Software Transforms Walkthroughs

As a full-service contract cleaner, CNS Cleaning Company employs more than 1,000 custodians, and services upward of 1,000 accounts every month. The Bristol, Pennsylvania-based and family-owned business specializes in cleaning office buildings, corporate headquarters and universities, and serves as a subcontractor for large janitorial companies. 

In 2019, Bill Dunn, President of CNS Cleaning, purchased the company and soon realized that its cleaning proposals were falling short of customer expectations. Despite growing steadily since its inception, the service provider produced job estimates that were at best rudimentary and at worst unprofessional—a concern that hampered future growth targets. 

“We were using very old-school methods of estimating our jobs,” Dunn recalls. “We used calculators to work out square footage, which could easily lead to mistakes. These measurements were then written down on paper, which could also introduce errors. Our guys had to rush because they were trying to get through the building and measure everything. In many cases they couldn’t keep up with the customer, who would be walking through the building very quickly while we were still trying to take measurements.” 

Back in the office, field estimators wrestled with scattered notes and relied on copy-and-paste methods to assimilate information and type up a finished proposal. The process was laborious, and data was often missing or inaccurate. The final report was—in Dunn’s words—bare-bones: Just a one- or two-page presentation detailing the scope of work and listing the costs. In essence, the document, which was meant to convince potential clients to choose CNS Cleaning over its competitors, was not up to par with its rivals. 

Dunn sifted through dozens of software options and tried several, but none of them catered to the cleaning industry. Eventually, a Google search led him to Route’s BID, a bidding and proposal software for commercial cleaning companies. The software standardizes on-site walkthroughs, allowing users to record observations and measurements, as well as capture photos on their mobile devices. 

According to Dunn, the software is user-friendly and produces professional presentations. 

“It’s easy to understand with minimal training—even for someone brand new who’s never given a janitorial proposal before or walked a building to do an estimate,” he says. 

App Sets the Pace 

Jeff Upmalis, Vice President of CNS Cleaning, is one of a handful of managers who use BID software on a daily basis. Having worked for the company for almost two decades, he has played an active role in adopting new technologies to improve on-site walkthroughs. 

“When I joined the company, I wanted to take it into the 21st century, so one of the first things I did was adopt the use of laser distance meters to measure facilities,” he says. 

Prior to this, the company—like many of its competitors—relied on a measuring wheel or manually counted ceiling tiles. Individuals who had been in the industry for a long time might even hazard a guess. But these methods were cumbersome and slow—not to mention prone to inaccuracies. 

Now, managers show up at a facility with only two tools: a laser rangefinder and a cell phone with BID. 

“When we walk in, we’re more professional; we have a laser pointer in one hand and a cell phone in the other,” says Upmalis. “The software allows for talk-to-text, so we don’t need a notepad or paper anymore either.” 

At the start of the walkthrough, users open the app and access the template that corresponds to the type of facility they’re visiting. The template features predetermined rooms where users can enter square footage, types of flooring, and fixtures, as well as add notes or photos if needed. Templates can also be customized with one click to add additional room types. 

“The app allows a lot more freedom to talk, which is very important in sales because you have to be able to listen and understand what’s going wrong,” notes Upmalis. “Beforehand, taking a notepad was very distracting from the conversation. I felt like my sales numbers were lower because I spent a lot of time buried in a notepad, and when I left, the prospective client felt like I didn’t understand what they needed. Now, it’s minimally invasive, a lot faster, and we leave with every single bit of information we need captured on the app.”