Snow doesn’t wait—and neither can your response plan. Whether you’re managing retail centers, industrial parks or sprawling campuses, snow and ice removal demands a well-orchestrated approach. To stay ahead of winter weather, you need a coordinated, scalable response plan focused on streamlined communications, risk reduction and maintaining uptime.
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Reliable, Immediate Commercial Snow & Ice Removal Services
1. Streamline communications
Consistent, ongoing communication with your snow and ice removal partner is critical to the success of your program. This requires setting clear expectations up front and leveraging technology to ensure you’re always in the loop with the work being done at all of your locations.
Outline your communications expectations in your RFP. Once you’ve internally determined your communications expectations, be sure they’re spelled out in your RFP so that your partner understands your expectations regarding reporting on the work being completed, as well as your preferred format and frequency for communication and reporting.
Confirm pre-storm communication practices. As a storm approaches, your snow and ice removal partner should be able to provide consistent and timely pre-storm communications, from frequent updates on weather conditions and possible risks to going over actions being taken to ensure your sites are safely cleared. If you or your internal teams need post-event updates with snowfall accumulation totals, include those in your RFP as well.
Leverage technology. Make sure your partner has the technology to manage snow and ice removal across multiple sites. Leading providers use tools that monitor incoming storms, enable early preparation and deliver real-time updates on service status. At Chain Store Maintenance – an MCS Company, our technology platform offers real-time reporting with GPS-enabled vendor check-ins and photo documentation—supported by a check-in compliance rate above 90%. This not only helps reduce risk during severe weather but also gives you the visibility to make informed operational decisions, like whether to close a location or adjust your daily sales forecast.
RELATED CONTENT: COMMERCIAL SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL FAQS
2. Reduce risk
The key to minimizing winter weather risk is acting early—well before snow is in the forecast.
Get your RFP out early. Ideally, your snow and ice removal RFP should be sent out by July, so you’re able to make your final decision on a partner by August to ensure you get your top pick of providers as well as your preferred routing schedules.
Ensure your sites are covered via backups. To limit safety risks like slips and falls from uncleared snow and ice, your partner should ensure that a vendor is available at each of your sites, as well as have backups in case the primary vendor fails. This is especially important for sites in high-risk areas (like areas of the South, where snow is less common but can be a potentially more hazardous event), making it important to confirm your partner has backup vendors at the ready.
Choose a SIMA-certified partner. Partnering with experts who are experienced and certified in snow removal essentials can help you further reduce your liability and ensure efficient, proactive snow and ice removal service all season. The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) is the leading organization for snow and ice removal professionals and providers, and their Certified Snow Professionals (CSP) program has become the industry standard for certifying snow and ice removal professionals. Having a partner with CSPs on staff validates their ability to meet your snow removal needs, so you can focus on your core business.
>> Meet Chain Store Maintenance’s Certified Snow Professionals <<
3. Maintain uptime
Minimizing business disruptions during a snow event requires clear communication of your priorities and expectations for snow and ice removal through your response plan.
Prioritize key areas. As your snow and ice removal partner works to safely clear your sites, they will need a clear roadmap to guide them—literally. In the event of a severe storm event or other potential challenges, you’ll want to indicate the areas of each property that are the highest priorities—such as specific parking lots, sidewalks, driveways or loading docks—so your provider understands which areas to clear first.
Confirm service times. Clearly outline service timing in your RFP, so your provider knows when snow and ice removal must be done to keep your property safe and accessible for customers and employees.
Taking these important steps can help you improve communication with your partner, reduce your liability and maintain uptime across your locations no matter what the weather may bring.
Partner With Us for Snow and Ice Removal
Chain Store Maintenance can work with you to meet your commercial snow removal needs. Contact your Chain Store account representative or email CSMsales@ChainStore.com today to learn more or request a quote.
