We’ve all walked by that one cafe that has probably never had its windows washed. The windows are streaky. Handprints from kids smeared everywhere. Grime and spider webs are collecting in every corner. Be honest. Your nose wrinkled a little when you walked by, didn’t it? Did you wonder if you really wanted to eat there? I mean, if even the windows are dirty, how clean is the kitchen?
Even if your business is on the 51st floor of an office building, your windows determine your customer’s comfort. The glass surfaces in your entrance, waiting area, and meeting rooms project your care for your space and allude to how attentive you will be to your customers. If you don’t notice those smudges, will you miss a small (but important) detail about their deliverables?
Let’s dive into a few more connections between window cleaning and your customer’s experience with your business.
Window Washing Reinforces Your Brand Positioning
Let’s go back to our example above with the cafe. If that cafe was a hole-in-the-wall diner, you might pause when you walked by. You might wonder about the cleanliness of the kitchen. Ultimately, though, you may shrug your shoulders and go on in. I mean, being grungy is an acceptable part of the hole-in-the-wall brand aesthetic.
However, what if the cafe branded itself as an upscale French restaurant? Those handprints and spider webs would make you pause a little longer, right? What if you walked by again and again, and each time you walked by the windows still hadn’t been cleaned?
If you are positioning your business as providing high quality products and services — and especially if you want to charge premium prices — the cleanliness of your windows really matters. Even if your logo, signage, and window displays are all beautifully thought out, accumulated dirt and grime will immediately detract from your business brand positioning.
Don’t let something as simple as a dirty window distract a customer from the brand you are working so hard to create!
Window Washing Maintains Your Capital Investment
When you moved into your office space, you probably invested in furniture and interior design to create the right ambiance for your employees and customers. Those investments, however, are not a one time expense. If furniture — and your windows — are not adequately and regularly cleaned, you will have to replace them more often.
Window washing should prevent grime, mold, salt (from winter weather), and algae from building up. Window washing should also result in a streak-free shine. Unfortunately, relying on employees to clean their own work stations and windows can result in damaged windows due to inappropriate cleaning solutions that damage the glass or the seals.
Professional cleaning services like CST understand the best tools and processes for cleaning your windows without damaging any part of the window. We also understand the fine details about cleaning, such as the best times of day to clean windows according to the season. This professional approach to window washing and preventative window maintenance will allow you to go longer between window replacements — which will make your accounting department very happy!
Window Washing Increases Employee Satisfaction
Clean windows allow the sun to come streaming into your work space. Adequate natural lighting increases serotonin levels. Employees who have work spaces with natural lighting use fewer sick days and report increased satisfaction with their work environments.
Investing in something as simple as window washing will benefit your employees’ well-being. Even better, employee well-being is linked to an increase your company’s profits. If you haven’t considered how your employees’ well-being is attached to your company’s finances, check out this blog post.
Clean Windows Differentiate Your Business
Having a bright and inviting lobby and meeting space is one of the best ways to make a great impression on your customers. While you can’t always control the public spaces in your office building — such as the elevators, parking lots, and hallways — you can control your own spaces.
If the adjoining offices do not care for their entrances, one of the best ways you can differentiate yourself is to be vigilant about cleaning all the glass surfaces at your entrance. That sparkle will prove that, no matter what else is happening in the world, your business takes pride in its services and commits to creating a great customer experience.
To make a long post short, window washing is a simple and low cost way to maximize your first impression with a customer and increase your customer retention. But don’t break out the feather duster just yet! If you are determined to take charge of your windows, take a moment to learn more about our commercial cleaning services, which include window cleaning, here.