The idea of accurately tracking hours to record work completed has been around since IBM invented the first timeclock in 1888. We’ve come a long way since then, from paper timesheets, to clocking in and out, to cloud-based digital tracking and reporting software applications now used in every industry. Let’s look specifically at those for facility maintenance and commercial cleaning.
Today’s digital tracking solutions do far more than record hours. Over the past couple of decades, more and more commercial cleaning companies have embraced digital tracking to maintain quality control and support overall asset management.
Kleenway, a company ahead of its time with digital solutions
Some companies are clearly ahead of their time in embracing such technology. For example, over two decades ago, Kleenway first invested in software to track performance and quality control through the key performance indicators. (And Kleenway didn’t stop there. Around the time the next phase of inspection auditing software was implemented, Kleenway voluntarily pursued the ISO 9001 accreditation, a process that took eight months and resulted in the highest quality control certification in our industry. Read the story here).
Although the implementation of tracking systems has grown over the past decade, not all cleaning or janitorial companies have tracking in place, with business intelligence that provide reports used in quality audits. If you are a retail, commercial, industrial, or institutional property managers who purchases cleaning and maintenance services, here is what you might look for from your commercial cleaning partner:
Job scheduling and mobile tracking for efficiency and quality control
We all know that labour costs make up the largest portion of a cleaning budget. When a cleaning team member doesn’t show up on time, or at all, or if the team fails to complete requested tasks because of miscommunication, there is a financial impact as well as an impact on quality control.
Job scheduling solutions, however, automate a property’s cleaning and maintenance calendar, so that everyone has access to the schedule in real time, are able to track arrival and departure times, and can see which tasks are to be completed andwhen. There’s no chance of a missed appointment. Reminders are sent out ahead of time digitally, and if teams are late, or work is not completed, alerts are generated immediately.
Once teams arrive on site, the time and names are entered using a smart device. Once the work is completed, the visit is recorded, noting exactly what was done, including the quality standards that were followed.
All of this streamlines administration, which means the company is working more efficiently and not wasting time trying to figure out what to do, or what procedure to follow. Work orders, for instance, are generated once the schedule is set up so there’s no additional step. Additional cleaning and maintenance requests can easily be added and tracked, including activities that occur less frequently, such as an annual deep clean.
Digital reporting for pro-active facility and property maintenance
Digital tracking goes a long way to save labor costs, prove contract fulfillment, and increase efficiency. But there’s an even greater benefit. Such systems help build in accountability for maintaining high standards.
Specific quality requirements (or key performance indicators, KPIs) are set for each client location before a project begins. Teams then monitor their own performance by using these KPIs when completing their work. When service delivery teams are expected to track their performance using defined metrics, they take greater responsibility for the service they provide. Supervisors also spend less time correcting deficiencies—which decreases the team’s labour costs.
Quality control doesn’t stop there. Digital tracking solutions typically come with some form of business intelligence dashboard where reports can be viewed and analyzed. Once cleaning is completed, the supervisor fills out the inspection report on a mobile device that analyses and summarizes the cleaning or maintenance team’s performance.
If a task hasn’t been completed to a specific standard, instructions can be made on the spot to have a team return right away and finish the job. Or perhaps there were issues encountered that interfered with the routine task, these can be noted right way, e.g., access to a specific area of a building was temporarily closed and cleaning couldn’t be done that day.
Reports are then shared with supervisors and clients so that they know exactly what was done and to what standard (e.g. the 5-level scale APPA standard for cleaning link: https://www.appa.org/bok/abstract-cleaning-operations/ ).
Real time digital reporting also plays a key role in terms of customer relations. By making tracking and reporting accessible, the cleaning and maintenance team service is seen as a pro-active partner, not just a provider of janitorial services.
For instance, if a service delivery team comes across a piece of equipment that is damaged, or carpeting that needs attention, this information is captured through real-time reporting, sent back to the supervisor with a copy to the client.
Digital tracking and asset management
Digital tracking also plays a key role in asset management, assuming the system used by your facility maintenance provider has an asset-tracking component for keeping a record about a building’s assets in real time. This provides valuable insight into the performance of your business’s physical spaces whether it is an office, warehouse, or retail location.
For example, when was the equipment first installed? What does the warranty specify in terms of care? When should it be expected to be replaced, and at what cost? To ensure it meets this expectation, how often should it be maintained, serviced or cleaned?
When you apply all the various assets being managed in your properties, it’s clear to see the many benefits:
No guessing: Tracking and reporting identifies all your assets, where they are, how they are being utilized, and what actions need to be taken to keep assets in working order and/or good physical condition. With asset tracking reports, you can accurately and easily generate reports, including asset location, utilization and cost reports.
Take action: Audits for quality control can be created immediately after completing a maintenance job, which set up an automatic workflow process for scheduling and managing the task(s) to be done.
Predicting performance: Asset management software helps you see the full picture maintenance as well as repair history so you can make smarter business decisions about capital expenditures in the future.
Is your facility maintenance partner using digital tracking and reporting?
The need for quality control to ensure that a property is clean, and the building systems are running efficiently has become particularly important during (and following) the COVID pandemic. It is now more important than ever for cleaning companies to improve their efficiency so that they delivery to the highest quality standards. Digital tracking and reporting, with additional features for asset management has moved from a “nice to have” to a “must have”. Maybe it’s time to find out what’s in place from your facility maintenance and cleaning partner!
