We have all seen the headlines about how technology will change the cleaning industry. Customers have likely seen them too, and perhaps it is prompting some discussion about the quality or cost-effectiveness of the services provided. We all know there is more to facility cleaning than whether a robot can do the work instead, so how do we get comfortable with those conversations?
As we move forward with technology, it always requires a level of human interaction. Being able to learn helpful new technology and presenting those solutions to customers keeps the brand customer-focused while technology evolves to everyone’s benefit.
One of the ways that technology is helping right now is with labour. Facility cleaning is a labour-intensive industry, and most, if not all, businesses have been impacted by those challenges. Robotic cleaning systems can help us deploy short-staffed labour to areas that desperately need it. If an auto-scrubber can replace a worker in one area, that labour can be recapitalized in another place, driving greater value to the customer, the company, and to employees. When the brand delivers more value to customers, everyone wins.
Making a shift
Pre-pandemic, the cleaning world wasn’t a topic of discussion. Typically, the work happens at night when people have gone home, and nobody really sees our industry at work. The pandemic shifted that focus, creating a sudden greater awareness of the value of having a clean and healthy work environment.
In many ways, when the spotlight shone on cleaning services, it brought credence to what many cleaning companies have always maintained, that clean and healthy environments make for better workplaces. In healthcare facility cleaning, being under the microscope was the norm, but in office buildings, conversations about removing viruses and germs from surfaces and ensuring the air quality began. There were more discussions on how cleaning impacts the workplace and how the brand helps a customer be more productive if fewer people were off sick. It wasn’t just about a clean office; it was about contributing to a healthy workplace.
RELATED: Commercial hygiene technology is a breath of fresh air
The other side of increased awareness is that it served as a springboard for technological developments to replace the work of people with the work of robots. Should a company invest in robotic cleaning for a better result? Should facility cleaning service providers start replacing people with robotic cleaning systems? While those questions are being asked, they simply aren’t the right questions. What companies and service providers should be asking is, “How can robotic cleaning augment existing services?”
Again, it’s an opportunity to bring solutions to customers and deliver more value.
The cost of technology
Technology can mean progress, but it is also expensive. Before we onboard a robot that shoots UV light to disinfect surfaces at a cost of $100, 000 and require cleaners to use that technology, we need a business plan that ensures we can still be competitive in contract bidding. Is that technological option valuable enough that customers will pay for its use? Or is there another way to obtain the same result in a more competitive way?
The other thing that plays into our decision-making process is that technology evolves. What was cutting edge this year will not be cutting edge next year. Cleaning companies need to prioritize the customer experience; if the innovative system we are trialing doesn’t make that experience better, it doesn’t make the cut.
As an example, our company once trialed a new, machine-based cleaning system for industrial spaces that captured and removed debris while also removing contaminants and bacteria on surfaces. It was a good machine that performed well – our challenge was how well it would work with our business model.
We went through the process with a few franchisees who deployed it with their cleaning contracts. The result was very positive in that it performed well and helped augment their labour. The innovative system performed at the quality level we required, and franchisees were able to use the human labour normally required for that role in another area, allowing them to do a better job in a more cost-effective way for the customer. We eventually onboarded that system.
The human element
The key to remember about technology in the facility cleaning industry is that it is directed by humans. It does what you tell it to do. The technology doesn’t know there is an accident in aisle three; it just knows to go there because it has been told to follow a certain path. You still need people, and that’s good news for cleaning service owners and employees, and attracting people into the industry. It’s an opportunity to direct the technology, not be replaced by it.
Innovation is driven by human creativity and human ingenuity. We are the owners and inventors of new advancements. The goal of creating these systems is to take a certain way of doing things and make it more effective, either by providing a better result or by performing the same service for a lower cost.
There is a high standard to meet for the people creating new ideas in our industry, and we should be helping them create better options. Technology can do good things for us, but it cannot do it without our leadership.
Joshua Ussiri, president of ServiceMaster Clean, has over 10 years of experience, playing an instrumental role in developing ServiceMaster Clean’s strategy, leading a network of 400+ franchises, and spearheading transformational changes to accelerate sales growth and deliver operational excellence.
