Businesses that are frequently visited throughout the day might find themselves in need of a Porter Service. A porter service, also known as a “day porter”, is a person that is stationed within a commercial facility to assist in daily duties associated to cleaning.

Day porters are the backbone and support of an organization’s personal image. They are the ones who ensure customers, employees, and daily visitors are satisfied with the facility they are entering and leave with nothing but positive remarks, evidently protecting a brand’s reputation. A porter service functions as a day-time janitorial service, but with extra benefits, some of which are:

• Lobby maintenance
• Restroom restocking and sanitation
• Removing trash
• Communal are cleanings (i.e., break rooms, patios, kitchens)
• Meeting setup/breakdown

Customize the Service to Fit Your Needs

While there is a standard “to-do” for a porter, every organization is different- thus every porter’s responsibilities would need to differ as well. It is essential to discover what you are looking for in porter service, then create a detailed job description and schedule with your outsourced partner. This plan will keep both employer and employee on track and provides a way to evaluate the success derived from the porter service.

Define Duties

For a porter staff to be successful it is crucial to develop a plan and create a timeline of expectations. This will assist your porter in prioritizing their time to best meet the needs of your organization. Because porters can be given a wide variety of tasks to perform, it is easy to fall into the mindset that smaller tasks, such as restocking the restrooms or taking out the trash, are not as important as other tasks. Communicate with your porter staff about your personal preferences about what should be completed first. This also means that you will need to stress the importance of not overwhelming your porters with requests from your staff. To help mitigate confusion and unnecessary requests coming from your own staff members, establish protocol early on so your porters know who to accept requests from and who they can say no to.

Finding the Right Fit

Now remember, a day porter is stationed within your organization during business hours and interacts with your customers. That is why it is crucial the individual providing the service not only exceed the expectations of the job but fits right with your organization and team. Therefore, it is essential that the porters and employees work cohesively making a world of difference for the business.

Communication is Key

As with anything, effective communication will save time and stress for everyone involved. Update your cleaning provider with the progress of your day porter or if there are any adjustments that need to be made. It is much easier to rectifier a problem that is identified earlier than later.

If you think your organization (and we believe many can) could benefit from a day porter service, contact us today. LCS Facility Group would love to review your business needs and develop and plan with you.