Building service contractors (BSCs) have a lot of responsibilities on their lists, from improving their clients’ image to helping with health and safety. As the industry continues to evolve, what are the top challenges that today’s BSCs are facing?

The CMM’s 2023 Building Service Contractor Benchmarking Survey Report finds that BSCs are plagued by many issues pertaining to their clients. In fact, 85 per cent listed the company’s image as their top challenge, followed by the health, safety and security of tenants (73 per cent), reducing cleaning costs (71 per cent), and preserving assets (56 per cent).

As far as the BSCs themselves go, technology seems to be where most of the challenges lay, with 68 per cent planning to adapt their cleaning methods or technologies in the next 12 months. In fact, 37 per cent plan to add autonomous or robot cleaners, 29  per cent will invest in IoT or smart technologies, and 14 per cent will add new UV disinfection systems.

Labour remains an issue for BSCs, with many seeing more turnover than ever before in the last few years. According to reports, 40 per cent of BSC cleaning staff has been with their employers for less than a year, and 77 per cent of BSCs have expressed that finding reliable labour has been a challenge.

Recruiting top talent and focusing on employee retention is going to be a key factor in saving additional training costs, providing consistent experiences for their customers, and keeping future training costs down.

However, despite these on-going challenges, it looks like the industry is slowly recovering, as companies employ technology to help streamline processes, boost efficiency, and better manage labour and inventory. As the industry continues to work towards increased sustainability, improved cleaning standards, and higher levels of efficiency, tools like data analytics, sensors, and technology-driven cleaning can help BSCs continue to evolve within the industry and grow their businesses.