TECHNOLOGY & DATA From dashboard to decision
Stuart Conroy, Commercial Director at Peartree Cleaning, explains why facilities managers should expect cleaning data to support better decisions, not simply provide a digital record of completed tasks.
Facilities managers have access to more building data than ever before and cleaning contracts are no exception, with digital audits, QR codes, task records and performance dashboards all able to provide a detailed picture of activity across a building or an estate.
However, collecting more information does not automatically create a better service. A dashboard may prove a task was recorded at a particular time, but unless that information helps someone protect standards, solve a problem or use resources more effectively, its practical value is limited.
The question facilities managers should ask is not simply ‘What data can my cleaning provider give me?’ but, more importantly, ‘What will we be able to do differently because we have it?’
A platform built around the decision, not just the record
Peartree Cleaning began developing Peartree 360 with technology partner Pingala in 2016, initially bringing together planned works and periodic activity, audits, compliance documents and a live helpdesk. It has continued to evolve, with enhanced reporting, geotagged time and attendance, ESG data, task verification and portfolio reporting added as client needs have changed.
Peartree has invested more than £300,000 specifically in developing the app, reflecting the strategic importance placed on accessible and reliable contract data. The platform is bespoke to Peartree’s contracts rather than an off-the-shelf dashboard, and its purpose is to provide a shared, current view of service delivery, allowing client and operational teams to see what is happening and decide what needs to happen next.
Clients can receive real-time notifications of site visits, audits and planned activity without having to wait for the next monthly report, while those managing several sites can move easily between locations and compare performance across their portfolio.
Unlike a licensed off-the-shelf system, Peartree 360 can be adapted as requirements change and has been modified on numerous occasions in response to client requests, from straightforward layout changes to entirely new modules, ensuring its development remains focused on solving genuine operational problems.
46 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING Move towards occupancy-driven cleaning
Many cleaning specifications are agreed using assumptions about occupancy and required frequencies, but hybrid working can mean those assumptions no longer hold true throughout the week, as a building might be busy from Tuesday to Thursday but much quieter on a Friday when more employees work from home.
This is where occupancy-driven cleaning becomes particularly relevant, as footfall and building-use data can help providers move away from rigid input-based specifications built around fixed hours and frequencies, allowing the service to respond more closely to how each building is actually being used and where cleaning resources are genuinely required.
Within Peartree 360, agreed areas are assigned unique QR codes which operatives scan at the point of service before working through a digital checklist. The resulting record shows the operative, location and time as well as whether each activity was completed or was not required.
Each room can also be assigned a value based on a combination of its size, anticipated cleaning time, usage, required frequency and risk profile, helping managers understand the demands across a building and plan the right number of people and cleaning hours for different areas.
One isolated record should not determine a change to the service but if tasks in a low-use area are regularly marked as not required on a particular day, that’s a pattern worth discussing with the client.
Where Peartree has deployed housekeeping QR codes, the resulting data has identified housekeeping efficiencies of up to 20%. This has allowed labour to be redeployed into higher-priority tasks rather than simply removed and improving the use of available resources while protecting the agreed standard.
The aim is not to clean less, but to direct resources to where they will make the greatest difference and keep the specification aligned with how the building is actually being used.
Make quality visible and act while
information is current Task completion only shows that somebody attended, while quality assurance is needed to demonstrate the standard achieved.
Peartree Account Managers complete digital quality audits through the same platform, including scores, photographs,
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