Study Reveals Customer Expectations

Contracting Profits regularly surveys the industry to identify the needs, wants, and aspirations of facility executive customers as it pertains to the building service contractors who service the accounts. The results of those findings are published in the “2025 Facility Executives’ Contractor Expectations Survey,” sponsored by Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI). This time frame gives participants enough time to note reportable differences and offers a reasonable window to identify trends closer to their peak rather than their conclusion. 

As is to be expected, the predictions of some facility executives changed while others remained the same between 2023 and 2025. That’s why this survey included extensive questions regarding various topics—including the value of certifications, demands of robotics, advantages of day cleaning, benefits of service bundles, and in-office presence. This ensures the report can both confirm reoccurring trends and identify new ones. 

When considering the fluidity of workers occupying professional spaces, it appears hybrid has proved itself to be more than a pandemic trend. When the pandemic hit in 2020, millions took their laptops home and a sizable amount didn’t return to the office site full time. In fact, by the first quarter of 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 21 percent of full-time employees in the U.S. were still doing some of their work from home. By the same time in 2024, teleworkers/hybrid workers made up 24.5 percent of the population.  

With remote or hybrid work seemingly here to stay, it became imperative for the survey to help gauge the state building occupancy, as it deeply impacts cleaning demands. What the survey found is promising. More than three quarters of respondents say the majority of staff are in their facility four to five days a week. The remaining 19 percent say most staff are hybrid and work three days in the office. Only 3 percent say their facility is occupied by staff less than two days a week. 

Given that so many are working in offices throughout the week, it’s not surprising that 79 percent of facility executive respondents expect the current staffing schedule to remain in place. About one in five (18 percent) expect staff to be back in the office more frequently as time goes on. 

A lack of changes in office occupancy appears to be tied to stable cleaning budgets. Just over half of facility customers (53 percent) say their budget remained the same in the last year. An encouraging 36 percent say more money is being allocated to their budget, while just 11 percent expect budgets to be cut. 

That said, building service contractors who carry a certification appear to have a leg up on those budget dollars compared to non-certified parties. Roughly half of the facility executives surveyed prefer to work with a contractor who is certified and continue to maintain those certifications. This is on par with results from the same question asked in 2023.  

Meanwhile, despite the reported productivity advantages, technological advances are slow to be embraced by facility executives. Only a quarter of respondents say they have or plan to implement smart, sensor, or internet of things (IoT) technology that can send service alerts to janitors and leadership into their facilities. While that figure is low, the good news is, the interest is growing—in 2023, just 15 percent of facility customers were considering the use of technology in their cleaning programs. 

Like hybrid offices and technical advancements, calls for more sustainable business practices are pervasive across both domestic and international businesses. However, facility managers remain split on the topic. Roughly half (51 percent) say they have sustainability goals in place, compared to 44 percent in 2023 and nearly 58 percent in 2021. It is hard to predict if the level of interest will change in 2027. 

The 2025 survey touches on much more, with over a dozen questions providing strong insight on industry trends. Sign in to access and download the full survey for free.

Jake Meister is the senior associate editor of Facility Cleaning Decisions, Contracting Profits and Sanitary Maintenance magazines, as well as CleanLink.com.