In this article, industry manufacturers answer common questions asked by building service contractors.

In the past year, have you seen an increase in more contractors using software?


Yes, with the continued increase in mobile solutions cleaning contractors now have access to data anywhere, anytime. More and more cleaning contractors are seeing the need now, more than just a want, to use software in their business. They just can’t compete without it. If you break down the financial benefits that cleaning contractors receive from using software, compared to the cost, you will see that it pays for itself.

— Michael Jenkins, president, CleanTelligent, Provo, Utah


Yes. Our membership continues to grow, reflecting an overall upward trend in the use of software by BSCs who are becoming increasingly comfortable looking for and using software solutions for their businesses. In addition, there continues to be a greater number and variety of software programs being developed to handle an even wider range of business functions.

— Daniel Liebrecht, co-founder, CleanBid, Toledo, Ohio

What are the advantages to using software?


Software used in the cleaning industry provides cleaning contractors two main advantages — innovative technology to increase productivity and the ability to give more personal attention to their customers. I feel this increase in personal attention is a significant advantage because software makes it so easy to stay in touch. This is done through client portal software that provides a way for customers to submit data and view data via the Internet, facilitating an effective relationship exchange in the process.

We all know how much cheaper it is to retain customers than to find new ones. So in order to retain customers, it is vital for cleaning contractors to have a strong relationship with their customers. Internet software also provides opportunities for cleaning contractors to constantly brand themselves to their customers. Whether it’s the contractor’s logo on their customer’s desktop linking them to the client portal or their logo on the messages and other marketing materials the customer receives. This constant branding will help protect against competition coming in trying to take away accounts. In short, in order to retain customers, a cleaning contractor must have a relationship with their customers that ensure their customers always feel good about their company and services they provide. Internet-based cleaning software facilitates interaction and constant branding to make this happen.

— Michael Jenkins, president, CleanTelligent, Provo, Utah


Software can deliver increased speed, convenience, accuracy, professionalism and flexibility, as well as savings in both time and money. Business operations such as timekeeping, bidding and estimating, customer relationship management, quality control and accounting — which were, in the past, functions many smaller BSCs found too big or unwieldy to handle, have now been made much more manageable with the use of online and mobile business software.


— Daniel Liebrecht, co-founder, CleanBid, Toledo, Ohio





POSTED ON: 8/22/2011