The business threats and challenges in janitorial cleaning are quite similar to what you’d find in most other industries. Emerging technology, shifting demands, and new socio-economic factors present an ever-changing landscape of new entrepreneurs’ challenges. Janitorial and Commercial Cleaning Companies must adapt or fall behind in an increasingly competitive landscape, which rewards those who work hard and innovate and punishes those who can’t keep up.
One upside that commercial cleaning company owners have that many other businesses don’t is their near-constant relevancy. Every active commercial, business, and industrial facility needs regular cleaning.
Even when demand hasn’t dried up, janitorial companies still face a litany of common problems that may hold them back from achieving their best. Here are just a few business challenges in janitorial cleaning.
Threats of a Cleaning Company - Not having enough time
Ever hear the phrase, “time is money”? Having more time allows you to accomplish more tasks that help further your goals. It’s no different in business.
Time is the one factor that enables janitorial companies to grow at a scalable level. Commercial Cleaning Operators are often bogged down with bidding, handling workers, purchasing supplies, and doing manual labor. These small tasks get in the way of doing things that truly matter, such as scaling your business, improving processes, and winning new clients.
Technology can streamline and simplify many of these processes for you. For example, the Swept app makes time tracking easier because cleaners can view their schedules at a glance. It also allows them to communicate with managers about supply needs, making inventory tracking a breeze. The app also tracks inspection data, enabling high-quality assurance, and it can highlight needed rooms for improvement.
Threats of a Cleaning Company - Having non-efficient processes
Every business wants to do more with less. For example, imagine how much more work writers had to do when they only had typewriters instead of computers. They had to ensure that every keystroke was precise because they couldn’t erase anything. Technology evolves similarly for janitorial cleaners.
It might take time to learn new systems, but it will help you dramatically in the long run with the amount of time that you’ve saved. Using a laptop is quicker than using a typewriter; new software and technology are remarkably more efficient than their older counterparts.
Technology can automate and streamline many tasks for you. Time tracking, bidding, and inspection reports are all incredibly easy with Swept’s innovative technology. For example, our Janitorial Bidding Calculator app makes it simple to create a fair quote in a few minutes. It’s much easier than manually crunching numbers for each client, especially when you have so much more on your plate.
Threats of a Cleaning Company - Maintaining healthy customer relations
You can’t run a successful cleaning business without maintaining good relationships with your customers and clients. The customers are the heart and soul of nearly any business, especially those in the commercial cleaning industry. Happy customers will want you to clean for them consistently, so it’s worth it to deliver a service that they wish to use repeatedly.
Embracing technology can help make customer management a breeze. For example, a CRM system allows you to document and track your existing clients and customers with contact information, rates, past jobs, and notes on the current relationship. Everything gets stored in a secure and accessible database that’s easy to use and manage.
Second, using an app helps you quickly contact your customers when needed. You’ll be able to notify them in an instant about delays, expectations, price changes, and many other situations. Notably, 56% of people would rather send a message than call, so you should also be available through chat.
Threats of a Cleaning Company - Using non-sustainable Products
People are now more aware than ever of how their everyday actions affect the environment. With a growing emphasis on saving the environment and reducing carbon emissions, everyone wants to help improve sustainability.
You should emphasize your dedication to green cleaning, especially since 83% of millennials want companies that align with their values and ideas, and 76% want CEOs to speak out about important issues. About 62% of millennials favor products that share similar beliefs, and 65% say that they’ve boycotted a brand with opposing political views.
In other words, green cleaning isn’t just right for the environment, it’s also good for business. Customers, especially younger ones, are far more likely to gravitate toward companies that want to take care of the environment.
Fortunately, new technology helps us get closer to that goal. This includes no-touch cleaning systems, HEPA filters, and environmentally friendly solvents. Replacing your outdated technology with something greener will surely put you ahead of the competition and help you address other business challenges in janitorial cleaning.
Swept helps janitorial cleaning company operators achieve scalable business growth, improve their work/life balance, and spend less time managing cleaners and more time focusing on important business goals.
