A significant part of our business comes from the office cleaning sector. Our track record of providing a high-quality, reliable contract cleaning service to offices across the south of England, has resulted in many of our customers remaining consistently loyal with our longest-standing office having been with us for 16 years.

What do our customers say?

Based in Colchester Essex, Albea UK Ltd is the only producer of laminate tubes in the UK, supplying approximately 750 million per annum to the UK, Europe and other global locations. Rapid has been providing them with a comprehensive cleaning service since November 2013.

As part of the budgeting process, Eric Philbert – Planning and Purchasing Manager at Albea UK Ltd – regularly assesses the performance of suppliers. The cleaning service is included in this process and in August 2013, Rapid was invited to tender.

“Having placed one of her business cards on the reception desk just days earlier, I invited Carolyn Briers (one of Rapid’s Sales Executives) to join the other two cleaning companies who would be tendering.”

Eric admits that there was nothing wrong with the actual cleaning being provided at the time, it was more the company and their lack of management: “The cleaners were doing a good job but they were disillusioned with their employer. I was constantly having to resolve issues and act as the go between – something we were paying the cleaning provider to do.”

Rapid provided a competitive quote and in Eric’s words, “Carolyn asked a lot of questions  and showed a clear understanding of our needs”.

When Rapid took over, nearly all of the cleaners transferred under the TUPE law. The competence of the cleaners had never been a concern of Eric’s, the question for him, was whether a new employer would change the unhappy demeanour of the staff, thus reducing his involvement in the day to day cleaning.

Eric noticed a difference almost immediately: “I no longer have to deal with the day to day issues, in fact I’m rarely involved at all….Rapid are doing a great job of managing them.”

A year on and Eric describes the cleaning team as “happier and more relaxed”. The building remains clean and Rapid is doing a successful job of managing the contract – so much so that Eric has already recommended us to other potential customers!

Carlisle Fluid Technologies is a global organisation, manufacturing equipment for the supply and application of paints, coatings and sprayed materials. They became a Rapid Clean customer back in 2014, having been with their previous cleaning company for a number of years. They were keen to find an alternative provider due to the cleaning standards falling below par, poor attendance and the service no longer feeling like good value for money.

In this situation we would always prefer to bring in our own cleaners but as is often the case, the cleaning team transferred under the current TUPE regulations. It was our job therefore, to turn them around and change their mind-set from ‘we have never done that’ to following the cleaning schedule that we had agreed to fulfil.

In order to ensure this happened, we brought in an attendance-based bonus scheme for the cleaning operatives. The team responded well, cleaning standards improved, and the Contracts Manager had successfully brought them on side.

The customer has been very happy with the service being provided ever since and in particular, the excellent communication they receive from their Rapid Contracts Manager as well as the team leader who we put on site.

“Any problems are dealt with in a timely manner be that by the team working at our site or from the head office.” Justin Rowlands, Site Services Manager.

Our sales person first went out to visit Arrow Global, one of the UK’s most experienced credit solution providers, in late 2016. With a large headquarters in Farnborough, the Facilities Manager, Dan Porter, was mainly looking to reduce the company’s overheads.

Out of all the companies to tender, Dan chose Rapid Clean largely due to an £11k per annum saving but also because our sales person was the only one to clear her glass and put it in the dishwasher!

“From sales right through to the Area Manager, everyone I have met at Rapid practices what they preach.”

As we knew that Dan’s decision was cost-driven, we made it our mission to look through every area of the cleaning contract where he might be able to save money. We suggested alternative consumable options, which he was keen to take us up on:

“Rapid has saved me money when I’ve asked them to look into solutions. They have a very proactive approach that makes my life a lot easier.”

In addition to that, Dan was disappointed by the level of contact that he and the cleaners had been receiving from their previous cleaning provider:

“I felt that we were just a number on a sheet rather than a customer, the personal touch was lacking and we rarely saw anyone on site.”

We knew that this was another area where we could make a considerable difference. During the first few weeks of taking over the cleaning at Arrow Global, our Contracts Manager, Sue Kirby, spent a considerable amount of time training and investing time in the cleaners as well as the supervisor. We inherited the cleaners under the current TUPE regulations and we often find that some re-training in our company’s specific procedures and policies is required. Dan noticed a difference almost immediately:

“We see Sue regularly and she does a detailed monthly audit with the cleaners. Any problems are resolved quickly and efficiently and I don’t have to manage the cleaners or worry about the service at all. This has been a huge benefit to me.”

Arrow Global has recommended us to various companies since we started managing their cleaning contract in 2016, a few of which are now also happy customers of Rapid.

Supplier of fresh produce to some of the country’s finest kitchens and restaurants, Ritter Fresh has been a Rapid customer since January 2012.

When we first met, they were about to move into a brand new building and were looking for a reliable company to take over the daily cleaning and management of staff. Being in the food industry, we knew just how important it would be to ensure that hygiene levels and cleaning standards were maintained at all times.

As always, we monitored the cleaning operatives regularly during the first few weeks to ensure that the building was cleaned efficiently and to the highest standard.

“Staff are very attentive and keen to make sure they are doing a good job.” Joel Carter, Ritter Fresh

We’ve had a few changes since the early days but our Contracts Manager, Peter Soares, visits the site regularly to make sure that the cleaners deliver an excellent service. Ritter Fresh’s Operations Manager, Joel Carter, continues to be impressed by the standard of cleaning:

“We have been using Rapid for the last 5 years, they provide an excellent service maintaining good hygiene standards at our site. The staff are reliable and conscientious, the management team are regularly on site monitoring the standards of work. We would certainly recommend Rapid to other commercial businesses.”

Bowman House is a privately-owned business centre, situated on an industrial estate just off junction 16 of the M4. The manager, Graeme, made contact with us in May 2017 because he was struggling to find a reliable cleaning company who understood their ever-changing needs.

“We were looking for a supplier we could trust and the professional presentation from Rapid convinced us that becoming a client was the way forward.” 

The cleaning company Bowman House had been using previously, didn’t appear to be managing the cleaner and was not carrying out regular inspections of the site. As part of our contract, all customers receive monthly visits from their Rapid Contracts Manager, including a full audit of the cleaning standards. The existing cleaner wasn’t keen on increasing her hours on site so after a short period, we brought in a new cleaning operative who received our usual thorough training.

The customer is always our priority, so we were keen to find out if we were delivering what had been promised at our initial meeting and that Graeme was happy.

“We have not been disappointed, the service and contract at all levels has been excellent and the communication regular and reliable.” 

When asked if he would recommend our service to other potential customers, this is what Graeme had to say:

“We have confidence in Rapid and would happily recommend them to any company requiring support in maintaining their facilities.”