How 4M Building Solutions Uses Tech to Advance

By Steve Mastin

In the past two years, I’ve heard the same message from owners and operators across our industry: “We need to leverage technology.” What they often don’t know, specifically, is what they want it to do. Therein lies the rub: to solve a problem, we first must define it, and to define it, we must clearly understand and articulate it. 

In the building services industry, technology has emerged as a powerful differentiator, but only when deployed with purpose. Forward-looking organizations have increasingly treated tech not as a short-term upgrade, but as a long-term strategic investment. That shift was partially born during the pandemic, when data sharing emerged as a real operational gap, particularly for commercial cleaning companies, which found it difficult to access critical data quickly amid unprecedented disruption.  

The following perspective reflects lessons learned from my role at 4M, where we continue to invest in technology with intention. This is not offered as a promotional narrative for 4M, but as a practical roadmap for others navigating similar challenges. 

Where is Tech Taking Us? 

The first step is defining measurable outcomes. In our case, we wanted to advance how our company evaluates efficiency, quality, team member retention, and customer satisfaction. Most facility providers will have a similar mix of these datasets, depending on their internal organizational initiatives and growth goals. A common challenge—and one we faced—is that these metrics often live in systems that were never designed to communicate with one another. Before you can define meaningful outcomes, you must understand where your data lives and how to use it effectively.  

Many building service contractors grew as family businesses, doing whatever needed to be done with lean teams and limited resources. In that environment, speed matters more than structure. Over time, however, processes evolve organically, data accumulates, and institutional knowledge becomes embedded within individuals and departments. 

The result? Silos. 

Data ends up scattered across systems, spreadsheets, inboxes, and individual team members who each see only part of the picture. 

Don’t Go It Alone 

Modernizing operations requires alignment within your company and help from the right outside partners. You need an in-house, tech-savvy team (or, pending size, at least one person) that understands your workflows and can champion change from within. But it also helps to work with specialists who focus every day on data architecture, integration, automation, and the near-daily changes of AI. 

In our case, we engaged two external firms with perspectives that enabled us to move faster, avoid mistakes, and create systems that met our growth needs. The result for us is a structured, scalable proprietary tech platform that our company calls 4M FourSight.  

For smaller BSCs not yet ready to invest in outside partners, don’t fret. Today is the day to start your tech journey. The first step is simple: start organizing what you already have. Identify the data that is important to your company’s success and growth, from labor reporting to the sales pipeline to inspection results and customer communications. Then bring it into a shared, centralized structure. Standardize naming conventions. Eliminate duplicate tracking. Define ownership. This level of discipline creates visibility, which is the foundation for smarter decision making. 

Eventually, these centralized data pillars can be consolidated into a unified dashboard of key performance indicators. It’s an investment of time and money, but in the hyper-competitive world of BSCs, it’s a differentiator where every advantage counts. Before long, this level of visibility will become an expectation. 

When performance metrics are visible in real time, not only do internal workflows improve, but they also have a customer-facing impact. Think about it. With the right systems, companies can spot unhappy customers early, show measurable improvement after resolving issues, and demonstrate the cost benefits of strong team member retention. 

When real data backs performance, the conversation changes. Providers are no longer seen as just “janitorial vendors,” but as trusted partners who use technology and insight to deliver meaningful results. 

The Robots are Coming

These are not the Jetsons robots some of us grew up with. Rosie is not yet a reality (“yet” being key), but her doppelganger is arriving quickly. Tesla promises Optimus, and Karcher and Avidbots are aggressively promoting autonomous cleaning solutions, as others promise incremental autonomy across the board.  

So, the robots are coming! Are they coming for our jobs? Not quite. The push for robotics is real, and vendors are entering and leaving the space rapidly. What’s a BSC to do? Stay informed, stay curious, and do your homework. Robotics will absolutely drive efficiency gains over time, but they are still tools that require thoughtful deployment. They will clean when, where, and ultimately how you tell them.  

The positives are clear: robots don’t call in sick, they don’t get injured, and they don’t take a day off. What they also don’t have is contextual awareness. They don’t know your client’s building as well as you do. For example, they don’t know that on the third floor of the medical building, no one is to enter door #2, unless you program that rule. They don’t know that the daily coffee spill in the breakroom requires extra attention to keep the flooring from wearing unevenly. That knowledge still lives with your team.  

Used thoughtfully, technology can be used as a differentiator in pricing, service, unique offerings, and even client fit. A tech-forward client in Silicon Valley is likely to embrace robotics, as are manufacturers operating in higher-risk environments.  

Use cases will continue to expand. Comanies that experiment and test early—and implement wisely—will be better positioned. 

Final Thought 

We all want AI, and we want it now. But the critical question remains: what problem are you trying to solve? That is your $64,000 question, and yours alone. 

I’m an enthusiastic supporter of technology and engineering innovations and have spent much of my career helping organizations deploy enterprise-wide systems. But, as the industry races toward AI adoption, a measured approach still matters. Define the problem first. Then identify the right solution.  

At the end of the day, this remains a people-first business built on relationships and hard work, not just apps and programming. Replace your customer service function with AI at your own peril.  

That said, there is no better moment to begin your tech journey than today. If you want to harness your data to understand your clients better, provide exceptional service, or boost client value through robotics, the steps outlined here can help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence. 

Steve Mastin is the Chief Financial Officer of 4M Building Solutions. He has spent almost two decades in C-suite and other top executive positions for private equity-backed companies, helping deploy various enterprise-wide technology initiatives throughout his career. Steve was the driving force behind the creation of 4M’s FourSight technology and is passionate about how technology and systems can help businesses of all sizes.