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operation manager and cleaning management
As the operations leader of your janitorial company, your overall job and day-to-day processes rely heavily on technology. But when your tech system no longer meets your needs because of operational shortcomings and a lack of integration, it’s time to look at new software for your cleaning company.
Implementing a new software solution might seem daunting and you might think it’s easier to make do rather than invest time and money into learning something new. But think about how many hours you invest in inefficient processes every month. Now, think about how much time you could save by optimizing these processes with the right operations management software.
Your goal should be to find a software system that has the same useful functions of your current system, while adding new functions your current system can’t do. Not to mention, it should also keep your operations consistent while you improve on efficiency and performance. To help you determine whether a potential software solution can meet your goals as an operations manager, here’s a list of six things you need.
An Industry-Specific Focus
Cleaning businesses like yours face unique operational challenges when it comes to your cleaners in the field.
Lines of communication are less direct, work scheduling and labor costs need to be closely monitored down to the job level and tracking and managing compliance requirements is complicated. Because of the unique ins-and-outs of contract cleaning, you need a software solution developed specifically for your business that offers flexible features like time and attendance, compliance tracking and work scheduling to help solve those everyday challenges.
Integration from Back Office to Field
You need a solution that’s integrated and can fulfill your needs in the back office while also going with your cleaners to job sites and back again. That’s why robust web and mobile features that interact through shared data and are available anywhere are key. Look for cleaning management software that offers different user roles to keep your information as accessible as possible to the right people at the right time. Also, it helps if your solution keeps data from across the organization in one place and shares one common business language and one system of record.
Automated Processes and Data
If you’ve ever had to deal with corrupt files and lost spreadsheets, you know how important it is to have your valuable data and information backed up and protected. Not to mention the time-consuming and inefficient nature of tasks like reconciling paper timesheets and logging pen-and-paper inspections can lead to data inaccuracies. Your technology should allow you to eliminate most, if not all, spreadsheets and paper processes, saving you time and money — and headaches. Look for cleaning company management software that offers reporting and analytics solutions to help you reimagine the enormous amount of operations and workforce data you have and mine it for proactive operations insights to help you better manage work scheduling, work tickets, inventory, customers and other aspects of your business.
Quality Assurance and Inspections
In the cleaning industry, you need proof that you’ve met your contract obligations. That’s why you need a solution that offers quality assurance and inspection solutions as a standard feature. Look for a solution with web- and mobile-based components that make your inspections and evaluations simple to deploy and follow up on and make exceptional customer service a no-brainer.
Compliance and Regulations
Staying in compliance with labor and other federal requirements and regulations is necessary to avoid costly fines and penalties. Certain jobs or work tasks may require training, certifications or even special equipment which can be hard to keep track of, especially with your cleaners distributed across sites. And certain work sites could be subject to specific benefits or wage requirements. Look for a solution with comprehensive labor and job-specific compliance management, along with tracking, to give you peace of mind that you’re on top of federal, state and local regulations and customer service-level agreements (SLAs).
Self-Service Accessibility
Offering a self-service solution as part of your cleaning company software system is an easy way to boost employee engagement and productivity, even more so when you pair employee self-service with a mobile timekeeping solution. Cleaners and supervisors can leverage other job-related tools on their mobile devices, and you get the increased productivity that comes with on-the-go accessibility. By incorporating timekeeping and employee self-service into your business operations, you increase employee engagement, decrease time theft and eliminate redundant data entry.
If you know there are areas for improvement when it comes to your operational processes, software systems and data collection, it’s time to focus on an industry-specific software solution and what it can do for your cleaning company, not only now, but in the future. Software is a big investment, so you want a technology solution to future-proof your cleaning business and support you as you grow.
Want to learn more about integrated operations management software for your cleaning company? Read our ERP Definitive Guide.
