Now more than ever, keeping up with your new janitorial leads is one of the most important ways for your business to thrive.
In San Antonio, Texas, the calls to Jan Pro Commercial Cleaning have increased 2,000%.
For Enviro-Master franchises, business is up 890%.
In Florida, the team at Paul Davis Restoration is disinfecting a 15,000-square-foot warehouse one day and a local fire station the next.
For so many commercial cleaning companies across the country, janitorial leads are coming in faster than ever. And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Marketwatch reports that job openings for cleaners are “through the roof,” with a 75% increase in help-wanted ads year over year.
That makes perfect sense because right now, commercial cleaning businesses are providing services that are helping their communities stay safe in ways that have gone far beyond what anyone could have planned. You and your team are doing more detailed, in-depth work than anyone would have ever imagined necessary on such a regular basis. And the fact is, the demand for your janitorial services isn’t going away anytime soon.
COVID-19 has changed our world forever, and businesses will be highly conscious of the need to hire cleaning companies that can effectively sanitize and disinfect on a microscale. What does that mean for your business? It means you have a chance right now to stand out, and the commercial cleaning companies who prioritize their janitorial leads could find themselves leading the way into our new reality.
Make your business stand out with Janitorial Manager, software designed by janitors, for janitors. Contact us today for a free demo and learn about all the fantastic features!
Your janitorial leads can help you succeed (or they can spell disaster)
Janitorial leads can spell disaster? Every business wants new customers, right? How could that be a bad thing?
If you aren’t organized, and you don’t have a system in place to track your janitorial leads, a big influx of calls will overwhelm you. Names and numbers will get lost and you’ll forget to return calls, you’ll set up a walkthrough and find you’ve misplaced the address and contact information, or your team won’t be prepared for a scheduled appointment.
If you’re the only game in town, that might not be a business killer. But there’s a pretty good chance that you do have competition. And when you don’t return calls or don’t show up for appointments, those customers will move on faster than you can say airborne particles. (They will also tell their friends.)
There are some simple ways to avoid that situation.
1. Use your outgoing voicemail message or email autoreply to your advantage.
There’s nothing wrong with transparency. When people call and get your voicemail, or if they email you, that’s your first opportunity to provide excellent customer service and show them how well your business communicates with customers. It can be simple, too. “Thank you for calling ABC Cleaners. It’s taking us a little longer than normal to return calls, but please leave your name and contact information, and we will get back to you within one business day. If this is an emergency, call [Owner] at 123-456-7890 for immediate help.” Use something similar for the autoreply on your email. And don’t worry, it’s unlikely many people will use that second option, but it really does imply a high level of customer care.
2. Get organized before you return calls or answer emails.
Schedule a time (or several times) each day when you plan to return calls and answer emails, and stick to it. Before you start returning calls, listen through each message, and read each email. Make a list of names and numbers. Use a spreadsheet or keep a notebook; just don’t start writing information on scraps of paper. You WILL lose those.
3. Make a note of your progress.
By each name, note when you responded to them, along with any information that you might find helpful.
4. Be prepared with referrals.
There are reasons you may not be able to work with a client yourself. They could be out of your geographic range or looking for something you don’t offer. When this is the case, be ready with a referral for them. That’s excellent customer service, but it’s also good marketing if you have a few business friends you can share referrals with.
5. Enter potential clients into your janitorial management software.
Not every janitorial lead will be a prospective customer. But for those who might be, take the next step and enter them into your system. There you can schedule appointments, detail any special requests, or determine what your supply and personnel needs are for the location.
How to turn your janitorial leads into new business
Here again, organization and communication are your primary pathways to new business. To keep yourself from running in circles and trying to do everything at once, work out a schedule for attending to new business. Maybe you plan walkthroughs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings or you do them all on Fridays. Find something that works and stick to it as much as possible.
Be prepared to offer on-the-spot proposals and scheduling options. Cloud-based janitorial management software makes this especially easy since all you need is a smartphone or tablet to access the information.
Likewise, before you schedule a new customer, you’ll want to ensure you have the supplies you need to do the job. And once again, inventory tracking is efficient and straightforward with your cloud-based janitorial management software. You’ll know ahead of time if you need to plan differently based on what you have in stock.
For that matter, with your team’s schedule in hand, you also know if you have the right people available to do the job.
New janitorial leads are good for business. Just don’t let an influx of potential customers throw you into a disorganized spiral. Stay organized, work methodically, and continue to do the high-quality work you and your team always do.
Easily stay in touch with employees and clients, bid on jobs, manage inventory, perform inspections, and more with Janitorial Manager. Check out a free demo to learn about all the great features!