[badgergirl]

I really need help. I have been given the task of letting our cleaning service providers go. A W-9 is still needed from them, so I have called them asking them to come in to fill that out. We have had issues with them previously and I was given that job also. Officially I am the receptionist. Unofficially I wear the hats of office manager and assistant to several people. So in my offical position and as the messager (only) how can I tactfully request their keys and giving them the letter of termination?

[Libby Huffman]

I wouldn't exactly describe myself as having tact, as I'm a firm believer in being upfront and honest with everyone. While it's likely you can do both, choosing your words carefully is key.

After they fill out their W9, I would tell them that you appreciate the job they've done, but your company has found another provider. If they want to know more, I would absolutely tell them the issues you've had. While they might become defensive (as it is human nature) they should ultimately use your criticism to become better at their business.

It's never easy telling someone that they could use improvement, but it's imperative to your office and your business that you find someone that is worth the money you're spending. Bite the bullet and be honest.

[badgergirl]

I did it. I thanked the cleaning lady for her services and told her we are going internally (which is true). She said that she knew it wasn't because of the cleaning since there had never been a complaint (which is untrue) but she should have been given a 30 day notice. I told her again that we appreciated her time and I was just passing the message along. One of my supervisors did say that I was smart to bring another co-worker in with me. The cleaning lady brought her daughter in the meeting so it was really good to have my co-worker to even the number.

[Libby Huffman]

Whew! It's over and I share in your relief. Man, that's never easy. Way to push through it though. Great job!

[Chrissy Scivicque]

Congrats for getting it done! I think it's a valuable lesson learned for all of us - anytime you need to break unfortunate news to people, it's best to have someone else there with you. It's probably helpful for a number of reasons.

[LisaOlsen]

Quick idea you may want to consider. At my previous employer we had so many vendors providing service, some good, some didn't meet our expectations. I was often frustrated because I would have to call and follow up on some issue. Or, I received calls from other departments regarding service issues. I knew their had to be something I could do!

So, with approval from the President, my boss, I developed a "Preferred Provider" list which included criteria for our service vendors and the level of service we expected. I sent this out to all of our vendors, from the florist service to the company who serviced the vending machines. The information included a "statement of service" that let the vendors know if we were not satisfied with their level of service, we would get bids from other companies.

This list was also filtered through the organization and posted to the company Intranet so all departments were using the same carpet cleaners, florist, printing company, etc. It saved the company money as well. Any new vendor accounts requested had to be approved by me. I reviewed the PPL every year and sent out new service letters in January thanking our vendors for their services and letting them know they were still on the list!

The best thing about this was all the great "thank-you for your business" chocolate I received at the holidays!!!

And, the vendors soon got the message that they could be off the preferred provider list if we had any problems!