Few things in the commercial cleaning industry can be as stressful as placing a bid on a new client. 

In addition to taking a lot of time, intense competition frequently results in a “race to the bottom”, where two businesses compete to submit the lowest bid in the hopes of winning a new contract.

Unfortunately, outdated methods are blocking the way to better estimates for many commercial cleaning companies. 

Complicated spreadsheets are difficult to translate into scheduled work when a job is won, time-consuming to update, prone to errors when formulas malfunction, and the list of issues goes on.

Issues with conventional janitorial bidding methods

In competitive markets, it can be challenging to reach the levels of consistency, complexity, and flexibility required for high-quality estimates without the proper software program.

Let’s look at a few of the main issues for the cleaning businesses with a paper-based strategy.

Lost data

It’s simple to misplace information that is kept in spreadsheets, whiteboards, emails, or handwritten notes. Even when something isn’t deleted, it usually ends up being stored in a file cabinet where it can’t be quickly accessed or linked to other material.

The information that was captured throughout the estimating process is, therefore, recreated time and time again when it comes to scheduling jobs and sending bills, wasting important administrative time, and increasing the likelihood of human errors.

Time-consuming processes

You cannot rely on the advantages of user-friendly platforms that automate workflows, save important data in the cloud, and use templates to save hours of repeated labor when using paper-based workflows.

Efficiency-building is essential especially when you have a small business. And it’s challenging for commercial cleaning businesses to achieve that without the right software.

Inconsistency

When it comes to producing top-notch cleaning proposals, consistency is essential.

As a business owner, it might be challenging to ensure that all bids are produced uniformly when using traditional estimation methods.

Without the guidance that software offers, different team members might pick up on different things during a single walk-through, and generate inaccurate bids.

Inaccurate bids

The cleaning sector has extremely low-profit margins. Simply said, there isn’t much room for error when making correct bids. 

Companies might quickly find themselves losing money on a poorly bid job if the team members doing a walk-through or creating an estimate make the wrong measurements, miss out on the details, calculate the square footage incorrectly, or fail to account for problems when they estimate labor hours.

You need software that enables you to consistently provide accurate estimates for your cleaning jobs if you want to avoid these pricing difficulties.

You can also double-check the company’s standards against the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association – ISSA 612 Time and Task Standards. It has a list of specific measurements that will benefit your cleaning business. 

It is also a great way to compare and ensure that your calculations of the time needed to clean a facility and the materials required are accurate and follow best practices.

On the other hand, professional janitorial bidding software generates a precise quote based on the ISSA 612 Time and Task Standards – so you don’t have to do the work yourself. 

With the help of the complete software tool, you can quickly determine the cost of cleaning a location by eliminating the manual effort from the bidding process.

How can janitorial bidding software help you?

Software for end-to-end business management enables you to manage the entire company from a single location and save time. It assists you in creating outstanding estimates, but it goes further. 

It enables you to carry out the whole procedure:

• Establishing a sales opportunity
• Performing a preliminary walk-through
• Developing a budget
• Planning the work for a successful and professional bid
• Time tracking
• Carrying out inspections
• Creating and sending invoices
• Reviewing dashboards and reports in real-time

Performant, dependable software has all the data stored in a cloud-based platform, reachable through a mobile app or any device with an internet connection.

The market for management software has seen a significant transformation. Software for janitorial bids can assist with task organization, scheduling, and automation. 

A janitorial bidding software can help you in the following areas to grow your business:

Create new opportunities

Having all the data you need at your fingertips can allow you to open previously locked doors. Now that you can carry your business with you wherever you go to meet new clients or when you get a reference, the days of being confined to your office computer are over.

You can also provide potential customers the choice to get in touch with you via the customer portal connected to your account. They can also place orders for supplies, request special services, and submit feedback. 

Boost Productivity

If you want to win bids, you must be able to demonstrate how effective your team is. You can manage all of your staff members using janitorial bidding software. 

Furthermore, you can give tasks to each employee, record the training each person has completed, and track each employee’s whereabouts in real time, ensuring that no tasks are missed or mistakes are made. 

You are more likely to win the bid if the clients can witness your expertise and speed.

Keep everything structured

While managing a cleaning business, it can be difficult to keep everyone and everything structured, especially if you have a large workforce or a lot of clients, but small businesses are no exception either. 

You need to rely on an organized calendar if you want to grow your company and manage new professional proposals.

You may add anything and everything to your daily plan using the calendar and scheduling features in the janitorial bidding software, including work orders, inspections, work tickets, inventory ordering, and everything in between. 

Signs your janitorial business needs bidding software

Working in the cleaning sector, there are surely many things you wish your computer program could perform. 

However, if you haven’t recently looked for a new program, yet you encounter the following issues, maybe it’s time to search for the right janitorial software.

You believe that lowering your bid will help you get contracts

You’re not alone if you believe that you must always lower your offer to secure a contract. Many cleaning businesses lower their bid to secure a new cleaning contract.

How, therefore, can janitorial software assist you in increasing bids without decreasing your prices? Visit Ranyan – a top-notch janitorial bidding tool today, made by experts in the industry. You’ll find everything you need to know and more.

Your employee turnover rate is too high

Cleaners who change jobs too frequently are a constant challenge for many business owners.

Trustworthy and happy employees must be:

• recognized and respected as a person;
• able to speak with management straightforwardly and understandably;
• able to assess their performance at work.

Your cleaners’ retention rates can be greatly improved by the janitorial software that has the right tools to support the worker, enhance communication, and assist them in performing the best work.

You’re fixing small, time-consuming issues rather than expanding your business

While working hard is important, it’s necessary to find ways to perform more efficiently as well, to prevent burnout, lack of cleaning frequency, and the danger of accidents and illnesses.

By centralizing all customer and cleaner correspondence according to location, janitorial software can help you stay ahead of these issues rather than constantly trying to catch up.

The challenges of a competitive market for janitorial companies

In such competitive markets, it can be challenging to reach the levels of consistency, complexity, and flexibility required for high-quality estimates without the right software. 

Due to their advantages, janitorial software is now widely used in commercial cleaning services by property managers and building owners.

Organizations like the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (ISSA) have continued to provide resources, updates, and valuable information on how businesses can perform during such uncertain times, especially after a world pandemic. 

However, there is a benefit to these radical changes: cleaning businesses now have a great chance to demonstrate their worth and significance.

Choose the best janitorial bidding software for your company

Unreliable and insufficient janitorial services have no place in today’s fiercely competitive market. You must present your business in the best light possible by producing top bids that are both precise and appealing.

Ranyan can help in this situation, and do much more.
With the needs of the janitorial sector in mind, we developed our platform for walkthroughs, bids, and job proposals, following ISSA guidelines. 

We know how to simplify every stage of the bid process, from the initial contact to the bid estimator and proposal generator. 

But we do not stop here. The Ranyan app was designed for ease of use and offers full support in the entire janitorial cleaning process: work orders, team communication, quality control, budget management, and client service.

If you want to know more about Ranyan Janitorial Bidding Software and how we can help your business, contact us for a demo today!