5 Minute Read
Let’s be honest. Commercial landscapers do not have the best reputation. Whether it is poor communication or landscape services that don’t live up to the hype, most businesses have trouble finding and retaining an excellent commercial landscape company.
Let’s look into some of the common reasons people fire commercial landscapers and some potential solutions for these issues.
This first reason is really one of the most frustrating things property managers have to deal with. You spent the time and energy searching for the right commercial landscaper, and the one you selected said all the right things. You felt confident with what they said they would provide, yet a month into service, nothing they promised is happening. Bids for additional landscaping work are taking weeks to receive, phone calls are not being returned, and you have no idea who your contact person is anymore.
Unfortunately, this is a problem for many commercial landscapers. They may not have the staff on hand to follow through with the work agreed upon. The company may have promised something they cannot deliver because they do not have the proper systems or communication layers in place.
When a commercial landscaper overpromises, what usually follows next is a serious lack of transparency. This issue can make it impossible to continue working with a commercial landscaper as you cannot trust them. This can take on many forms.
Maybe you were promised to have one consistent contact person for your property, and now it turns out that one person is handling all the properties. Your property is not going to get the proactive management you were promised.
It could be that you assumed the commercial landscaper you hire handles all the services in-house, yet during the first fertilization application, there is a truck with no name and an employee wearing a different company’s uniform. You are disappointed to find out they subcontract for nearly all their work.
Worst of all, you agreed on a scope of work with the company you selected and signed a contract. Then several change orders come flying in as soon as work begins. You thought that the contract you signed was all-encompassing, but come to find out the company left out quite a few things.
With many commercial landscapers, unfortunately, the quality of both communication and service decreases as time goes on. The ‘honeymoon period’ comes to an abrupt end, and you are left feeling like you have no other option than to find a new company.
The excellent service and communication you were receiving in the first 90 days of being a new customer has now dissolved completely. Or as a tenured customer, the services are no longer as crisp and tight as they once were. This is another valid frustration, especially because the company at one point was able to deliver the quality of service it promised.
It is likely that you are all too familiar with these three reasons people fire commercial landscapers. Unfortunately, this poor service leaves you buried in work. You don’t have the time to be babysitting a commercial landscaper that has proven they cannot be trusted. You need a company that protects your reputation and the image of your business.
Because of these three issues, we have put several organizational systems and customer service layers in place to ensure we don’t repeat the same mistakes other commercial landscapers have. Let’s look at just three of the items we use to make sure your property is well cared for.
When we provide you with a solution, it is not just a list of services with prices. We take the time to focus on each service area, including pictures and notes of what we saw on your property and what you told us your pain points were. We then provide a detailed onboarding plan that spells out exactly what is included in your contract, what additional tasks are needed, and the estimated timeline of implementation. This plan includes property walk-throughs, meetings, presentations of recommendations, and more.
We dedicate a dual management team, both an Account Manager and a Production Manager, to each account to prevent a lack of follow-through and communication frustrations.
To resolve the problem of quality decreasing over time, our team performs monthly quality audits on each property. We use an internal grading scale monthly to rate all services such as mowing, edging, seasonal color, mulch, etc. and include pictures for comparison. This monthly scorecard holds our team accountable and helps us proactively work to make our clients' property look its best.
We know that problems with your landscape don’t always occur during business hours. We offer a 24-hour emergency contact to each of our clients that can be utilized any time day or night. Our team is also staffed with licensed & experienced professionals, so we don’t need to hire subcontractors to get the job done. This improves consistency, quality, and price point. Our organization systems within our team make everyone’s roles clear so that you receive the service and communication that was promised.
We know that your position is demanding. You don’t have time to waste dealing with transparency issues or lack of quality service. And frankly, you really shouldn’t have to.
If you are ready to partner with a commercial landscape management company that will devise a plan, communicate efficiently, and handle all the details, then we are here to help. Get started by filling out our consultation form. We’ll meet to learn more about your property and work together to protect your investment.
Written By: Monarch Landscape Management
1850 Hollister St.
Houston, Texas 77080
713.849.6600