Commercial cleaning owners are well aware of the sound of a semi-clogged drain. But for many in the industry, what they’re hearing isn’t water struggling down the drain—it is time being sucked out of their day. It’s time spent bidding on commercial cleaning contracts, time spent managing cleaners failing to show up for work, and most importantly, time spent growing and expanding their cleaning business.
Time is a key asset, a valuable resource, and an obstacle. Commercial cleaning managers don’t often think about time as a resource, but it’s something to be managed just like employees, budgets, and supplies. Managing time well is more than just meeting deadlines. When owners and managers gain efficiency, it allows them to increase capacity and scale their growth. Simply put, it means more profit.
Whether you’re an independent commercial cleaning business just getting started or you are a cleaning company operator absorbing new clients, getting commercial cleaning contracts can be a challenging prospect. Newcomers might not have even considered how efficiency can be improved. Established commercial cleaning companies might desire to scale up but don’t have the time, tools, or resources to do so.
Moving to a remote management cleaning software solution saves time primarily through efficient communication. This is the best and clearest way to realize growth in the industry.
For the issues that come up during a day and suck time down the drain, remote communication and management can help. Here are a few of the biggest benefits.
How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts Tip #1 - Scheduling efficiency
Reliable technology tools are essential to successfully navigating the ins and outs of remotely managing cleaning employees. Companies like Swept have a proven track record of this in the commercial cleaning industry.
Cleaners can view their schedules with ease, while supervisors can track employee time and location.
Pro Tip - Schedule Management
Ensuring that cleaners can easily see their schedules at any time helps support timeliness.
Pro Tip - Time Tracking
The corollary to schedule management for cleaning employees is effective time tracking to make sure that your bid and execution are in alignment.
When your employees show up on time and you have fewer issues making sure that service level agreements are kept, you're more likely to get the referrals and references that you need to get more commercial cleaning contracts.
How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts Tip #2 - Efficient supply management
Swept is also a great solution for managing commercial cleaning supply issues. Managers of commercial cleaning companies know that ordering, reordering, and managing supply delivery can suck hours from the day. Even with efficient and reliable vendors, as commercial cleaning owners and managers attempt to scale their growth, these issues only become more of a burden. Everything relating to supply management counts when it comes to the bottom line in a commercial cleaning business.
Pro Tip - Messaging
Cleaners can use the Swept mobile app to communicate with the managers about their needs.
Pro Tip - Tracking Cleaning Supplies
This efficient communication saves time and money. The app also tracks cleaning supplies so that you're less likely to run short on site.
Demonstrating a level of professionalism in communications and a 'no excuses' setup where your cleaners always have what they need for their tasks will help your commercial cleaning contract pitches and improve contract win rates.
How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts Tip #3 - High quality cleaning services
Ensuring cleaning client satisfaction requires consistency and discipline, as well as a great deal of time.
Pro Tip - Inspections
The mobile ability to access and track inspection data is a key efficiency for commercial cleaning companies. Clients want to have confidence that thorough cleaning has taken place for the health and safety of their employees. Accurate, real-time data allows clients and managers to have peace of mind.
More importantly, as you pitch commercial cleaning contracts, this is the type of system that professional businesses expect from their service providers.
As you're pitching commercial cleaning contracts, you can use the pain point checklist below to surface what issues the customer has had with previous cleaning companies. This can help you to lead with the right systems and solutions that you have in place to deliver a better experience.
How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts Tip #4 - Time for Growth
Less time dealing with supplies and employee management means more time for other endeavors. Bidding commercial cleaning contracts can be time consuming, but it should be the main priority for companies working for growth. This is not where a leader should cut corners either. Investing in new commercial cleaning clients is the root of company growth and profitability.
In essence, scalable growth in commercial cleaning isn’t possible unless owners and managers can find more time for getting new cleaning contracts. In the past, the leading solution to this was the adage, “Work harder.” In today’s technology-fueled business environment, we must, “Work smarter.” Smart work leverages technological tools to free up time and grow a business.
Technology is here to stay and here to help. If managed well, it can allow for commercial cleaners to scale growth in a time of increasing demand. In this industry, emergencies come up—it is just part of the job. Cleaning companies that have the ability to react quickly to emergencies, whether in staffing, supplies, or customer needs, are those that can maximize profits and scale their growth.
Cleaning companies who embrace the move to efficiency will no longer hear their time being draining away. Communication, supplies, and even emergencies can be handled quickly and efficiently. When you land your next new client, you’ll have the benefit of a trusted resource like Swept.
Swept’s janitorial software helps janitorial company owners build trust with clients and get ahead of the competition by giving them the tools they need to spend more time managing their business and less time working in it.
How to Get More Commercial Cleaning Contracts
