CLEANING
DATA: DEMONSTRATING THE POWER OF CLEANING
How is technology shaping the future of the cleaning industry, asks Mark Hazelwood, Director and Co-founder of Clenetix.
Historically, the pervading view of cleaning is that it is a low skilled, non-core service, leaving it at the mercy of procurement teams’ cost-cutting efforts. This view could not be more incorrect. But we have seen how, since early last year, the industry is increasingly being viewed as mission-critical and demonstrating its value in a way that feels unprecedented. The pandemic has permanently changed the way cleaning is perceived.
Now, however, clients are forced to approach cleaning in much the same way as they do the security sector: with a focus on expertise and risk mitigation. The return to the office is an ongoing process which may last long into the coming year and cleaning is high up on organisations’ list of priorities. This is where data comes in. Like many other industries, cleaning is eager to embrace the exciting elements of technology. But the cleaning industry must learn to walk before it can run. As long as the service cannot break free from its unsophisticated reputation, client organisations are unlikely to make such extravagant investments.
Instead, cleaning providers need to get to grips with the basics. Measuring what they do and where they do it will help these organisations elevate cleaning, transforming it from a commoditised and much-maligned service into a critical service that supports organisations in myriad ways.
Technology in modern cleaning services High-end cleaning has been working to increase the value and efficiency of their services for years. Data-driven insights and innovative technologies have been driving these developments. Now, these technologies will become fundamental to cleaning in the post-COVID world.
Technological innovation has been guiding efficiency in cleaning for some time. Integrated sensors, for example, can update cleaning staff when disposables such as paper towels are running low or when bins are full. Rather than taking time to check the resources at regular intervals, staff can attend to an issue only when necessary.
Occupancy sensors can inform cleaning staff when an area has been used by more people than usual and may need additional cleaning. These technologies are flexible and have been adapted to address a number of challenges. Now, they are being turned to those posed by the pandemic, with great effect: software as a service, designed to revolutionise cleaning in the workplace.
The value of data Data analytics is the best way to demonstrate excellence in cleaning. As measures and risk change, organisations will need to alter the demand on their cleaning provision.
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Collecting real-time data enables facilities managers to make more informed decisions. For example, if an organisation works with limited areas of their portfolio, data collection can create a picture of cleaning across their buildings. It can be used to find the average cleaning provision required for spaces of different size, usage, and capacity, and to guide which spaces are opened accordingly.
Collecting data is the most reliable means of ensuring that all relevant compliance measures are met, too. In addition to streamlining the compliance process, these metrics can be used to demonstrate cleaning service excellence to staff members and clients, allaying any anxiety about returning to the workplace. Any issues that do arise or changes that need to be addressed will be spotted before they become an issue as real-time data collection can identify trends over weeks and months.
Cleaning is no longer a behind the scenes role. The very perception of cleaning services in the workplace has altered. Historically, innovation and creativity in the cleaning sector has been underappreciated, with many clients opting for basic, traditional services. This won’t be the case going forward.
The pandemic has revealed our vulnerabilities, but data insights give us back control and predictability. The cleaning industry now has a significant opportunity to decommoditise cleaning services and demonstrate its value and the importance of professional cleaning. The solution is in data. By monitoring and measuring what they do, cleaning teams can build a more solid business case and demonstrate to client organisations the numerous ways in which they can support and enhance business objectives, whether that’s keeping buildings virus-free or improving the long-term health and wellbeing of staff.
Cleaning is no longer an invisible service. Using data to great effect will ensure that it stays that way.
www.clenetix.com/
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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