How to Use the Time AI Gives Back

Key Takeaways:
• AI creates the greatest value for commercial cleaning companies when it frees leaders to focus on people, not paperwork.
• Technology should support—not replace—the human side of commercial cleaning.
• Commercial cleaning leaders should reinvest AI-driven efficiency into long-term business growth.

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When I was in middle school, I was at a friend's house when his mom made popcorn in 60 seconds. She didn’t use the stovetop method I was familiar with. Instead, she used a machine I had never seen before: A microwave oven. As I stood there amazed, watching the bag puff up through the little window, I never thought to ask, “What are you going to do with all the time you're saving?”

I think about that microwave every time AI comes up, and these days, it comes up everywhere. At roundtables, conferences, online groups, industry conversations of every kind—there's no shortage of talk about what AI can do. And while some of that is genuinely useful, it's easy to get so caught up in exploring what AI can do that we lose sight of what we're trying to accomplish. The tool becomes the project. Technology becomes the topic. And somewhere in that noise, the original question gets lost.

Don’t ask what AI can do. Ask what you would do with the time it gives back.

Reclaiming Your Time

Keeping customers is just as important as adding them. Companies that invest in existing relationships tend to build more sustainable businesses than those focused only on growth. But that kind of intentional relationship work requires time, and time is usually the first thing that disappears in a busy operation. If AI gives some of it back, spend it in your customers' buildings. Seeing what they see and hearing what their teams are experiencing is where real trust gets built.

The real work in this business happens inside the buildings, often late at night without anyone watching. But when operations are running at full speed, it's easy for weeks to go by without meaningful contact between leadership and frontline staff. If AI creates margins in your schedule, some of them belong there.

Walk a site, make sure the team has the supplies and equipment they need, ride along with a field leader, or simply check in on someone who has been carrying a heavy load. That time has a compounding effect on quality and culture.

Most owners are so deep in the day-to-day that thinking about the future becomes something they'll get to eventually. If AI opens up space in your week, protect some of that time for future planning. Not another dashboard or planning tool, just a conversation with a peer, a roundtable with other leaders, or an honest look at where you want the company to be in three years.

Some of that extra time also belongs outside the business entirely. Mentor a newer owner, get involved in the industry, or look for opportunities to serve your community. Those things matter, too.

The microwave didn't change what people ate. It changed how much time they had. AI won't change what this business is about, but it might change how much time you have. The question is the same one nobody thought to ask in that kitchen all those years ago: What are you going to do with the extra time?

Jeff Carmon, CBSE, is the Business Development Director at Frantz Building Services. He is also a consultant, content creator, and speaker for Elite BSC, which provides resources and education for like-minded BSCs.