Schill Grounds Management Blog

It’s that time of year again. You’re thinking about changing your grounds management provider and you’re collecting bids.

Maybe you’re compiling them to submit them to a board of advisers or trustees for review, or maybe you’re just doing your due diligence to make sure that your property is getting the best value.

Over the years, we’ve heard from a lot of property managers that comparing bids from prospective vendors is one of the most difficult and time-consuming things they have to do. Unfortunately, comparing landscaping contracts is often not any easier, as bids differ depending on the scope of work and service offered. But beyond the ins and outs of what’s included in your contract, it’s also important to make sure (to the best of your abilities) that whichever company you choose is going to do the work to your satisfaction. After all, depending on the length of the agreement, you might be in bed with your grounds maintenance provider for multiple years.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about what we think are the most important factors for delivering great customer service. This series on C.A.R.E.—our four part recipe for providing an exceptional experience for our clients—is finally coming to an end as we discuss the last piece of the equation: expertise.

Consistency, accessibility, and reliability are all important values, but without expertise none of them matter. A company who is not adept in the landscaping space can’t be consistent or reliable. And what does it matter if your landscaping or snow removal contractor can be reached at all hours of the day if they don’t know what they’re doing?

Below, we take you through several questions to ask to determine whether the grounds management provider you’re considering are truly experts in their field.

Trust: it's something that can take years to build and just seconds to destroy, and it's the glue that holds people together in both personal relationships and professional ones. So, it makes sense that when you’re looking for a landscaping or snow removal company for your commercial property, you want them to be reliable.

We think reliability is important too, which is why it’s the third component of our C.A.R.E. customer service philosophy. Long story short, we take our customer’s trust very seriously and know we can’t operate a business without it. If you're looking for a grounds maintenance provider, this article has some questions you should keep in mind while searching that will help you figure out if a landscaping or snow removal company is reliable. And if you're a long time customer of ours, this post will show you how the Schill team works to win your trust every day.

January 19^th, 2018 marked 25 years that Schill has been in business. On that date in 1993, three brothers set out with the simple mission to make Northeast Ohio landscapes look their best. Since then, the business has changed drastically, and we know that we wouldn’t have made it to where we are without our customers, our rockstar crews, and the community this business operates within.

So, over the course of 2018, we’re going to be unveiling a variety of projects and charitable giving to show the people and communities who have had the biggest impact on our success just how much we appreciate them.

Here’s what we have planned:

If you’re a current Schill customer, then you probably have a strong relationship with your CCS, or Client Care Specialist. We assign everyone a CCS when they become a customer, and they’re ultimately responsible for making sure our clients get the service they deserve.

But doing that wouldn’t be possible without the Operations Managers that work alongside them. These unsung heroes are on the front lines of your property every day, making sure it receives the service it deserves.

We’re proud of our company structure and we want our current and potential customers to thrive.

For these reasons, we wrote this article to help current and potential customers learn what an Operations Manager does here at Schill Grounds Management and how to get the most out of the one that’s assigned to their property. Jake Koglman and Justin Graber, two of our Operations Managers, sat down to give us their take on how our clients can get the most out of their Operations Managers.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had an amazing dish, only to go back and be less than impressed when you order it again at a later date? It’s not a fun experience. And when you go to your coffee shop and order your favorite morning libation, we assume that you do so expecting that it’s going to taste just as great as the last time you had it.

Consistency in customer service means a lot to us as a culture. We want the experiences and goods we spend money on to be great every single time.

So, when you choose your grounds management provider, it goes without saying that you expect them to perform well week after week and year after year, through spring rains or winter snow.

Schill Grounds Management has recently acquired a facility that spans 20,000 square feet in Middleburg Heights. The building, which was formerly used as a logistics facility, will do a great job of accommodating Schill’s large fleet of landscaping and snow removal vehicles. Furthermore, the facility allows for quick access to the highway and is located in an area that will help the company service its Cleveland area clients more efficiently.

Because Schill operates within an industry that places a lot of emphasis on design, the company is investing a great deal of time and resources into the renovation of the facility. This includes changes to the fencing and parking areas, as well as upgrades to the building and landscaping. When the project is completed, Schill Grounds Management will have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, which will in turn stimulate the local economy. Work on the property is scheduled to be completed in late November, after which Schill hopes to create over 50 new jobs in the area.

Your customers are judging. People are watching. They’re making decisions about whether to pull into your entrance, or if they should spend time shopping and dining on your property.

They might even be deciding whether your business looks like a great place to work. Your landscape truly is the first impression, and there’s a lot involved in making your Ohio commercial property a desirable place to live, work or shop.

If you bring on a mow-and-go contractor, you’ll get what you pay for and even risk losing customers and tenants. There’s a lot of stake when you partner with a grounds management provider to maintain your property.

What you need is a professional firm that holds industry certifications and has a track record for success. The problem is, how do you find out if the landscape company you’re considering is a true, quality provider?

There are a few things that almost every property manager wants to know. Literally hundreds of times a year, we get the same questions—because these issues matter to you.

At Schill, we believe in providing straight answers to your questions, and we’ll never make you wait.

You’ve got a question? You deserve an answer.

You hired a commercial grounds maintenance firm to care for your property. The contract is signed. The crew is prepared to service your Northeast Ohio landscape. But, who is responsible for ensuring quality—suggesting enhancements, managing your property like a true asset? And, what if there’s a problem with the service?

The landscape provider caring for your grounds should have dedicated staff and a communication system in place to ensure quality, safety, value and return on investment.

At Schill Grounds Management, our C.A.R.E. commitment to consistency, accessibility, reliability and expertise includes getting a dedicated Client Care Specialist. This is a trusted adviser who helps create a customized landscaping plan for your property that suits your goals and budget.

Many landscape companies assign Account Managers to oversee properties. At Schill, we go deeper with a Client Care Specialist who is in constant contact with the crew servicing your grounds, your management team and our leadership.

With a dedicated Client Care Specialist, here’s what you can expect: