Emergency Cleaning Best Practices

Recovering from a natural disaster or fire is a process that retail stores hope they never have to deal with but need to be prepared for wither way. When you consider all that goes into an emergency cleanup process, there is generally a long list of vendors required to handle all of the individual moving parts of the project. It does not have to be this way. There is the emergency cleaning best practices a way to find a company that has the experience, coverage, project management, and suite of cleaning services your project requires – as well as the ability to get the most value for your inventory and assets, and that can be deployed rapidly at a price point that makes sense.

Below is a list of emergency cleaning deliverables that you should look for when selecting a company to handle disaster recovery for your retail stores:

 National Coverage

First and foremost, you need to find a company that can handle all your locations no matter where they are. A lot of emergency restoration companies are restricted to a region or a state, which can lead to major fluctuations in pricing and expose you to overspending.

Experienced Team of Professionals

Cleaning retail stores after a disaster correctly is something that requires experience. Find a company that has a team of experts that know exactly how to handle any challenge you may face.

Rapid Deployment

A cleaning company is of little use if they can’t get your store back up and running quickly. Every day you’re waiting on the cleanup services to be completed is another day your store is closed and not generating revenue. Emergency Cleaning Best Practices require an emergency response company that can mobilize a team of technicians immediately.

End-to-End Project Management

When you hire a company to do a job, you expect them to make sure the job is done right. In a disaster cleanup, there is the possibility of having multiple companies doing various parts of the job. You don’t have time to make sure that each aspect of the project is moving along as it should, so make sure your cleanup company manages the total project – not just one part of it.

Detailed Emergency Cleaning Scope of Work

Nothing is worse than hiring a company to do a job and part of it doesn’t get done, or you find surprise items on your invoice when the project is done. When there are multiple companies handling one job, this problem is almost guaranteed to come up, because there can be overlap in what each emergency services company is handling. Make sure your cleanup company is providing you with a detailed scope of work for everything they do, and that they stick to it.

Extensive Suite of Cleaning Services

In a disaster cleanup, there are often multiple services that need to be handled. Not all fire damage companies handle water damage. Not all water damage companies can handle the structural cleanup. By working with one emergency cleaning company to handle all the different aspects of the cleanup, you make sure that everything that needs to get done, gets done.

Extensive Suite of Liquidation Services

Retail stores have the unique challenge of inventory and physical assets to deal with when a disaster strikes. As important as the initial cleanup is, handling the inventory in a store is just as critical. Instead of hiring separate companies to handle cleaning and inventory recovery – Emergency Cleaning Best Practices is to find a company that can handle both.

Provide Options to Maximize Value while Preventing Channel Conflicts

Inventory management in an emergency scenario is not just about getting rid of everything, it is about retaining as much of the value for that inventory as possible. Between liquidation options, recycling options, and donations – find a company that gets the most out of the inventory in your store.

Provide Options to Minimize Environmental Footprint

Too often, most emergency cleaning companies simply throw everything away that they feel can’t be re-sold or retained. Your corporate landfill diversion and sustainability efforts don’t have to stop in the event of an emergency. Find a company that actively finds ways to recycle and re-use everything they can to keep your economic footprint small.

Provide Options to Minimize Risk

Cleanup projects carry inherent risk because of the sheer volume of materials to be disposed of, and the health concerns associated with smoke and water damage remediation. Having to have a project re-done or put on hold because of incomplete work costs you money. Make sure you’re using a company that does the job right the first time, on time, and on budget.

No Contract Required

A lot of emergency cleaning companies are going to try to rope you into lengthy contracts and pricing. Whether you have one store or ten that need emergency cleaning, there are no Emergency Cleaning Best Practices that require that you rope yourself into a pricing model that only benefits the cleaning company.

Best Practice Calls For Clear, Consistent Communication

Throughout the scope of an emergency cleaning project, you need to know what’s being done, what’s left to be done, and when the project will be finished. After the project is done, you need to know what everything was done, what is owed, and when it is due. Find an emergency cleaning company that focuses on keeping you in the loop through the entire process from start to finish. Communication is critical to any project.

Extensive End-of-Project Report

When everything is complete, it is important to know exactly what was done in the project. Find a company that not only details the aspects of the project but provides you with a detailed report including pictures of the work that was completed.

Great Prices. No Hidden Fees. No Surprises.

Emergency cleaning companies are notorious for slipping in extra fees and price hikes into their billing for things like “emergency response” because they know you need their services right then. Make sure the emergency cleaning company you choose offers transparent, up-front pricing with no surprise charges when the project is done.

Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. 

Finally, make sure any company you work with guarantees their work and YOUR satisfaction. If they don’t stand behind their work, you shouldn’t stand behind them as a customer.

Choosing an emergency cleaning company doesn’t have to be a complicated process. 1GNITE Emergency Cleaning Best Practices checklist identifies every item that is part of our emergency cleaning service. We handle every aspect of a disaster recovery process from cleanup and inventory management to accurate billing and project management.

Click below to download a copy of our Emergency Cleaning Company Checklist and compare any potential vendors to what 1GNITE can do for you.