Employee satisfaction=employee retention

It is no secret that ServiceMaster by Stratos conducts business in an industry that typically sees a great deal of turnover. However, Stratos falls far below the national turnover average, which has ranged anywhere from 75 to 400 percent over the years according to Cleaning Business Today – staggering figures!

So, how do we do it? It’s simple, but not easy. Since our founding more than three decades ago, we have made our service partners and company culture our top priorities. If our service partners are not happy in their jobs, they will not provide the best service to our clients. Creating an environment that allows our team to feel safe, appreciated, and cared for personally and professionally has proved to be key to keeping them on board longer than the national average.

If we enjoy a high service partner retention rate, this in turn translates into a high client retention rate. FranchiseHelp.com reports that cleaning companies lose up to 55 percent of their customer base every year as a result of poor service. Even if you are not in the professional janitorial arena, a statistic like this one should raise eyebrows across the board. With our client roster growing substantially in 2017 and 2018, ensuring customer satisfaction is vital. The more than 250 new service partners we brought on board as a result had to be vetted carefully to ensure they would be good cultural fits. We had to hire individuals we thought would respond positively to our culture and as a result, be more likely to provide clients with the service they deserve.

It’s important to note, though, that we oftentimes celebrate our service partners leaving, not because we are happy to see them go but because we are thrilled that they have outgrown their work at Stratos. Moving to a dream career or even entering a field they just completed a degree for means that we have done our part in helping our people develop, which is our second corporate objective. There is a lot to be said about this topic. Workforce development is something that has a lot of room for growth in our country. Stay tuned for blog posts from CEO Stacy McCall’s point of view on this topic in 2019!