You want your commercial property to shine. That’s why you invest in commercial landscape maintenance services. By partnering with a landscape professional, you can keep your property looking and performing its best.
But how can you keep it that way?
A landscape walkthrough is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to keeping your commercial property in pristine shape and maintaining its long-term value.
No matter what stage of the process you’re in, you might be wondering what you should expect out of landscaping site inspections and how to prepare.
Understanding this process can help you get the most out of those valuable visits with your account manager.
First and foremost, you want to make sure that your landscape company is planning a site walkthrough. While landscape inspections should be considered a routine aspect of commercial landscaping contracts, that’s not actually always the case.
Some companies don’t schedule these as they do take an investment of time. Companies that are bare-boned or cutting corners might skip even offering a landscape walkthrough.
But as we mentioned, these visits can be incredibly valuable and are really important to have done.
Here are a few things that we prioritize in these walkthroughs.
When we begin a landscape walkthrough, we focus on trouble areas and safety concerns. These are key areas being identified in the first visit and then addressed to see the progress of any solutions that were implemented in subsequent walkthroughs. This might include wet areas, overgrowth, turf issues, or more.
In addition to highlighting trouble spots, we’re also identifying areas that require routine maintenance and, in subsequent visits, addressing how they were handled.
A landscape walkthrough should also be proactive whenever possible. That means that after existing problems have been addressed, your account manager should also be seeking out anything that can become a problem down the road. Working with a proactive commercial landscape provider that isn’t waiting for something to become a problem will save you time, headaches, and money.
Finally, landscaping site inspections should also identify ways that you can improve your property.
If your account manager is not suggesting enhancements that will help you get more value and enjoyment out of your property, then they are shortchanging you. These types of improvements will help you be competitive and maintain the long-term value of your property.
A landscape account manager is the main point of contact with your commercial landscaping service. Think of them as your “go-to” for your landscaping needs.
A landscape account manager is responsible for answering questions and any ongoing communication, regular check-ins with the crew, periodic quality checks (performed on their own, typically weekly or bi-weekly to check on things), and then also performing landscaping site inspections WITH you (the property manager) present.
You should feel like you have an open line of communication with your landscape account manager.
Depending on the scale of the site, typically an HOA does one pre-season site evaluation, and then one mid- to end-of-season landscaping site inspection.
Of course, we do have some clients who require monthly site walks. This is often determined on a case-by-case basis, typically with the size and scope of the work being key factors.
As we mentioned, these landscape inspections are separate from the quality checks an account manager will also do on their own (typically weekly or bi-weekly) to ensure that the crew is fulfilling the scope of service and that quality is being prioritized.
Your account manager is always in touch with the operations team to ensure that your contract is fulfilled and your expectations are met.
Commercial landscaping site inspections are typically included as part of your commercial landscaping contract. This would be the pre-season and then mid- to end-of-season walkthroughs that we talked about previously.
Of course, there might be situations where extra visits cost money in special circumstances.
Depending on what stage of the process you’re in, you might be wondering what’s typically included in a landscaping contract.
It’s important that your commercial landscape maintenance contract agreement is thorough, detailed, and understood by both parties. It should help spell out expectations.
A landscaping contract should include specific details like:
Never hesitate to ask questions about your landscaping contract. We always feel that clarity and communication help prevent misunderstandings and confusion. It also helps ensure that the work isn’t interrupted and that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
At the end of the day, a landscape inspection is just one of many ways that your commercial landscape provider should ensure that your contract is fulfilled and that your expectations are met or even exceeded in many cases.
This process should also be about building confidence in the service partnership you're creating and building. That trust goes a long way in keeping the process smooth throughout the season.
We understand it can be hard to find the right partner that truly empathizes with the unique challenges of your Greater Chicago commercial property. But the work must get done, and KD Landscape wants to help you make the most informed and best decision for you.
Make sure to choose a partner that will take the time to perform landscaping site inspections with you (on top of any quality checks they’re already doing). At KD Landscape, we are always here to answer questions. We believe that ongoing communication is at the heart of the great relationships we have with our property managers.
Want to learn more about how KD Landscape can help you maintain your Greater Chicago commercial property? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice.