Running a cleaning business requires a business owner to fill in as many roles as possible. To ensure effective cleaning business management, you have to keep track of, for instance, the team working in the field and where. Meanwhile, you also have to ensure that the staff’s efficiency and productivity are optimal to perform duties. As a result, they will produce the best results possible. In the cleaning business, the business owner has to ensure the staff perform optimally for the business’s success.
According to a study by CleanLink, cleaning businesses, on average, lose 55 per cent of their clients. That is primarily because of the lack of quality in services rendered and non-performance. The cleaning companies have to remedy this situation and retain customers.
Furthermore, as a business owner, you also have to deal with endless to-do lists. For instance, managing the finances, checking and ordering inventory, generating and following leads, promoting the business, etc. The to-do list is truly endless.
Now let us discuss how you can improve cleaning business management to improve productivity and efficiency.
1. Scheduling software
Taking customer bookings and scheduling appointments have always been a hassle for businesses. Digitalizing the appointment scheduling system can assist you in managing the scheduling system better. For instance, usually, to schedule customer appointments, you would have to hire staff. When the customers call, the team takes the customer’s appointment if a slot is available. In such a system, there is always a paper trail that the staff have to sort through. As a result, they would have to call back the customers to schedule an appointment.
Meanwhile, the customers have to hold the call. That is a painful time taking process. Furthermore, it is also very likely that the staff may double the schedule. That would lead to conflicts in the appointment scheduling system. Digitalizing the scheduling system can eliminate human error.
Picktime is an appointment scheduling software you can use to digitalize the scheduling system effortlessly. The software is intuitive, so individuals with rudimentary computer skills can operate the software. The software digitalizes and organizes the schedule. You can also send automated reminders over email or SMS. As a result, the customers would know when the appointment is. The software also has other beneficial features, such as a 24/7 booking page that eases customer booking and enhances the customer experience. With payment gateway integration, you can receive partial or complete payments from customers.
2. Streamline the operations
To improve productivity and efficiency, you have to streamline the operations. To simplify the operations, you can begin by identifying the redundant tasks in the workflow. Eliminating redundant tasks improves productivity and efficiency. You can also consider automating redundant tasks. This will assist you to save a great deal of time. You can use the time saved to expand the business or divert resources where you need them the most.
Another way to streamline the operation is to determine the time required to complete each task. As a result, you will be familiar with the time needed to complete each task and time the tasks.
3. Determine a niche
The cleaning industry is booming exponentially, and as a result, everyone is trying to enter the market to get a fair share. Determining the niche will give you a competitive edge in the market. Furthermore, you will also be familiar with the audience that you want to target. For instance, if you have not decided on a niche and are trying to cater to every customer. That would wear down your team. That is why determining a niche is essential.
4. Train your team
You have to train your team from time to time. That way, the staff can polish their skills. While hiring the staff, you may have hired staff with the necessary skills. If otherwise, you would have to train the staff. It is also wise to train the experienced staff. That would improve their productivity and efficiency, especially after determining the niche.
Furthermore, training the staff can assist in establishing a structure and the team gets accustomed to working in a structured environment. If you don’t train your employees, they may not know the services you offer to customers and the values you stand for. Meanwhile, when your staff work in the field, they represent your business. A trained staff knows what to do in the area under different scenarios.
5. Promote your business
You must promote your business to attract potential customers and generate leads. You can do so by promoting your business online. To do that, you have to improve your online presence. To begin with, you can create a website for the business and then move on to social media platforms. Social media platforms will assist your business in improving brand visibility. Remember to develop a creative marketing plan to target the audience.
6. Customer service
Customer service is an important area that you have to focus on improving. You have to retain customers and address customer concerns. To keep customers, you have to deliver the service that you have promised to offer customers. That you have to do efficiently and on time.
You can also devise many strategies to retain customers. For instance, a loyalty program or reference system. In the reference program, you can offer discounts to customers who bring in new customers. That way, you can expand your customer base and retain existing customers.
7. Give personalized services
To attract more customers, you can offer personalized services to the customers. For instance, you can attempt to discuss with the clients to understand what they require and customize services according to their needs. That would assist in enhancing the customer’s experience.
8. Develop a great team
You have to focus on developing a great cleaning team. After launching the business, you have to hire staff to expand the business. While hiring the staff, you have to hire individuals who align with the values and vision you have set for the business. To get the best out of employees, you can train them. For instance, safety training, giving them all the necessary tools to work with and so on.
9. Track your goals
While attempting to establish the business, you may have set out some goals that you want to achieve. You have to ensure that you have included a system in your business plan to track achievement. As a result, you can stay on your goals as the business expands.
10. Always improve the workflow
You can always try to improve the workflow to improve productivity and efficiency. The system you may have established works well. But attempting to improve the existing system would further enhance the productivity and efficiency of the staff. To do that, you can experiment with different systems and ask for feedback from the team. As a result, you can identify the flaws in the system and work on mending them.