Do you look around and see overgrown shrubs, beds full of weeds, or other landscape hazards at your Greater Chicago commercial facility?
Has your commercial landscape maintenance service underperformed? Do you feel ignored or that your provider doesn’t communicate well with you? Maybe you keep making lists of improvements you want done on your property but you have absolutely no time to address them. Not to mention, you thought these headaches were already addressed.
Listen to your gut. It might be time to find a new commercial landscape partner. But the last thing you want to do is make a poor decision. Workers, tenants, employees, and visitors rely on you to keep your commercial facility safe and welcoming.
You should begin your search armed with the right questions to be sure the commercial service provider you choose to perform your commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago is the right one for you.
Here are the major 6 subject areas on which you should target your questions.
Questions to Ask a Commercial Landscaping Company
Few properties feature such a diverse mix of people as a commercial facility. People are coming and going throughout the day -- from employees and visitors to tenants and guests, as well as security personnel.
Commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago must take all of these things into account. The professional you hire must meet all of your unique needs, including knowing appropriate strategies for your property type, working within your budget, being able to show you they have a solid track record working on accounts similar to yours, and that they keep safety and sustainability top of mind.
These topic areas and suggested questions can help you figure out if the commercial landscaping company you’re interviewing is the right one for you.
1. Landscaping That Fits Your Facility
A great commercial landscape partner that provides the right kind of landscaping for you will guide you on the right plants for various areas on your commercial property. This means not putting a sensitive planting bed right next to a parking lot that gets covered in salt during the winter that might be too much for those plants.
Also, regular cleanup is a critical part of commercial property maintenance. When so many people are coming and going on a property, they will inadvertently drop trash. This is in addition to regular natural litter that will collect as leaves, sticks, or branches drop.
A professional experienced with commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago will know these commercial landscape standards and be able to suggest improvements to your property to maximize them.
Questions to Ask:
- What experience do you have with landscaping for commercial properties?
- Do you offer trash patrol as part of your maintenance services and can you tell me more about that part of the program?
2. Visit Frequency & Contract Details
Depending on the size of your commercial site, you could have a landscape crew arrive a couple of times each week to perform regular services or you may even have a dedicated crew that is on your site full-time Monday through Friday.
To be able to understand how a commercial landscape contractor would work on your property and compare services from one company to the next, you must get a full understanding of the services they offer, how often crews are at your property, and how they work. That’s why in your questions to ask a commercial landscaper, your potential service provider should be transparent and open about what services they provide, how they conduct business, and what strategies they use for specialty services.
Questions to Ask:
- Can you tell me about your maintenance contract?
- How often will you be on my property?
- What services are included? Leaf removal? Tree and shrub pruning?
- Do you arrive at the same time every week? Will I have a dedicated crew on my
property throughout the week?
3. Check References
Nothing expresses how a customer feels about their commercial landscaping services more than their willingness to share their positive experience. Service providers with expertise providing commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago will have case studies detailing their work that they can share with you.
Questions to Ask:
- Can you provide examples/references from other similar commercial sites you can share?
4. Safety Concerns
A commercial facility must maintain safety at all times. 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, are some examples of things you need your service provider to include in weekly maintenance work.
This need for safety also extends to the people visiting your site. You don’t want slips and falls when walking in and out of your facility. A commercial landscape company that keeps this in mind will clean off debris after they mow sections to avoid any hazardous walkways before moving on to the next section. It’s a common courtesy that makes their service extra special to a commercial environment.
This includes not just crew member behavior but also the general appearance of company vehicles and employees. Since they are a representation of your brand while working on your commercial property, clean and logoed uniforms; well-groomed workers; and neat, well-maintained vehicles are crucial. Employees should also be wearing the proper safety gear and personal protective equipment.
Questions to Ask:
- How does your commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago benefit my property from a safety perspective?
- Do your crews wear uniforms and personal protective equipment/safety gear?
5. Clear Communication
Commercial landscapes are dynamic. Sometimes they require service at off-peak hours or at times that don’t interfere with important busy hours at the facility.
This is why in your questions to ask a commercial landscaper, talking about holding occasional meetings and conducting regular communication is crucial 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 to ensure your needs are being met. You should be comfortable with the amount of communication you receive from your commercial service provider, as well as the reporting on services provided. This relationship-building and communication builds trust.
Questions to Ask:
- Will you send me updates or reports after services are completed detailing what was done on my property?
- How do you track what services are scheduled and when they will be performed on my property?
- How often do you meet with me to discuss my landscaping?
6. Budget, Cost & Value
When discussing questions to ask a commercial landscaper, your landscape professional should be completely transparent about costs involved and what’s included versus what might be considered additional services or enhancements. They should also be willing to discuss your budget needs and challenges -- not only at the beginning of the year, but also mid-year when you might have concerns.
There’s also a level of value you should be able to expect from your commercial landscape professional. You don’t want to have to chase down your service provider to tell them you havea a dead shrub. The goal of a great commercial landscape partnership is removing your headaches … not adding to them.
Questions to Ask:
- How do your costs compare to other commercial landscape companies?
- Can the budget be reallocated during the contract?
- How can your company add value to my commercial site?
We Can Help You Make A Good Choice For You
Commercial landscaping in Greater Chicago is special because service providers don’t function as just vendors, but as integral parts of your facility management team. Not only should they make your life less stressful, but with their services and presence they should also provide comfort to workers and visitors to your property.
We know you have a lot of operations issues that require your attention. When you want to form a healthy partnership, we hope these questions make it easier for you to make an informed, well-researched decision in choosing your commercial landscape partner.
Want to learn more about how KD Landscape can help you manage erosion on 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.
