It’s not easy being a facility manager these days. You’re being asked to do a lot. Some of the common challenges we see with facility management are:

• High staff turnover and absenteeism
• High expectations to optimize resources and cut costs
• High standards of excellence in cleaning quality, post-pandemic
• Strict requirements to provide proof of service and compliance with hygiene standards
• High demand for continual improvement from higher-ups
  

Basically, facility managers are expected to perform better than ever with the same, or actually fewer, resources. Facility management tools and facility management software, such as data-driven cleaning, help facility managers meet the challenges before them.

Download our free white paper, DATA-DRIVEN CLEANING: GUIDE FOR FACILITY MANAGERS, to learn more, including the top 10 benefits and leading market solutions.

What is Data-Driven Cleaning?

Data-driven cleaning is a term used to describe the use of data to make informed decisions about how to manage the cleaning and maintenance of your facility. By collecting data on the frequency and types of cleaning tasks that need to be done, you can create a more efficient and effective cleaning plan.

Data-driven cleaning is really about working smarter instead of harder to meet the ever-increasing demands of hygiene and maintenance. Before this type of facility management software existed, janitorial and service teams had to physically check every location to see if it needed cleaning. This approach led to wasted time, wasted supplies, and lower service quality.

Data-driven cleaning takes the guesswork out of the equation and empowers your team to achieve better results with less work.

Benefits of Data-Driven Cleaning

1. Improved Operational Efficiency

Data-driven cleaning streamlines cleaning operations and cuts down on labor-intensive manual processes. With sensors throughout the facility measuring visitor traffic as well as product/dispenser data, facility managers and teams can act on real-time information to keep the facility in tip-top shape while reducing inefficiencies.

With this type of facility management software tool, your cleaning team will know which areas need the most attention, when exactly a dispenser needs to be filled, and where the ‘fires’ are. According to Tork, an Essity brand, data-driven cleaning has been shown to save up to 20% of cleaning hours. This saved time can be used to meet increasingly high hygiene standards, as well as cut down on labor costs.

Even more, the data you collect will help you improve processes and optimize efficiency over time. With robust reporting capabilities, you’ll have a clear view of your operational strengths and weaknesses so you can make better decisions for the future.

2. Improved Cleaning Quality

In today’s post-pandemic world, there is a high expectation placed on facility cleanliness and hygiene – and rightfully so. The hygiene standards of a facility are more than just a reflection of the organization that resides inside, although that is still very much true. You will be judged by how clean (or not clean) your facility or building is.

Now, however, the stakes are higher. Your facility’s hygiene and cleanliness directly impact the health and well-being of its inhabitants. It’s not good enough to just check the boxes and say it’s done. People want proof of service and quality.

Facility management software and data-driven cleaning solutions arm facility managers with the ability to prove compliance with hygiene standards, as well as make improvements to cleaning protocols.

3. Reduced COsts in Labor and Supplies

Labor makes up the lion’s share of facility management costs. With high rates of absenteeism and turnover, it is also one of its biggest challenges. Implementing data-driven facility management helps cut costs and alleviate the issues that accompany labor shortages.

Your team may be overworked and over-stressed, for instance, because there’s too much to do and not enough people to do it. With data-driven cleaning, you can take away some of that stress and help your team work smarter instead of harder. If your team is able to do more with less, it can help drive down costs as well.

Better data also means less waste. In the old way of doing things, a team member might opt to change out the paper towel roll or soap dispenser before it’s ready, mostly to avoid a complaint if they don’t get back there again in time. This seems like a small thing, but these costs add up. With data-driven cleaning, your team can rely on sensors to let them know exactly when supplies need to be replenished.

THe FUture is Here

You might say that data-driven cleaning is the wave of the future, but in reality, that future is already here. Connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT) have driven software management and data solutions into a number of verticals. Facility management is a vertical that got pushed into overdrive by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The hardest part of switching to a data-driven facility management system is the onboarding process. Change is hard. People get used to doing things a certain way and learning something new is always a challenge. However, given the current demands placed on facility managers by their higher-ups, it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ you’ll adopt a data-driven cleaning system, but rather a question of when.

Onboarding the new system might not be easy, but in the long run, your team will thank you. With data-driven cleaning, you and your team will operate with greater efficiency, improved quality, less stress, and lower costs.

Book a Virtual Meeting and Receive $25 Starbucks Gift Card

Interested in learning more about data-driven cleaning solutions? Schedule a free, no-obligation virtual meet-up today. One of our Facility Solutions specialists will explore your options, give you a rundown of the popular market solutions, and answer any questions you might have. Plus, they'll send you a $25 Starbucks gift card as a token of appreciation!

Our Facility Solutions specialists live and breathe facility maintenance solutions and products. We’ve worked with countless facility managers and their teams. We bring this wealth of knowledge to every customer, no holds barred. Our number one goal is to help you and your team succeed.

Reach out today to book the meeting.

Sources:

1. OPI June 2023 issue

2. The Value of Data-Driven Cleaning, Tork

3. How to Create a Data-Driven Cleaning Strategy: Using Analytics to Increase Customer Satisfaction, SoftBank Robotics

4. Data-Driven Cleaning: The Future for the FM Industry, Verteco