There are a ton of home cleaning (a.k.a ‘Maid’) services in the Greater Toronto Area. New ads pop up across the city daily, both physically and digitally, and a lot of these service providers tend to make similar promises in terms of reliability, satisfaction and timeliness. With such a variance of choice, all promoting similar quality, how’s a body to know which service is really best for their dollar?
We’ve broken down a few things the average person wouldn’t necessarily know to look for when booking a cleaning appointment.
Trust the reviews
This one is a no brainer. Now more than any other time in history, consumers are turning to their peers for another perspective on pretty much anything they are about to spend money on. Cleaning services are no different, and many of the businesses providing home cleaning services have reviews on Google, Yelp or Home Stars. Before booking, do your homework. Read through at least three reviews so you have a decent enough sample size to work with. The chances are high that if three customers think a service is good or great, that the service will indeed be good or great! The same is true vice versa with negative reviews.
Customer service matters
Customer service boils down to two very important things. The first: how easy is it for you to contact them? The second: how long does it take for them to get back to you? Additionally, if you’re the type of consumer who does most of their buying and booking online, this breaks down even further. Does the business have a strong digital presence? Is there an effective online booking method? And, if payment is required upon booking, how secure is it? These are all important questions to ask when considering the business’ overall customer service rating in your opinion. If you are not comfortable with the answers to these questions, it’s likely that the service you are considering is not the right one for you.
Legitimacy/Transparency
Nobody likes surprises. Before booking, it is important for the consumer to know a few things for certain, off the bat. Consumers should know whether not the cleaning business is insured (if something breaks as a result of the cleaners’ work, who’s paying for it?), total cost of service, and what methods of resolution exist if they are unsatisfied with the quality of work done aka service guarantees. Calling before booking to speak to a representative is recommended, but a careful read through the cleaning company’s website will often answer these questions.
As with any other service, it is important to be sure that the service you are selecting is the best one for you. We hope the tips above give you more confidence in your next booking!