Find out how to make your operations more efficient so your commercial cleaning company franchise can profit.
One of the benefits of owning or managing a commercial cleaning company franchise is that you aren’t left to do everything on your own. You start with an established system and have built-in help with the logistics of opening a company. You immediately have name recognition that can take a lot of time to build when you start from scratch.
Of course, operating a cleaning company franchise still comes with plenty of challenges. Even with all the help available, you are still generally responsible for day-to-day operations. You need to figure out the schedule, handle finances, keep up with supply and equipment inventory, determine your hiring needs, and so on.
With that in mind, one of the most significant expenses for a cleaning franchise is labor. That’s not surprising. Labor is the largest budget line for many businesses, especially those in service-related industries. Put simply, you need people to get the job done, therefore, you need to pay people to perform the work.
However, while a significant percentage of your budget is earmarked for labor or payroll, you can still take steps to streamline and make your efforts more efficient. And you can do it without letting people go or making big cuts in hours.
Improve communications and keep up with your employees. Schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager to learn how mobile-friendly janitorial software can help your team improve.
5 Ways to increase profitability in your cleaning company franchise
1. Know the numbers. Streamlining labor is a great way to make your commercial cleaning company franchise more profitable. Before you can do that, though, it’s vital to know where you stand. As a franchise owner or manager, you likely have a good idea of what your numbers are. Even so, dig in and determine your costs, margins, revenue and projected revenue, and so on.
2. Set a goal. You can’t meet a goal if you don’t set a goal. So, what is your goal for streamlining labor costs? Better yet, set a SMART goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of saying, “I want to increase profits,” try “I want to increase my profit margin by 5% within the next 60 days.”
3. Use the right tools. Just like a steam cleaner makes it easier to clean a carpet, the right tools help you manage your labor costs. Software like Janitorial Manager makes it simple to streamline your schedule, ensure you have the people you need in the right location, and keep up with supply inventory and equipment location. Additionally, you can experiment with different iterations of workloading and pricing to achieve the margins you want.
4. Use automatic timekeeping. Clocking in and out manually can lead to numerous inefficiencies and mistakes. Much of that is the result of people simply forgetting. Of course, that leads to overpaying, underpaying, and all the energy that comes with correcting those mistakes. Then there’s the more purposeful issue of buddy clocking – an employee clocking someone in who isn’t there. These costs add up quickly. Plus, they’re a headache to deal with. Automatic timekeeping, whether through facial recognition technology or geofencing, eliminates these issues. It not only makes payroll easier for you, but it also ensures employees get paid properly.
5. Thorough onboarding. Usually, running a commercial cleaning company franchise means you have specific standards and procedures. Beyond that, you also have particular ways you expect jobs to be done. At the same time, we often hire because we need people out on the job as soon as possible. The result is that many onboarding and training programs are short and quick. This leads to frustration. Employees feel ill-prepared and don’t understand the expectations. Employers feel like they spend more and more time just getting people up to speed. Though a more extended training period may seem like it cuts into productivity, in the long term, it’s more efficient to have people who know how to do the job and will stay with you longer.
Explore other avenues to streamline expenses
Ultimately, the goal of streamlining labor is to minimize business expenses and increase profitability. But your labor costs are only one option in reaching these goals. Here are some other places to consider streamlining or working to increase efficiency.
Inventory. Your product and supply inventory is a crucial component of keeping your cleaning company franchise up and running. Proper inventory ensures your team has what they need to do the job.
Communication. Communication is essential, and it can also take time. However, communication apps like JM Connect streamline the process. Your team can translate messages into their preferred language, and you can create and filter messages based on location. The JM Client Portal makes it easy for customers to submit requests and ask questions. And the JM Online Portal makes inspections, checklists, and more a breeze.
Equipment tracking. With equipment tracking, you know where all your equipment is at any given time, making it simple to ensure they are in the right place when you need them. Furthermore, you can also stay up-to-date with maintenance and warranty information, saving you both time and money on upkeep and repairs.
Whether you run your own business or opt to go with a cleaning company franchise, Janitorial Manager is here to help. From scheduling to inventory to administrative tasks, our job is to make your job easier.
Take advantage of the value Janitorial Manager can bring to your cleaning operation to streamline your processes like never before. Learn more today with a discovery call and find out how features like QR codes, timekeeping, and workloading can make your operations more effective and easier to manage!