Staying on top of your commercial cleaning service inventory is vital to your success. Here’s how you can ensure you have what you need.
Cleaning solutions. Trash bags. Mop heads. Your commercial cleaning service inventory is an essential part of your job. The floor cleaner you use each night helps ensure a safe environment for your clients. The disinfectant you use on door handles and light switches keeps your clients healthy. The PPE your team wears helps them work without worry.
Your tools and supplies are just as important to the work you do as anything else. Without the right tools, your work will be less than ideal. In fact, you may not be able to do your job at all.
That’s a scary place to be in for a cleaning business owner. Imagine your customer walking in while the entire team is sitting around waiting for you to show up with the floor cleaning solution you had to go buy at full price. Probably not the impression you’re going for.
Not only that, but tracking your inventory can save you money by helping you pick up on unusual usage patterns or missing items. There are plenty of good reasons to track your cleaning service inventory.
Ready for next level success? Call us today to see how our software can make your janitorial operation more successful!
No more shortages: How your commercial cleaning service inventory can keep you moving
You want to avoid cleaning service inventory shortages. We know that much. What we need to figure out is how to do that. Here are some tips that will help you track your inventory and make sure everything is the way it should be.
1. Confirm your orders. When you order supplies, confirm that you order what you mean to. A slip on the computer could mean the difference between 1 case of a cleaning solution and 11 cases, or vice versa.
2. Check your orders upon delivery. When your orders arrive, take a few minutes to check them in, ensuring you received everything you ordered.
3. Check the shipping label and invoice. This is a good way to double-check that you’re getting charged for what you receive. You can often do this as you’re checking an order in. Does the invoice match what you have in front of you?
4. Follow up on discrepancies. 9 times out of 10, your invoice and delivery will be correct. You’ll get everything you ordered, and for items you didn’t receive, there will usually be a note on the invoice explaining why the item is missing. Generally, you won’t be charged for items that aren’t delivered. However! You will occasionally get an order that isn’t complete. Something is missing, or you get charged for something you didn’t order. Follow up on that right away with a phone call. Errors happen. Be polite and understanding, and you’ll often find that you get credited for the discrepancy right away.
5. Conduct regular inventory counts. Whether you store your supplies in a central location or have a space onsite, take some time each week to review your inventory. It’s the only way to confirm how much or how little you have of your supplies.
6. Use inventory software. Software like Janitorial Manager makes tracking your commercial cleaning service inventory easy. You’ll notice right away if the usage is high on something, or if there’s a price change and you need to consider an alternative.
7. Order your supplies before you need them. You never know when there might be a supply shortage or a shipping delay. For example, a winter storm in one part of the country could cause shipping delays even in an area where the weather is sunny and dry. A little advanced planning can help you avoid delays.
Inventory shortages are easy to avoid. You just need to be diligent in checking your supplies as part of your routine.
One thing that should be noted about commercial cleaning service inventory shortages is that you can’t jump to the conclusion that your team is stealing. It’s certainly a possibility. But accusing innocent people of stealing isn’t going to help with your employee retention.
Some additional reasons for shortages could be that there was a spill, a product is getting used incorrectly, a particular cleaning job required extra work and supplies, or your products are back-ordered. Keep your eyes open, of course. Just realize that your inventory might be low for multiple reasons.
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!