Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Finding the Sweet Spot for a Cleaning Service Priced Right


One of the biggest problems cleaning companies face is setting a price that hits the sweet spot that lies between what the market will bear and profitability. Using the right janitorial management software is the best way to ensure that the proper price point is maintained.
Along with that issue, here are some misconceptions about pricing that profitable businesses avoid:
The False Idea That All a Business Needs to Consider Are the Basics of Janitorial Prices
Yes, there are some hard and fast rules that apply to every cleaning business, such as considering the building type and customer expectations. Knowing the competition charges is always important too.
But pricing goes far beyond those basics.
The False Idea They Can Compete with the $10 an Hour Individual
If your business is trying to match what an individual charges, you are already far out of that sweet spot. A cleaning business will attract customers who are looking for a company with employees, uniforms, and insurance.
The False Idea Their Client Base Won’t Pay for Fair Wages
Successful businesses are in charge of how potential clients find them. Janitorial management systems help a cleaning business keep track of the demographics and pricing trends among competitors.
The False Idea That Setting Prices Higher is Always Unethical
A good model for the cleaning business owner is the 50/30/20 rule. The percentages of a cleaning customer’s bill should be:
·         Cost of goods sold—50%.
·         Overhead—30%.
·         Profit—20%

Without this balance, a cleaning business can’t properly support its employees or deliver the excellence its customers expect.
There several business practices that are unethical including:
·         Lying about charges
·         Doing sloppy work because there isn’t enough money to do the job right
·         Not giving the results promised
·         Not having insurance

The False Idea That the Only Thing a Cleaning Business Sells is Cleaning Services
In the whole scheme of things, cleaning and talking on a phone are low wage aspects of a cleaning job. However, solving problems and building a healthy business are not. Setting prices right allows cleaning business owners to afford the right resources to please demanding clients and find more clients.
Before a business starts looking for right janitorial management solutions, both management and staff need to have the right mindset about what makes for a profit over the longs haul. A business sets itself up for success by ensuring there are enough resources to build a system, identity and attract the right clients, and exceed expectations.
Look for janitorial management software that was built by cleaning industry professionals who understand from real world experience the kind of issues their industry faces. It is essential to every cleaning business to track performance with client, employee, work order, workloading, and inventory management.


Monday, 6 April 2020

How Janitorial Software Can Help You Accomplish Your Business Goals


The janitorial industry has changed overnight. The ways of old where individuals would track things by pencil and paper are long gone. Janitorial software development has changed the way that janitors do business and has maximized profits for many companies. Automation is the key to success in our modern market and the janitorial industry has adapted quite well. Let's take a closer look at some key features of janitorial software and how they can help you achieve your business goals for your company.
Optimizing Your Retention
Inspections are a big part of a janitor's job. Clients do a walk-through of areas that they want kept clean. A janitor must deliver on the company’s promise of a cleaned area or he or she may face losing their client. A subpar job is unacceptable in this highly competitive market. Janitorial software can allow you to take photos while on the job and upload the pictures to a software service. The client can then take a look at the photos for inspection. This greatly reduces the amount of time a client has to spend ensuring that an area of clean; their schedules are already packed to the brim and having one less thing to do will make them happy. After all, a happy client will ensure retention in the long run.
Scheduling
A manager has their hands full almost all the time. They must handle customers, janitors, and more in order to run a successful business. Fortunately, janitorial software can help you automatically create a schedule based upon the availability of your janitors and what your needs are. This is an incredible time-saver that will take one item off your to-do list so you can focus on other things. While you may have to go into the schedule to adjust some things manually, more often than not you can let the software create the schedule for you and let it do its job.
Employee Communication
One of the most important features of janitorial software programs is that they allow you to keep in constant contact with your employees. All janitorial software programs will let you send out updates, notices, and job information all in real-time. This is extremely helpful if job information changes on the fly whenever your janitors are already out on the job site. This can also be used to convey special instructions that your janitors will need to consider in the event that they need to gain access to a job site. The possibilities are endless with this feature and it can be customized to fit your needs depending on how you see fit.