Are you paying attention to your janitorial supply list? Neglecting that list could be costing you a small fortune, and you might not even notice until it’s too late.
When is the last time you gave much thought to your janitorial supply list? Sure, you order supplies and cleaning products when you need them, but beyond that? Are you still getting all your products from the same vendor you contracted with a few years back? Are you tracking your inventory? Are you ordering in the most economical way possible?
These might seem like minor issues. It may not “feel” like you’re going through more product than you should. Your vendor might still be the nicest guy in town. But if you aren’t actively managing your janitorial supply list, you don’t have a reliable way to know if you’re spending more than you need to or running through supplies at a faster than average rate.
Even if you are, it’s easy to ignore the few extra bucks you spend here and there for a rush order. You don’t want to make a big deal of the fact that your team is using more window cleaner than they did last year. The problem is, these little things add up quickly. That extra two dollars on a case of hand soap doesn’t seem like much. The $15 extra you had to pay for a rush order on floor cleaner? Yeah, that was a lot, but it doesn’t happen often.
But when you start doing the math.. ouch! And that’s just the more evident costs. If you’re using inefficient or ineffective products, you may be using more than if you switched to something better. You could even be losing business because clients want to hire a commercial cleaning company that keeps up with the latest advances in cleaning product technology and science.
Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to turn this money-losing action around.
Janitorial software can help you to create and manage your COVID-19 cleaning plan. Check out a demo of Janitorial Manager today to see how we can help keep your team safe.
Manage your janitorial supply list to make your life easier and your business more lucrative
1. Diversify your sourcing. If we’ve learned anything through the economic and business shutdowns of early 2020, it’s that we as people are highly dependent on supply chains. And when there’s a kink in that supply chain, we could be in trouble. As a business, if you source all of your cleaning supplies and products from one place, a shutdown or a back up can turn into a significant headache, at best. At worst, that kind of interruption could seriously impact your ability to do your job and may damage your business.
Add to that the fact that your current supplier may be friendly, reliable, and always there for you, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price out there. Not to say that a good business relationship doesn’t count for something. It may be well worth it to pay a little extra for excellent service and personal attention. It’s just important to know what your options are.
2. Track your inventory. If you aren’t tracking your inventory, there’s no way you’re keeping up with your janitorial supply list. And it could be costing you way more than you realize. Without the right supplies, your team can’t do their job. Without the right supplies, your customers are going to lose faith in your ability to do what they’ve hired you to do. Without knowing what you have on hand, you won’t know when or what you need to order. Good employees get frustrated and leave you. Good clients also get frustrated and leave you.
The thing is, keeping up with your inventory is simple, especially when you have high-quality janitorial management software. (By the way, we happen to know of some janitorial management software that we highly recommend.) You can even get a handle on your budget for individual locations, which gives you an easy way to run reports and find out how much revenue you can expect.
As a bonus, this intimate knowledge of your janitorial supply list and budget can help you create more precise bids, since you’ll know what your costs are for different locations and spaces.
3. Acquire new products. What does managing a supply list have to do with new products? In the days before COVID-19, maybe not very much. But today, you’re getting calls for one-time cleaning and sanitizing jobs. Your clients are asking you for extra work, and they want to know that the cleaners and methods you and your team use are effective against COVID-19.
In short, they’re counting on you to keep up with the latest research, products, and cleaning methods to crush COVID. This is where a proactive janitorial supply list comes in handy, not to mention that diversification of sources. It’s important to know what’s available to you, how well it works, and even how it works (breaking down the outer shell of the virus, as it is believed alcohol does, for instance). That’s not just useful information to know, either.
The more you understand about COVID-19 and the specific virus, the more you can share and market that information to your customers and potential customers. You don’t have to claim to know all the scientific details to be an authority on how certain cleaning products can inactivate a virus or other pathogens. That is, after all, why people hire you, right?
And in terms of money? Staying on top of the latest pandemic research is a great marketing strategy. Present the data, share which products you use that are effective (and why), and charge appropriately. Especially in the case of those one-time cleaning contracts, managing your supplies could help you decide exactly how much to charge so you can do your job effectively and still make a healthy profit.
Of course, there are a lot of good reasons for managing your supply list. The simple fact, however, is that it’s just good business. And if we may add a humble brag here, Janitorial Manager gives you an easy and stress-free way to manage not only your supplies, but your entire commercial cleaning business.
Create checklists, make schedules, monitor inventory, and more with Janitorial Manager. Schedule a free demo today to learn more!