Add professional cleaning robots to your arsenal of tools and you may never look back.
Bring on the robots! Plenty of people know about the Roomba. The autonomous vacuum is an excellent tool for helping keep your house clean. As helpful as they are at home, though, Roombas don’t have what it takes for commercial spaces. But look beyond the Roomba and you’ll find commercial-grade, professional cleaning robots that can enhance your janitorial or building services business.
More and more companies are developing and releasing professional cleaning robots. As a result, the technology is constantly improving, and your options are growing. These robots are still an investment, and it’s unlikely your janitorial supplies sales rep will have one to demo for you.
Still, robots are on the way, even if it takes some time. The question, then, is how do you integrate this new technology into your daily workflow?
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 to make your cleaning operation more efficient and cost effective!
What professional cleaning robots can and cannot do in janitorial environments
The first thing to know about professional cleaning robots is that they can’t do it all. Most robots stick to one of two categories: floor cleaning or disinfecting and sanitizing.
Floor cleaning robots can vacuum, mop, and scrub different floor surfaces. Some are almost entirely autonomous, and will return to a charging station to charge up as well as empty dirty water and refill themselves with clean water for mopping. Other models and brands stick specifically to vacuuming.
Disinfecting and sanitizing robots may use fogging sprays or UV light to clean spaces and rid them of surface and airborne viruses and bacteria.
Whether floor cleaning or disinfecting, these professional cleaning robots are all programmable, come with built-in safety features like obstacle avoidance, and many of them can “learn” a route as they work.
Many of these robots excel at cleaning large spaces, such as the floors of supermarkets or shopping malls. What they can’t do, however, is clear the crumbs from the counter in the breakroom or wipe out the microwave. They won’t empty trash cans for you, nor will they clean bathroom sinks or refill soap dispensers.
Of course, that could come one day, but it’s not here yet. So, where does that leave us? Even with robots in the mix, you still need people to run a commercial cleaning company. The question, again, is how can robots fit into your strategy?
Robots, humans, and cleaning commercial spaces
Before thinking about integrating professional cleaning robots into your work, it’s important to consider whether that’s the right thing to do. Look at your expenses, your production rates, and your contracts, then compare that information with the cost of a cleaning robot. It’s possible you could break even pretty quickly, but you’ll want to know where that point is.
Consider the abilities of a cleaning robot, too. If you have contracts with large facilities with a lot of floor space, it might be helpful to have robots there. However, if most of your contacts are for smaller office buildings or spaces with limited square footage, a robot may not be the best investment.
But let’s assume you do decide that professional cleaning robots are right for your business. The very first thing to do is to get your employees on board. And the very first thing they’re going to worry about is this robot taking over their jobs. There are numerous ways to alleviate this concern. Your team could engage in more detailed cleaning that they didn’t have time to do before. A robot could increase your efficiency enough that you can bring on more clients. Investing in a cleaning robot or two does not mean you have to cut staff.
Next, spend time getting to understand and know how your robot operates. You or someone on your team may need to set up different parameters for the robot. Plus, you’ll want to ensure that it operates smoothly and won’t run into people or stationary obstacles, or go rolling down the stairs.
Train your entire team on the basics of working with professional cleaning robots. Everyone should know, at a minimum, how to turn the robot off and on.
Figure out what, exactly you want the robot to do and program to do that. You may or may not want to use the entirety of its capabilities. It’s for you to decide how a robot fits into your cleaning program.
Lastly, adapt your cleaning strategy. Go get some of those smaller accounts where a robot won’t work and keep your employees busy. If you don’t have other accounts, update your task list. The last thing you want to do is let employees go because you have a cleaning robot. That practically guarantees that everyone else on your team will start looking for other jobs.
Professional cleaning robots can boost your efficiency, your revenue, and your customer satisfaction. Just take it slow as you integrate them into your workflow and adjust as needed.
Make your cleaning business more organized, efficient, and profitable. Schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager to learn how mobile-friendly scheduling software can help you streamline your operation like never before.