New Cleaner - what questions should I ask?

[HLBug]

I’ve never had a cleaner before but I’ve found someone who is recommended by a friend and is able to come fortnightly. She’s coming round next week to have a look and give me a quote. What things should I ask her? I need to discuss keys and general arrangements, but is there anything else? Who will provide cleaning products etc?

Oh, and IABU to ask whether she will change bedding?! I don’t know if that’s a normal thing that cleaners would do?

We have a cleaning company and the most important thing to having a good relationship going forward is to establish expectations from the very beginning.

Ask her what is and is not included within her particular service and if she offers bed change then this can be priced into the arrangement.

It's up to the business owner what they want to be providing and what they do not wish to offer and then you choose a service that offers all that you would like.

For example we do offer bed changes but we do not offer oven cleaning or ironing, anyone who wants those services will not be a good fit for our company and we would not be a good fit for them.

We charge a premium rate but our cleaners are trained to be detailed in their work and we have good customer service in place.

Some services are cheaper but do not include all the benefits we offer as part of a premium package. There is nothing wrong with their service, it's just that they will have a different target market to ours.

It's about finding the best service provider to fit your own needs and to fit your own budget. There is a perfect match for everyone out there, you just need to ask the cleaner you want to hire if they offer what you personally would like and see if you like what they have on offer.

Cleaners don;t have many places to offer and they want to find the right customers to fit their service level and at the same time clients will have limited budget and want to feel their money is going towards a service that has all the elements they need most.

If it is a good match for both parties then you are both likely to be happy with each other for a long time.

Thanks @DanglyEarOrnaments for taking the time to reply. I know that this company does a “per clean” price rather than “per hour” so perhaps I need to ask exactly what is included in the standard “per clean” price and go from there. What you have written above is useful.

Yes definitely!

We operate with the 'per job' business model too and we always issue a service list of what is standardly included in the price and then price in any extras the client needs (as long as our company provided those services of course). We then add any additional services to the clients notes so all cleaners who attend her home are aware of the work ordered.

It's definitely what they should be doing if it's a 'per job' service model as expectations need to be very clear for both parties to avoid dissatisfaction on either side.