We have spent the last three weeks addressing ways that technology, specifically management software, has revolutionized the commercial cleaning industry. We have touched on how this software can establish and reinforce your initial tech-savvy image to customers, help you provide loyalty-building customer service, and stay on top of your labor costs.
As promised at the end of Part 3, this week’s discussion will be specifically focused on how inspections tracking technology can serve to identify training and quality control issues that are impacting your bottom line and your relationships with your customers.
Part 4: Meeting Client Expectations and Improving Team Member Performance
The management side of cleaning companies has traditionally been confined to an office. So, companies providing commercial cleaning software have been known to offer management solutions specifically built for desktop computers.
However, with today’s constant demand – and expectation, even – for software applications on-the-go, modern technology has now made it possible for cleaning companies to also manage their business activities while out in the field!
In a 2013 interview with Cleaning Business Today, regarding the future of cleaning companies, Tim Curran – a tech investor – shared his vision at that time for what such a custom platform could look like:
“In the area of quality management and customer satisfaction, imagine checklists to verify cleaning was done with thoroughness. For route management, owners will track the travels of cleaning technicians and the amount of time spent at a location. For scheduling and customer service, think about the possibility to field a customer inquiry or schedule a cleaning visit in the palm of your hand…”.
You can imagine how a cleaning company like yours could capitalize on the ability to utilize such convenient tech-savvy solutions!
But the reality is, software applications serving all of these functions – and more! – are now available from visionary software companies, like Janitorial Manager!
If You Can See It, They Can See It
One of the most effective components of Janitorial Manager’s mobile commercial cleaning software is its inspections tracking capabilities. Regularly reoccurring inspections are a BIG DEAL.
Studies have shown that this “white glove” service results in higher retention rates, as it puts a second pair of eyes on the work that has been done and allows you to quickly catch and correct any errors or issues before your customers see them and raise concerns.
Rather than trying to keep track of paper forms, pencils and clipboards, accurate and intentional inspections of work done is easy to do when you have a mobile app in-hand. Users can access the Janitorial Manager app portal related to that specific customer on any mobile device (which virtually everyone has, these days!) and complete a quick questionnaire for each area of services completed.
Inspection templates are broken into specific areas, tasks, and steps. Each of the components are scored based on the quality of work done, and a total score is automatically calculated. The inspector is able to make notes related to each category and overall.
Instead of having to remember to mail, drop off or turn in these paper forms after they have been filled out (perhaps legibly… perhaps not-so-much!), the app allows users to instantly send the inspection form from their device. Once submitted, the task drops out of the real-time to-do list and submits it for review.
The reviewer can then get real-time access to the results, and can then determine whether or not they need to instigate quality control adjustments (i.e. call the employees right away to go back and fix the issue), or use it as a training tool.
Perhaps It’s a Matter of Know-How
One of the many benefits of having a birds’ eye view of each clients’ submitted inspections tracking forms, is that you are able to easily see which employees are receiving high, mediocre or poor ratings on their work.
This then gives you actionable evidence for calling individual employees to task for performance issues without fear of retaliatory responses or questions of employee discrimination. By being able to specifically identify which employees are performing sub-par work, you are able to instruct struggling team members one-on-one, or to champion their improved efforts.
Another benefit of inspections tracking can be seen when you notice one certain area – stripping and waxing floors, for example – that is consistently poorly rated, regardless of which employee completed the task. This may indicate that additional training is necessary, for all employees, on the equipment being used.
Use Today’s Inspections Tracking Software to Your Benefit
When all commercial cleaning companies, like yours, start making use of the “technologies of the future” that are now available to us today – such as Janitorial Manager’s mobile inspections tracking app – we will see the industry move towards leaner operations and more strategic deployment of resources.
In the same 2013 interview with Cleaning Business Today, Jim Harris, CEO of Concepts4Cleaning Consultants said that when this happens, “…we will begin to see existing facility staffs deliver cleaning at a higher level of efficacy, improved productivity, lower overall costs and the capacity to sustain the results – it’s all up to us as industry leaders.”
If you are ready to take advantage of the powerful Janitorial Manager Inspections that allow you to:
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- Create completely customizable inspection forms,
- Define the inspections, step-by-step
- Schedule inspections and follow-ups
- Associate employees with inspections for performance tracking
- Customize the inspection scoring scale
- Capture a permanent record of all inspections automatically (or print them in the field)
- And MORE…
… Contact your Janitorial Manager representative today for a FREE Demo!!
Be sure to visit us again for the last installment of this 5-part series on how technology is revolutionizing the Janitorial Business and the Commercial Cleaning Industry! If you’ve missed any of the previous articles, be sure to check them out: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.