Questions to Ask When Hiring a Commercial Snow Removal Company
As winter approaches, it’s essential to prepare for everything, including getting snowed in. Time is money, and if your company vehicles and clients can’t enter and exit your parking lot, you can lose a lot of both. Luckily, you can prevent getting snowed in by hiring a commercial snow removal company.
8 Questions to Ask a Snow Removal Company
Before you hire any company to complete services for you, it’s important to ensure they’re the best option for your needs. As you vet snow removal companies, ask them the following questions:
1. Are You Fully Insured?
You want to hire a fully insured snow removal company. To be fully insured, they must have workers’ compensation and liability insurance. This protects you in the event of an accident. A non-insured company may offer lower rates, but there are high risks associated with snow removal, so it’s best to ensure the company prioritizes safety.
2. What Snow Removal Services Do You Provide?
Companies offer different levels of services after a snowstorm. Knowing if a company provides the services you need is essential. Here are the options for commercial snow removal:
- Snow plowing: A professional company uses commercial-grade snow plows to remove snow from parking lots and handheld plows to move large amounts of snow in smaller areas. Snow plowing allows you and your customers to access clear parking lots and safe pathways. It also allows your company fleet to transport items to and from your distribution center or warehouse.
- Snow removal: After clearing the parking lot, there will be giant piles of snow on your property. Once the snow melts, it can interfere with accessibility and parking. Commercial snow removal hauls the leftover snow piles and deposits them at a safe location.
- Ice management: Icy parking lots and pathways can cause injuries and accidents. A commercial snow removal company can apply ice-melting products and salt to the pavement. This prevents ice from compacting and becoming harder to remove.
3. What Is Your Pricing Structure?
Each company’s snow management pricing structure varies. Some charge per inch or trip, while others charge extra for early arrival, massive snowstorms, deicing and snow removal. Most businesses choose to establish a contract with a company for the season or multiple years.
There are various types of snow removal contracts with different payment measurements. Once you know what services you want, you can decide which agreement is best for you. Standard contracts include:
- Seasonal: Seasonal contracts feature a fixed rate and often last for a few years. Every year, you pay a flat fee, and the company comes to clear the snow. Snowfall varies from year to year. Because seasonal contracts cover a few years of service, the payment and amount of service typically balance each other out, making the contract fair for both parties.
- Per push: Pay-per-push contracts are ideal if you want to pay for snow removal services as needed. A push is a visit to your business. So, if it snows for three days and the service visits your location four times, you pay for four trips.
- Per event: Consider a pay-per-event contract if snowstorms are uncommon in your area. You won’t have to find a snow removal service in the event of a snowstorm because the one you contracted comes out to plow and you pay a flat fee.
- Per inch: As you can imagine, this contract looks at the amount of snowfall to determine payment. It can be challenging to create this contract because you have to agree on a rate and a measurement. For example, you could decide to pay per inch according to how many inches of snow the local weather station claims has fallen.
- Time: You can also pay per hour. If the company works efficiently, this might be an excellent option for you.
4. How Reliable Is Your Equipment?
Commercial snow removal requires heavy-duty, professional equipment to complete the job correctly. The company you hire should have plows and deicing equipment. Ensure the company performs regular maintenance on its equipment for safety and quality.
5. What Is Your Emergency Response Plan?
You want to know the company you hire prepares for emergencies. When unfavorable weather is coming, a trustworthy snow removal company will arrive at your property ahead of the storm, so they can remove the snow before it piles up. They’ll also offer a way for you to contact them for 24/7 snow maintenance.
6. Do You Have References?
References and reviews assure you of a company’s trustworthiness. You’ll gain insight into the satisfaction of its previous customers, giving you an idea of what your experience with them might be like.
7. Do You Monitor the Weather?
Snow removal companies should monitor the weather. It’s unpredictable, and they must prepare to be on standby for an unexpected storm. Make sure the company you hire stays on top of weather trends so they can provide services as quickly as possible.
8. What Will Communication Be Like?
You need to know how the company intends to communicate with you. They should tell you how you can contact them and if they have a dedicated phone line for emergencies.
Follow up this question by asking them how they intend to communicate with you before, during and after a storm. The company should have a designated contact so you can know when they’ll arrive, when they’ll be finished and what they’re planning to do.
Trust S&S Plowing for Your Commercial Snow Removal Services
Before a storm hits, S&S Plowing heads out so we can be there to handle the aftermath. With over 25 years of experience, our team knows what to expect with cold weather and can clear the snow safely and efficiently. Whether you need snow relocation, plowing or deicing services, we can do it all. We’re fully insured and offer 24/7 weather monitoring and response services.
When you choose us, you can rest easy knowing we’ll keep your property safe and accessible for everyone. Contact us today to learn more about our services.