Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for house cleaning companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Right Hand Maid Services Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: customize its cleaning services to meet the specific needs of its clientele. “We’re a service company first and foremost, so we always focus on giving our customers exactly what they need,” says President Lucenita Gooden. “When our customers arrive at their homes or businesses and see the quality of our cleaning work, we want them to be happily surprised.”

Right Hand Maid Services has been offering cleaning services to residential and commercial clients in Marin County and San Francisco since 2005. The company utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to handle everything from routine home cleanings to post-construction cleanings, and it also provides comprehensive janitorial services for commercial properties like office buildings, banks, and schools.

Unlike less experienced cleaning companies that work according to their own schedules and lose a certain amount of regular clients as a result, Right Hand Maid Services tailors its work to meet its customers’ unique scheduling needs. “We understand that most of our clients have busy schedules, especially those who own businesses, so we make ourselves available on evenings, weekends, and before and after regular business hours,” says Ms. Gooden. “This flexibility also allows us to accommodate people whose schedules often change during the week.”

Another distinguishing attribute of Right Hand Maid Services is its highly skilled employees, all of whom have specialized cleaning experience that allows them to provide in-depth services. “We have crews that specialize in construction cleaning, for example, which requires different skills than residential cleaning or commercial janitorial cleaning,” explains Ms. Silva. “We also have crews that specialize in cleaning vacation rental properties and providing set-up and clean-up services for parties. Our customers really appreciate this type of versatility.”

When working with a house cleaning company, make sure its employees follow basic rules to keep your home clean and sanitary. If you’re thinking about hiring a house cleaning service, you probably expect its employees to leave your home cleaner than it was before they arrived. However, some cleaning companies don’t follow basic sanitation rules, which is why you should take a vested interest in the details of how your company cleans. “Some cleaning service companies use one sponge, brush or rag to clean an entire house, which means they’re using the same tool to clean a toilet as they do to clean a kitchen sink,” explains Lucenita Gooden, president of Right Hand Maid Services Inc. in Corte Madera. “Cross-contamination can become an even bigger problem if a cleaning company uses the same tools in multiple homes.”

According to Ms. Gooden, the best way to avoid this situation is to make sure your cleaning company only has cleaning tools on-hand that are to be used in your home. “The cleaning tools should also be specific for each room,” she adds. “Having color-coded cleaning materials or supply baskets for each room can be helpful, as can having a separate basket or kit for bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms. Check to see if the company is labeling its tools. For example, bathroom cleaning tools could be labeled blue and kitchen tools could be labeled yellow.”

Being diligent about these matters is important because they can affect the health of everyone who lives in your house. “Using chemicals to clean refrigerators can contaminate food and make people sick,” explains Ms. Gooden. “Instead, you should ask your cleaning company to use plain soap and water to clean your fridge.”

Ms. Gooden also says your cleaning company should have policies in place that protect the different surfaces in your home. “Cleaning services need to use different equipment and products depending on the surfaces they’re cleaning, whether fabric, leather, granite, natural stone, vinyl, stainless steel or porcelain, so you should make sure you’re protected in case the wrong product gets used on the wrong surface.”

Q: Can I cancel or change my appointment?

A: Yes, but we require 24-hour notice for any cancellations or changes. You can call, text or email us to make changes. We do have to charge a fee for last-minute cancellations and re-bookings because we have to compensate our employees for their time and travel expenses.

Q: What kinds of cleaning products do you use?

A: We use a variety of products. Based on our years of experience, we know which brands work best in different situations. We like to use Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products—it’s a very popular brand with our customers, and many of them use it in their own homes.

Q: Do you use any Green cleaning products?

A: We use Green products whenever possible, but in some cases it’s more efficient to use Clorox or other bleach-based products. We always defer to our customers, though—if you’d prefer us to only use Green products, we’re happy to do it.

Q: Can I request the same cleaning team every time?

A: We always try to keep the same team, but sometimes we have to move around our staff to accommodate our work load. We can promise that you’ll have the same team leader every time, and we’ll let you know well ahead of time if there are any changes to your regular cleaning team.

Q: Can I be home while you clean?

A: That’s up to you. Sometimes it’s easier to clean when our customers aren’t home because we can move around quickly and not have to worry about being in their way. Many of our customers actually leave us keys so we can get in while they’re at work. That being said, you’re more than welcome to stay home while we’re cleaning.

Q: Can I trust your employees?

A: Absolutely. Our employees are honest and trustworthy, and they’ve all been carefully screened and trained to respect our customers’ properties.