5 Ways Cleaning Service Software Enables Competitive Differentiation During the Pandemic and Beyond

How cleaning service software helps your cleaning business thrive during and after COVID-19!

Cleaning teams are COVID-19 heroes for keeping spaces clean. But their job is hard during the times of a pandemic when every exposure is a risk. The increasing demand for cleaning services strains most providers. Commercial cleaning software helps businesses to mitigate the risks. They use the software to operate seamlessly and make the most out of the opportunities. So, how does a cleaning service software help your cleaning business thrive during and after a pandemic? Let’s take a probe. 
Read more: Is COVID-19 a Bane or Boon for Cleaning Companies 

1. Automated Scheduling

The efficiency of the field service business depends on scheduling. In an ideal world, the scheduler assigns work order to the field service team assigned to the area, on a first-in first-served basis. But scheduling is complex when the push comes to the shove. 
Cleaning scheduling software becomes imperative because of exigencies such as:

• A cleaning employee calling in sick.
• A customer canceling a service request at the last minute.
• An urgent job. For instance, disinfection of a space hosting a COVID-19 person may force breaking the queue of assigned work orders.
• COVID-19 outbreaks forcing the closure of premises.

Read more: Tips for Facility Managers to Avoid Health Concerns as the Workforce Returns 
Cleaning business software makes it easy to assign a field team to cleaning jobs seamlessly. The algorithm ranks incoming work orders based on priority and assigns the nearest team to the job. It matches the skill level of the employee with the task on hand, mandatory time-off, leaves, and other relevant factors.

2. Seamless Communication

Pandemics make communications more important than ever before. Customers seek more information on cleaning and disinfecting activities. Cleaning crews need up-to-date information to do their jobs safely.
Cleaning management software enables clear, structured communication among stakeholders. A robust collaboration suite like ReachOut helps disseminate the following information to field teams:

• Knowledge of safe working practices for the cleaning crew.
• Information about disinfecting protocols need to be known by field agents and customers.
• Notification of arrival time at customer premises, to enable precautions and maintain social distancing.
• News of developments such as fresh outbreaks or lockdowns, or other biohazard risks, to stakeholders.
• Information to the cleaning crew of any to-do’s outside the normal scope of work, such as if the customer has any special service request.

The cleaning service software makes it easy to communicate with specific team members or a group. A good field service app keeps a record of the conversations, auto-generates read receipts, and ensures that no message gets lost in transit.
Read more: How to manage your window cleaners remotely using cleaning service software

3. Contactless Inspections

Cleaning business software enables cleaning teams to generate inspection forms and reports. The software enables business teams to:

• Create detailed checklists. Custom checklists make explicit the specific requirements of the customer, in a structured way.
• Develop customized inspection reports to enable prompt, corrective actions. Range-limited boxes and auto-populate options improve the accuracy of answers. The reports may also co-opt images captured by the smartphone camera.

Automated cleaning service software makes it easy to share inspection reports with customers, regulatory authorities, and other stakeholders, in contactless mode. Business analysts may collate checklists and reports to unearth trends.
Track and trace apps, co-opted to the cleaning software, may reveal if the field agent has been near an infected person or a primary contact.
Read more: COVID-19: Tips for Field Service Teams to Work Safely 

4. Digital Payments

Contactless transactions, triggered by the COVID-19 restrictions are here to stay. Many field service businesses deliver digital invoices to the customer. These digital invoices cut paperwork and the need to take physical signatures. The field agents use smartphone apps to collect payments. Such contactless payment options will become the norm. 
A cleaning service software, with automation capabilities supports:

• Uses the smartphone’s GPS capabilities to track the number of hours spent at the client site, and bill accordingly. The app may also pull relevant details from the work order.
• Use a pre-set template to generate automatic invoices, when the field agent marks the work as complete, or on some trigger.
• Send the invoice to the customer’s WhatsApp or email.
• Co-opt a payment module to accept credit card payments.
• Update the accounts department.

5. Inventory Management

Inventory management has assumed critical dimensions in the COVID-era. The pandemic has disrupted supply chains, and such disruptions may linger for a long time. The vulnerability of hyper-efficient inventory models such as JIT (Just in Time Inventory) during the pandemic-induced lockdowns are forcing businesses to seek alternatives. Geopolitical tensions may make businesses seek alternative or backup supply sources.
Cleaning management software helps businesses track usage patterns in real-time. The reports, drilled down to per-unit or per-building area, enable:

• Making trade-offs between budget and stocks.
• Transfer stock from low-use to high-use areas.
• Identify potential needs and place orders with suppliers in advance.
• Stock up tissues, PPE kits, masks, and other supplies essential for safe field operations during the time of the pandemic and beyond.

Commercial cleaning software enables businesses to cope with disruptions, and pre-empt outrages.
The post-pandemic future is uncertain. But only businesses flexible and adaptable to embrace the new realities succeed. A cleaning service software is a valuable arsenal for any cleaning business to remain flexible and adapt to changes fast. 
Read more: Don’t let your cleaning software harm your business. Here’s what you need to do!
ReachOut’s cleaning service software offers a spectrum of advanced tools to organize your workflow in a way that increases efficiency and reduces turnaround time. To learn more, contact us today.