Like many trends, janitorial industry trends may be helpful, or they may waste your time. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Trends are an interesting phenomenon. Some trends can move an industry forward and help us all live better lives. For example, the trend toward safer automobiles should help reduce traffic injuries and mortalities. Other trends are more temporary and don’t have much lasting impact on anyone. Take, for instance, most social media challenges. Janitorial industry trends can go in either direction.
Some, like the trend toward using environmentally-friendly cleaning products, can, in theory, help us all by lowering the number of contaminants and harsh chemicals on surfaces and in the air. Unfortunately, other trends might be little more than a way to spend money on things that won’t help your business. For example, the idea that continually lowering prices is the only way to compete for business might help you get over a slump in customers, but it’s not the most ideal way to increase your revenue.
The key is knowing which janitorial industry trends are worth trying and which don’t do anything to improve your business or help your community. Here are some tips on telling the difference.
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Janitorial Industry Trends: Determining What to Keep and What to Toss
We know some janitorial industry trends will come and go, while others hold promise and offer benefits. Now, how do you figure out which is which? Here are a few pointers in determining if a trend is right for you.
1. Positive trends solve problems. Look for janitorial industry trends that solve problems or improve a process. As an example, a color-coded cleaning system can help solve safety issues by bypassing the issue of whether or not the people on your team can all read the same language.
2. It changes a process. In addition to improving a process, some trends can change a process entirely. Often, this is through technical or mechanical innovations. One example is the frequency with which commercial cleaning companies now use electrostatic sprayers to disinfect a space. That’s a significant change from trying to wipe down every surface in a room when you’re working against bacteria or a virus.
3. They are financially prudent. No matter how much potential there is in any janitorial industry trends, if you want to see how they work for your business, you need to ensure it won’t hurt you financially. Only you know what those numbers are, and there’s a big difference between investing in your business (which is necessary) and gambling on a new technology or business plan that might not offer any return on your investment.
4. Ask your peers. Eventually, you need to make your own decision about which janitorial industry trends will work for your commercial cleaning business. However, some of your peers may have experience with these trends and can help you understand more about the pros and cons.
5. Does it make sense? It’s a simple question, but be warned that the answer isn’t always straightforward. That said, some trends make sense, such as the greater focus on PPE in the wake of the pandemic. Other trends are clearly flawed. But just taking a moment to decide if a trend seems reasonable or not may give you a lot of insight into whether that particular trend is worth looking into.
6. What does the research say? This isn’t always easy to find out, but if you can, take a look at the available research to find out if an industry trend is worth trying out. Look for reliable sources, such as peer-reviewed papers or websites with a .gov or .edu address.
7. Will it help your customers? This is the question we should ask anytime we adopt a new policy, trend, or anything else. Will your choice have a positive impact on your customers? Whether through more customer-friendly policies, effective cleaning solutions, better safety protocols, or some other aspect, you want to know that you’ll be helping your customers in some way.
Trends change over time, and not every trend is right for your business. However, if you can figure out which janitorial industry trends are worth the effort, you can feel confident in trying them out yourself to see just how much they improve your life.
If you’re ready to increase the professionalism of your cleaning operation through better organization, easy access to important data, unparalleled tracking, and more, schedule a call with Janitorial Manager today!