the exterior of the store. Further, 52% of people are likely to avoid a shop with a dirty storefront.
How many customers are you losing without even being aware of it, purely because your commercial cleaning routine isn’t up to scratch? How do your staff feel when they step into their office space? Are you ignoring one of the most important parts of your cleaning regime?
Did you know that floor care carries a surprisingly large load when it comes to the overall impression, safety, and hygiene of an office or store?
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Key Benefits of Commercial Floor Care
No doubt there are a dozen thoughts that spring to mind when asked to list things that contribute to a business’s bottom line. Chances are good that floor care wasn’t on your list.
Yet, proper care for commercial floor spaces is impactful and contributes to areas we wouldn’t have envisaged.
Create a Great First Impression
If customers are walking into your establishment and asking each other, “What is that smell?” then you are off to a poor start.
Customers establish first impressions within seconds and yet can last a lifetime.
All too often, these impressions are made unknowingly as customers’ senses unconsciously absorb information on the cleanliness, order, and professionalism of the space. Visitors leave with an unshakeable feeling of comfort and calm, or unease and anxiety.
A company with a keen eye on the value of floor care will maintain an area free from streaks, dirt, dust, and unidentifiable spills. This bears silent testimony to the overall high standards of the company and will leave an excellent first impression with little effort on your part.
Improved Staff Morale
Certainly, our staff have a responsibility to keep their personal workspace clean and tidy; that’s a given. However, some businesses are pretty happy to rope in their team to “pick up the slack” or “pitch in” to maintain the cleanliness of the office or retail space.
Doing this in an effort to save a few dollars here and there may well do more harm than good. Firstly, you’ve employed, for example, your admin staff to do admin duties and not mop the floor. If they do embrace this new job function, they are unlikely to do it with any gusto and will probably give it a quick once over before heading home to clean their own house.
So now you’re stuck with half-cleaned floors and less than joyful employees.
There’s more to it, though. An unhygienic workplace promotes the unspoken message that management isn’t particularly bothered with creating a safe and clean space; that they are fine with lower standards. Employees are less likely to try hard, dress well, or be motivated to give of their best.
We don’t need research to tell us that people work better and are more productive in a clean and orderly environment, even though it does.
Prove Your Professionalism
Have you ever met up with a contractor and they climb out of their van followed by an avalanche of McDonald’s boxes, old coffee cups, and what looks to be a desiccated mouse? Without them saying a word, you are aware of their level of professionalism – or lack of – immediately.
The professionalism of a business is far more than polite employees and a shiny sign above the door.
Rather, it’s an all-encompassing impression that they portray which includes, yes, you guessed it, clean floors. If your customers become uncomfortably aware of a lack of care in something so simple as floor care, then what else do you cut corners on? Do they really want to do business with you?
Staff and Customer Safety
Employers have the explicit responsibility to maintain a clean, sanitary, and safe environment for both their employees and their customers. This is not a nice-to-have, rather it is a legal requirement, as well as the right thing to do.
Poorly managed commercial floor care allows for cracked, worn, or slippery flooring which can result in injury. In fact, in the U.S. over 8 million emergency room visits each year are attributed to falls in a grocery store, at home, at work, at a restaurant, or school. Injuries can be severe and may result in staff requiring time off work.
If it is proven that the party responsible for the safety of the space was negligent and was aware that an unsafe condition existed, the injured party has every right to sue the establishment. By a show of hands, how many business owners enjoy throwing money away on avoidable legal battles?
Essential Hygiene
Recent world events have taught us the value of good, personal hygiene. A higher volume of people in commercial properties and within offices equals a host of pathogens and a quick and easy transfer from one person to another.
This alone makes it essential to maintain a good cleaning schedule focusing on high traffic areas such as common areas, reception areas, and bathrooms, and not forgetting adequate floor care.
An obvious statement, perhaps, but the floor is the largest part of your property; a fact that should promote the importance of commercial floor care.
Maintain a Professional Environment
Staying on top of your commercial floor care routine while still occupied with other responsibilities may be something of a headache. But before you throw your hands up in despair, there are options available to you that can ease the burden.
A commercial cleaning company is a great option. These professionals take on the responsibility of maintaining a high standard of hygiene and safety for staff and customers.
If this isn’t the best solution for you, then explore something more innovative such as the BrainOS-powered autonomous floor scrubbers. These smart machines quickly learn what your business needs and can be enabled to run in complex, dynamic environments. They make use of AI and sensors to determine the most effective floor cleaning routine.
Keep it Clean!
Whether you run a small retail outlet or are responsible for a large commercial space, you probably don’t want to have to worry about cleaning the floor. Doubtless, you have enough on your plate.
However, commercial floor care should be high on your list of priorities for your business, your team, and your customers. So why not take some time to explore the best floor care options for your business and put them into action.
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