It’s a race for innovation. New ideas and technology that will save time and money, while simplifying the cleaning process. That’s my interpretation of innovation for the cleaning industry.
So who is responsible for introducing innovation to a site?
Social media is providing the opportunity to showcase good news stories, while facility managers are making it their business to keep up with the trends. So why not make it your business and beat them to it?
There was a time when the facility manager of a commercial building, education facility, healthcare facility or shopping centre would rely heavily on their contract cleaners for their expertise in cleaning. My observation of late is that thanks to social media and the ease of searching products on the internet, this has changed dramatically, including the way facility managers view the cleaning issues on their site. More pressure is placed on the commercial cleaning companies to keep up-to-date with the latest cleaning trends and innovations.
This is where I’m left in an awkward situation when the facility managers contact me direct. If the manager of a building, for example, has a serious chewing gum issue, escalator issue or chemical damage issue, of course they’re going to start looking for solutions. Especially if you, as the contract cleaner, are not presenting them with the answer.
I’ve listed my top reasons why cleaning companies should be active in promoting new findings to their clients; why they should promote themselves as leaders, experts and in the know:
– Don’t wait for your client to present a product to you. You are supposed to be the expert.
– Facility managers love innovation. Keep them up-to-date with everything new.
– Contracts have been won or even extended on the back of innovation.
I have an example of a cleaning company that had a 3-month to 3-month contract in one state. As a result of implementing innovation the contract was extended to three years in three different states.
– Contracts have been lost as a result of not presenting innovation.
We presented innovation to a company who cleaned a university, but they were reluctant to accept the change. They lost the contract to another company who embraced the technology and have held the contract ever since.
– If you’re actively presenting new solutions, you’re building long term relationships.
– If the facility manager discovers you’ve been using innovative technology on your other sites and not theirs, they’ll feel like you don’t care about their site
– Don’t wait for another company to present something you already know about, because once they have, it’s too late.
– Don’t fear that innovation will cost you. Treat it as an investment. If it makes your job easier and better on one site, it will do the same on all of your sites
I’m writing this post because I have presented on several occasions to commercial cleaning companies the latest innovations about to hit the market, well before advertising even begins. My aim is to give my customers a head start before their clients search the net and contact me direct as they don’t feel confident that their cleaners have the ability to resolve their cleaning issues.
I’ve been in the cleaning supply industry for 25 years and my favourite thing is helping my customers look good in front of their customers.
So my two cents worth of advice, for what it’s worth, is please keep your customers up-to-date with the wonderful things you are doing, because, believe me they will thank you for it and who knows… you may actually keep your contracts longer.
On the subject of innovation why not take a look at these websites…
Escalator cleaning problems? https://www.renclean.com.au
Chewing Gum removal problems? www.steam-e.com.au
Cleaning Chemical problems? https://ecofy.net.au
