You know, a lot of us have strange preconceptions about call centres. They often get lumped into one big category – but that’s not how it should be.
Having done the office cleaning at a fair few call centres in our time, we’ve seen that – actually – they’re pretty much always full of the hardest working folks a business could ask for.
Some call centres are as you’d imagine – you get sales centres doing cold calls, for instance.
“Yuck!”, you’re probably thinking – right? Well, it’s actually really hard work for those who have to do it. Nuisance or not, people still have to pay their bills with that job. And through all the name-calling and heckling from – shall we say – the more “creative” members of the public they get in touch with, they just crack on with it. Love them or loathe them, they’re working their socks off.
Then, there’s first response and emergency call centres – which is a job that’s hard to disrespect. But, of course, it happens… and quite a lot, too. As emergency services get stretched, so too do public frustrations, and that usually gets taken out on the people trying their best to help those in need.
And somewhere in the middle, you have insurance claims call centres, banking call centres, customer service and tech support call centres… The list goes on. These are like the “bread and butter” modes of call centres, the nerve centres of a huge group of service-led organisations.
But one thing remains the same in any call centre – regardless of the business or service they provide: they get dirty.
Really, really dirty.
Some call centres can be enormous, with hundreds of people working over tens of floors. Others are much smaller, but the “population density”, if you will, is usually the same. Busy, often tightly-packed spaces, where teams sometimes work around the clock. With all those people coming in and out, swapping shifts, using cafeterias, kitchens and toilets – it tends to add up to a near-daily cleaning requirement.
And, while we have lots of experience in cleaning office equipment – like desks, phones, carpets, and everything else you’d find in a call centre – so would any good office cleaning company. What sets us apart is our experience in planning and adapting around critical operations, and helping businesses run smoothly while still getting a great clean.
So, how can a call centre operating on a 24/7/365 basis maintain proper operations, and still get the thorough cleaning it deserves?
Timing is EVERYTHING in Call Centre Cleaning
We know that, in some commercial call centres, there are quieter periods. This is why twilight shifts, night shifts and (depending on the type of call centre) weekends rarely need a full cast of call centre operatives. After 5pm, when most offices close and people begin their commutes home, things tend to get quieter.
Whole floors can be vacated during these periods, and many operatives will hot-desk around the office (which is usually open-plan), to allow for cleaning and maintenance to take place on their usual floor.
These are perfect opportunities for cleans. But on the flipside, there are also times of intense work.
In the insurance claims world, for example, there are major incident periods: storms blowing down fences and stripping roofs of houses can cause significantly elevated workloads. Or more recently, with air and rail operators going on strike, travel insurance claim attempts have spiked, causing call centres to erupt into action.
In times like these, the whole operation bursts into a frenzy of activity – around the clock. Break times get strict, and everyone has to knuckle down. We’ve known of call centre cleaning getting cancelled and rescheduled in high stress situations, to allow operators to crack on and do their work with minimal distractions.
Well, could you imagine firing up the Henry vacuum cleaner next to someone frantically trying to organise emergency roof repairs over a choppy phone line?!
We’ve even seen resources reallocated from less busy teams, to offset the burden. Incidentally, this also allows the now vacant space to be cleaned – if the rota can be changed fast enough!
If you manage a call centre, you need a cleaning service that’s able to flex with your requirements, but still give your teams a clean environment to work in. After all, it’s no good having all your staff off sick because the office is harbouring bacteria – especially in high stress situations.
Work with a cleaning company that can flex with you, and agree on a level of service that you both benefit from.
At the end of the day, a call centre shouldn’t have to work around its cleaning company.
We think it should be the other way around.
We work closely with our clients to understand what a typical week might look like, account for the unexpected, and even plan for the seasons. We work around all business types and requirements, to do our job to the best standard – and so you can do yours.
That makes all the difference when you’re choosing an office cleaning service.
The Abbey Cleaning Service – professional call centre cleaning
The Abbey Cleaning Service is a professional team of commercial cleaners in Cardiff, with specialist knowledge and experience in call centre cleaning as well as other types of office setups. Call 029 2067 9323 or use our contact form today to get an office cleaning schedule that works for you.
