Preparing for Your Kellermeyer Bergensons Services Interview: The Top 20 Questions You Should Know

Kellermeyer Bergensons Services (KBS) is a leading provider of facility management and janitorial services across North America. With decades of experience maintaining large-scale properties, KBS prioritizes customer service excellence powered by a dedicated workforce.

As a potential KBS employee you can expect a rigorous recruitment process assessing your skills, competencies and cultural fit. Here are 20 of the most common interview questions asked at KBS to help you prepare

1. Why are you interested in working for KBS?

KBS looks for passionate candidates driven by their values and culture. Discuss how you connect with their mission of providing exceptional facility experiences. Highlight aspects that resonate like their commitment to employees, health-focused cleaning, and sustainable practices. Convey genuine interest and enthusiasm for the role and company.

2. What experience do you have in the facility/janitorial services industry?

Prior relevant experience is valued highly. Detail any cleaning maintenance hospitality or property management roles you’ve held. Discuss specialized skills like servicing diverse settings, equipment operation, activity coordination, and managing third-party vendors. Highlight your ability to understand client facilities and deliver exceptional property experiences.

3. How would you handle an unhappy client complaining about poor cleaning quality?

Customer service skills are paramount at KBS. Outline your approach for actively listening to the client with empathy apologizing for their negative experience and reassuring them. Discuss investigating the cause, implementing a solution, following up to ensure satisfaction, and leveraging the feedback to improve systematically. Demonstrate you can transform difficult situations into trust-building moments.

4. How do you stay up-to-date on the latest industry best practices and trends?

KBS values continuous learning. Share how you proactively enrich your knowledge by reading industry publications, participating in associations, attending trade shows, and more. Provide examples of how you’ve applied emerging tools, methods or technologies to enhance operational outcomes. Showcase your commitment to excellence through lifelong learning.

5. Why is it important to follow safety procedures in this industry?

Safety consciousness is a must. Discuss the responsibility of maintaining safe spaces for occupants and preventing hazardous situations. Review key safety fundamentals like proper equipment handling, chemical management, accident prevention, and emergency response. Demonstrate you take safety seriously and act proactively to ensure injury-free environments.

6. How would you ensure cleaning quality standards are consistently met by your team?

Quality assurance abilities are key for client satisfaction. Discuss strategies like establishing clear expectations, inspecting work sites, providing hands-on training and mentoring, and leading by example. Share how you provide positive and constructive feedback to uphold standards. Convey your ability to cultivate personal accountability in a team environment.

7. How do you go about motivating team members and improving morale?

KBS prioritizes supportive team environments. Share creative strategies and activities you’ve used to motivate staff, like recognition programs, skills development initiatives, supportive coaching, team events, and more. Provide real examples of how you’ve cultivated shared responsibility, boosted workplace enjoyment, and improved retention. Demonstrate true people leadership abilities.

8. How would you handle a team member not pulling their weight on a project?

KBS values accountability. Discuss your approach for candidly providing the team member with clear, actionable feedback focused on objective outcomes. Outline how you would probe to understand any broader challenges they face and provide additional support if needed. Convey you aim to motivate lagging members through understanding and guidance rather than punishment.

9. Tell me about a time you successfully led a team during a high-pressure situation.

Ability to guide teams under pressure is valued. Set the context by describing a challenging high-pressure scenario your team faced. Discuss your specific actions to stabilize the situation, provide direction, and reallocate resources. Share the successful result achieved through teamwork and perseverance. Demonstrate grace under fire as a leader.

10. How do you establish effective communication across diverse teams and departments?

Communication abilities enable collaboration. Discuss strategies like active listening, leveraging preferred mediums, scheduling regular check-ins, and clarifying expectations. Share examples of bridging silos through liaison roles or cross-functional initiatives. Demonstrate an inclusive style that connects people across backgrounds.

11. What qualities do you believe are important to be an effective leader?

KBS assesses leadership qualities like integrity, accountability, empathy, and resilience. Share examples that highlight your principles and emotional intelligence as a leader. Outline your inclusive, coaching-focused management style. Convey a commitment to leading by example and bringing out the best in your teams.

12. How do you ensure you complete all cleaning tasks efficiently within time constraints?

Efficiency and time management abilities enable timely service delivery. Discuss strategies like planning and prioritizing tasks, optimizing routes, leveraging checklists, and focusing on key areas first. Share examples of how you maintain productivity without compromising quality, even under tight deadlines.

13. Tell me about a time you successfully handled a very demanding client.

Handling demanding clients requires resilience and composure. Set the context for a very difficult client situation. Discuss how you listened calmly to understand their concerns, established clear commitments, and followed through effectively. Share the positive outcome achieved through professionalism and focus on service excellence.

14. How do you proactively manage inventory and equipment needs for your team?

Logistics skills ensure optimal operations. Discuss strategies like monitoring usage, tracking lifespan of equipment, automating reordering, maintaining spares, and coordinating just-in-time delivery. Share examples of process improvements you’ve made to supply chain management.

15. How would you respond if a client insisted on an unrealistic demand or timeline?

Managing expectations diplomatically is key. Emphasize listening first to fully understand the client’s perspective. Discuss presenting realistic options aligned to your capabilities and outlining associated tradeoffs. Share your focus on building trust by providing transparency and meeting committed agreements.

16. What steps would you take to prepare yourself to clean a new client site for the first time?

Preparation and attention to detail are valued. Discuss reviewing site plans and requirements thoroughly, inspecting the site, identifying needed tools/equipment, planning task timelines, and preparing your team. Convey your systematic approach to getting up to speed quickly at new client sites.

17. How do you contribute to sustainable practices in your day-to-day work?

Sustainability is a KBS priority. Highlight eco-friendly procedures you follow like minimizing chemical usage, recycling waste, conserving energy and water, and using green certified products. Share any experience helping organizations achieve sustainability goals through operational practices.

18. How do you ensure quality when cleaning specialty items like machinery, sensitive electronics, or unique surfaces?

Adaptability is key in facility services. Discuss reviewing manufacturer’s instructions, consulting experts, securing special equipment/supplies, and inspecting work regularly. Highlight any relevant experience with specialty cleaning projects. Demonstrate diligence when handling atypical cleaning needs.

19. How would you respond if a team member came to you about inappropriate behavior from a client or coworker?

Integrity and trust are fundamental at KBS. Emphasize your approach to actively listening without judgment, thanking them for speaking up, and following protocols to escalate the situation appropriately. Convey your role as an advocate focused on psychological safety.

20. Where do you see your career in the next 3-5 years?

KBS assesses cultural fit and growth potential. Share your professional goals and how they align with KBS’s mission and opportunities. Convey your desire to grow skills, tackle new challenges, and contribute meaningfully to exemplary client service. Demonstrate your long-term outlook.

Preparing responses using the STAR method (situation, task, action, and result) will help you provide impactful illustrations of your abilities. With diligent practice, you will be ready to impress interviewers and launch an enriching career trajectory at KBS. Best of luck!