A landscape full of overgrown trees and shrubs and a lawn overrun with weeds is not something you want in your commercial facility.
Whether you manage an office park bustling with employees, a hospital busy with patients and health care providers, a thriving retail center full of shoppers, or an industrial manufacturing hub, your goal is to draw people in, not send them away.
If you’re looking around your commercial landscape and not seeing the polished and professional-looking vista you think your property needs, it might be time to ask yourself some questions.
How’s your relationship with your commercial landscape company? Do you try to do the landscaping on your facility with your own crew, and they don’t have time to prioritize it? Do you have a wish list of things you’ve wanted to get done to improve your outdoor areas, but your commercial landscape company is never listening.
It’s time to reassess and trust your gut. You want to choose a commercial landscape company that’s going to work as a part of your team keeping your site thriving. Let’s look at the key characteristics you need to seek out to find the best partner for your property.
What You Need to Look for When Hiring a Commercial Landscape Company
Despite the type of commercial property you manage, you are always looking to keep your exterior looking good.
But sometimes outdoor maintenance can fall off of your priority list with all of your indoor responsibilities taking precedence. Your crews likely lack the time and experience to give your commercial landscape the polish it needs.
And if you already use a professional landscape crew to keep your property maintained, and it still doesn’t look good, maybe you need a change.
What you need to know to get the right commercial landscaping company in Northeast Ohio are the qualities you should prioritize to ensure the best job possible.
Here are the ones we suggest as keys to obtaining a partnership and property aesthetics you can be proud of.
Experience In Areas That Are Important To You
A busy commercial property needs a facility that functions well without a lot of interruptions , downtime, or negative attention.
When you hire a commercial landscape company that fits your needs best, they will talk to you about your specific goals. This can include everything from snow removal to seasonal color to creating inviting outdoor environments. They make sure to include everything you need on a regular basis so your facility stays in top shape.
To achieve these goals, they have experts on their team with experience in the areas that matter most to you. This trained team and specialized knowledge ensures your current and future goals are met.
And when you have something you need done quickly – maybe a key event at your college or a sale at your retail facility – then you can call your landscape crew in for additional resources to polish up your site. And you don’t need to hire part-time help to get this extra work done.
Contract Details & Service Frequency
Depending on the size of your commercial landscape site, you may opt to hire a commercial landscaping company to tend to your site weekly or maybe you require a dedicated crew that is on your property full-time each day of the week.
Either way, you want a team that can do what you need for your property – whether you just need a weekly cleanup or a crew that is more of an extension of your current staff.
To find this team, you need to understand their full-service offering, how often crews will be on your property, and how they work. The right commercial landscape partner for you will be transparent and open about the services they provide, how they conduct business, and their strategies for special requests you have. They should be able to answer all of your questions and detail your needs in your contract with them.
References & Examples For You To Review
Commercial facility managers who are willing to share their experiences about their landscape services company with others are clearly happy about their choices.
When you choose a commercial landscape company, you want one that can provide you with references and examples of their work so you know what they can do and can do your research prior to hiring them.
This way, you are confident in your final choice and know what you’re getting into.
A Focus On Safety & Security
When you hire a commercial landscaping company, you are also looking for one that will help enhance safety on your Northeast Ohio commercial property.
Commercial properties are public businesses that encounter traffic at all times of day and, in some cases like hospitals and medical facilities, night. This makes safety and security a key part of a facility manager’s priorities.
Some key outdoor maintenance tasks that can help include regularly trimming trees and shrubs so they aren’t a hazard or in the way, as well as taking care of any drainage or water issues to avoid slippery areas, cleaning off debris after mowing, etc.
Also, since your commercial landscape crew is on your site when other people may be there, you want them to look professional since they are a representation of your brand. This means they should be wearing clean, logoed uniforms; have well-groomed workers; and drive neat, maintained vehicles. They should also be wearing the proper safety gear and personal protective equipment.
Good Communication
Commercial landscapes are dynamic spaces. Sometimes they may need service at off-peak hours or at times that don’t interfere with important busy hours at the site. You want to hire a commercial landscaping company that can do this for you when you need it.
This is why holding occasional meetings and sending regular communication between the landscape service and you is vital to determine what needs to be done and coordinate appropriate timing.
Brief monthly meetings, in addition to quarterly or at least biannual meetings for review and redirection, help maintain an ongoing dialogue. This helps you know your needs are being met. You want to be comfortable with the amount of communication you receive from your commercial landscape service provider. This regular interaction and communication helps build trust between you and your service provider.
Budget, Cost & Value
Hiring a commercial landscaping company is a big decision that takes up a chunk of your budget.
Your commercial landscape professional should be completely transparent about the costs involved in your outdoor maintenance and everything that is included, as well as the costs of additional services or enhancements. They should also be willing to discuss your budget needs and challenges -- not only at contract renewal time, but also when you need it and are having budget issues or questions.
You should also be able to expect a high level of value from your commercial landscape service provider. A true partnership is about fixing issues when you need them done. You don’t want to constantly be calling your service provider for help or assistance when you see trash all over your property, a bad snow storm comes through your site, a tree branch is dangling, or a dead plant is tarnishing the look of your entryway. Your partner should remove your headaches – not add to them.
You can also find value in how landscape crews behave on your property. They should smile when they see customers on your property and quietly do their jobs without adding stress to the situation or site. They should be able to turn off loud equipment during hours when you don’t want the disruptions or avoid major traffic areas during lunchtime. This means your service provider should have people skills, as well as great landscape service skills.
Your commercial service provider should also be using equipment that embraces noise and emission reductions, as well as perform proper lawn care services in the most effective and efficient manner.
We Can Help You Choose a Commercial Landscape Company That Works Best For You
Hiring a commercial landscaping company is an important decision. This is because your service provider doesn’t function as just a vendor; your commercial landscape crew becomes an integral part of your facility management team. They should make your life easier and less stressful – all while providing your site with a professional, polished look you love.
We know you have property issues and operations tasks that need your immediate attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your commercial landscape shouldn’t be a burden on your time, attention, and budget. You seek to form a healthy partnership with a great team so you can maintain your focus and keep your property running smoothly.
We hope these traits help you better focus on finding the right partner for you so you can make a well-researched, informed decision.
Want a more customized, proactive maintenance program for your Northeastern Ohio commercial facility? Turfscape can help. Request a proposal today. We’ll review your options together so you can make the best choice for your property.
