Snow Removal Services

If you’re a property manager or own a commercial building, moving from summer into fall can be a headache in terms of shifting from one landscaping concern into the next. While you may be seeing the end of higher water bills, rain damage, and the need to replant to keep your landscaping attractive, that just means we’re that much closer to the cold-weather portion of commercial landscaping concerns. Whether you’re in need of leaf and lawn maintenance or looking toward the inevitable return of snow removal season, it’s important that you choose a commercial landscaper you can trust. The landscaping industry is an $84 billion industry, but that doesn’t mean all landscapers were created equal. Here, we have some ideas about how you can go about choosing the commercial landscaping service that’s right for you — no matter the season.

Be Sure You Trust the Landscaper’s Reputation

As with choosing any contractor, a little research can mean the difference between having a lasting relationship with a commercial landscaping company you trust and being left high and dry with unreliable service. Before you even make the first phone call, check out any potential landscapers on the Better Business Bureau to see what kind of reputation they have in your community. Important things to look for include: timely delivery of services, how they respond to disagreements, what their protocols for landscaping emergencies are, and the average length of their relationships with other clients.

Make Sure They Offer the Services You Need

Not all landscaping services are created equal, and not every landscaper will perform the same set of skills. If there are things that are essential to the maintenance of your landscaping, make sure that any commercial landscaping company you vet offers the services you need. For example, if you need maintenance done on trees on your property, if you need snow removal, or if you require any kind of landscape design, be sure to ask whether these services are ones your landscapers will offer. If you find yourself needing to hire multiple services, compare the costs to see if you aren’t actually costing yourself more money in the long run.

Happy Workers Mean Happy Company

One of the things many clients often overlook when hiring contractors is the relationship the workers have with the company and vice versa. When you discuss the terms of your contract with management, pay close attention to how they talk about their workers. Do they seem proud of the work their people do? Do the workers seem proud of the work they do? Do they seem to get along with one another in a professional capacity? Constant in-fighting or a sense of disillusionment or anger with regard to management may be a sign that things aren’t going well within the company and could be cause for concern. Ultimately, you’ll have to trust your gut when it comes to these things, but if you repeatedly notice management speaking poorly of workers with whom you’ve had positive interactions, that might not be a good sign.

Customer Service is Crucial

Once you’ve made sure that your commercial landscaping service has all of the necessary qualifications to make your space beautiful and functional, you’ll need to make sure they align with your expectations for customer service. This goes along with their reputation, and is an important thing to discuss at the outset: if they do commercial snow removal, will you be able to reach them in the middle of the night to be sure that your lots are cleared for the following morning? Is their account management team diligent in making sure that accounts paid and accounts receivable are handled in an organized and professional manner? Is there a person in charge of your account who is able to address concerns you have as they arise, and is that same spirit of customer service passed on to the laborers as well? These small touches can make a huge difference in a relationship with a landscaping company.

Hiring a commercial landscape management service can be a long process with plenty of potential pitfalls. But if it’s done correctly, you can establish a lasting relationship with a contractor that can keep your commercial space looking beautiful and well-maintained for years to come.