Operating as a building service contractor can be an interesting business. It should be simple. Your customers absolutely need the services you provide – especially when it comes to professional cleaning and hygiene. Unclean offices have caused almost half of all workers to take a sick day (or more) by causing illness, so you’d think that business managers would be rushing you through their front doors to get the job done and improve their productivity. But it’s not like that at all…
Unfortunately, many companies see building services as an extra, a ‘nice to have’, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. This means that, when they contract you, expectations are high. They want to see results and they want to see their ROI, which means you have to demonstrate how you can provide services that are effective and efficient. You have to show you can deliver value for money and quality.
The good news is that there are an increasing number of ways to make your cleaning operations more effective while reducing the resources needed to get the job done. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
Discover smart ways to drive performance and efficiency
Here are five ways to show your customers they can expect outstanding results, while helping you create a more cost-efficient business:
1. Automate your cleaning processes with machines
If you haven’t already started building your robotic cleaning unit, now’s the time to get going. More and more smart solutions are hitting the market, offering you a range of affordable products that won’t let you down when it comes to cleaning quality.
Take floor scrubbers, for example. Think of how many people and the time it takes for your team to complete the task manually for customers. Now imagine you can put a reliable robot on the job, allowing you to reallocate you people to tasks that add value for your customers. Automation can seriously up your quality while saving you time and money.
2. Develop the digital side of your business through E-cleaning
Once you have your cleaning robots in place, you’re going to want to make the most of your investment. This is where E-cleaning comes in, giving you the ability to take more control over your automated processes and really drive efficiency. Using Management & Mobility apps and other software, you can take your services to the next level. For example, you can gain insights on how effective your machines are and explore how to further improve the quality and use of resources in your day-to-day operations.
E-cleaning isn’t just for interacting with your robots; you can also use it to help your team work more effectively. Taking advantage of the rise in use of smartphones and apps in every walk of life, you can introduce software that drives efficiency and gives you greater feedback on how everything is running. Another element to think about is the fact that, as more buildings adopt systems enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT), being able to integrate with them via smartphone apps will become crucial.
3. Invest in your people to improve quality
Maintaining consistent high levels of quality is one of the biggest challenges for any professional cleaning company. Customers don’t stick around long if you’re not getting the job done properly. In fact, businesses can lose up to 55% of their customer base if the services they provide are less than satisfactory.
This is why having knowledgeable, well-trained people is critical. Your employees are the key to driving quality, success and (yes) your company’s bottom line – so an investment in them is an investment in your business. Providing timely and effective training is a useful way to help your people add new skills, creating opportunities for them and building a better workforce for you.
4. Become more sustainable with the Circular Economy
According to the UN, the world only has 11 years left to act on climate change before we begin to face irreversible damage to the planet, its environment and every living creature. This means that the way our industries and businesses work has to change – and change soon. Simply put, the companies most likely to succeed in the long term are those that can rethink how they create, consume and dispose of the resources that drive their business.
The best way to achieve this within your company is to become part of the Circular Economy. Designed to minimise the input needed and waste created by industry. It’s a smarter way to use and manage resources that will not only make your business more sustainable, but also reduce your consumption and its associated costs. This will become even more important as sustainability transforms from a corporate buzzword to a necessity for everyone.
5. Follow the latest market trends (and lead wherever possible)
Professional cleaning and hygiene is a competitive industry, and one that offers customers plenty of choice when looking for a provider. This makes it easy for your business to fall behind if you don’t have a clear idea of the developments taking place across the sector – and how to apply them within your business to continually improve your services.
Ongoing innovation is the key to success for the industry itself and the companies who operate within it. And the only way to make sure you’re at the forefront of this is to pay close attention to the latest market trends. This isn’t just about sourcing newer, more efficient equipment, however. It’s also about being up-to-date with the latest methods, techniques and training that could drive performance across your team.
Embrace the future of professional cleaning and hygiene
Arguably, the last point on this list is the most important as it will help you to make a success of all the other areas. Staying on top of the latest market trends will help you to discover the right machines for the job, identify the training your people need and drive sustainability within your business. It will also allow you to keep track of the growing digitisation of the professional cleaning and hygiene industry – a major trend that is set to dominate discussion, so make sure you are subscribed to the Interclean newsletter.
