| About
16 years ago when I was first marketing software
to the cleaning industry, we received a call from
someone asking us the price of our software. When
we quoted a price, he was shocked; he thought the
price was way over the top. We explained what software
really was and he was a bit wiser about the world
of computer technology. Nowadays,
we would never get such a call. In fact, nearly
everyone in every business, whatever the industry,
must think about using computer systems to aid
their business - from managing a sales desk and
maintaining a customer list to using the Internet
and its capabilities to enhance sales, to ordering
supplies, or doing research on the latest technological
advances for one's industry.
Note here that we talk of "computer
systems." When computers first started being
used in the cleaning industry, many |
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viewed the physical computer as the most
important thing. For some, selecting software was an
afterthought. Nearly all carpet cleaning business owners
now realize that it is the computer system -- the hardware
components combined with the software -- that makes
the crucial difference.
If you select your computer system well,
you can make your cleaning business more efficient,
and accomplish your daily tasks in less time. You can
also provide better customer service with fewer staff.
In short, an appropriately selected computer system
can be the difference between profitably and effectiveness
in the marketplace.
People in the floor care industry have
long used the latest technology in their work, from
vacuum cleaners to mechanized floor scrubbers and polishers.
There is even a computerized robotic device that can,
for example, be programmed to clean the floor of a basketball
court overnight.
This illustrates a more general principle:
We must first consider the initial cost of computer
hardware and the cost of software, and take into account
the time and expense involved in the training of staff
in the use of the computerized system. Against this,
we must consider the potential savings realized in material,
personnel costs and supervision.
Purchasing hardware these days is relatively
simple. There are a wide variety of well-made machines
available offering a thousand times the power of the
first PC, at only a fraction of the cost of the first
IBM PC. It used to be a challenge to decide what hardware
to buy. Today, if you purchase from one of the well-known
computer manufacturers, such as IBM, Gateway, Dell,
Compaq, HP, etc., it is a pretty safe bet -- nearly
all manufacturers use similar components, and most offer
a reasonable support plan.
However, one still needs to know if the
computer is to be used as a file server or a voice server,
for example. In this case, advice from a professional
would be well worth the cost.
The human side of the computer system
is also important to consider. Who is going to be operating
and administering the system, ensuring procedures are
correctly followed, backups are made, and so on? Any
computer system emulates or replicates some sort of
human system, generally providing two distinct advantages:
First, the computer does what it does
with great speed.
The second point is sometimes overlooked: The computer
program helps define and enforce a systematic method
for accomplishing processes. Examining the processes
that you want the software to accomplish before you
purchase the software is important. There are many cases
where purchased software had to be trashed because the
user did not consider what processes the software was
designed to accomplish. We know of several large corporations
that have spent millions on software projects, only
to have to abandon projects upon completion because
the human processes the software was designed to complement
or replace were not fully analyzed before the software
development project began.
Like a well-run ship, any business, can
benefit from analyzing, defining and improving their
organizational processes. This occurs on two levels:
Within the organization, and between the organization
and its customers.
An example of the first type of software would be a
computerized telephone time-keeping system. This system
type allows employees to call in when they arrive at
their worksite and again when they leave and provides
multiple benefits to cleaning contractors.
* You pay workers only for time actually
worked.
* You have greater control over the workforce.
* You are notified immediately of absentees through
its "no show" feature.
* Although designed primarily for use inside the organization,
this form of software improves customer satisfaction
because you have greater control over potentially missed
jobs, absent employees and employees performing a less
than satisfactory job through not spending the scheduled
time at the job site.
Many businesses, in the cleaning and home
health care industry have realized huge savings in payroll
costs, and big increases in organizational efficiency
through the use of cleaner-specific software, to monitor
the check-in and check-out times of employees working
off-site.
The second type of software, which operates on the interface
between you and your customers, includes scheduling
and billing software. This software maintains job schedules,
tracks all customer information including their likes,
dislikes, peculiarities and payment history as well
as all the financial information you need to track how
much each client owes you. The software includes dozens
of different styles of job tickets and several invoice
and statement formats, so that you can pick the style
that suits you best. Also, schedules can be viewed in
a variety of different ways.
Some software falls between the two categories,
and can be used for work loading, prior to bidding on
a job and simultaneously used to generate a professional-looking
quotation for the client.
Larger organizations can take advantage
of Web-based technology. For example, such software
can provide a web-enabled telephone time tracking system.
Prior to this development, companies with multiple branches
had to buy a telephone time keeping system for each
branch, a costly and redundant solution requiring each
branch to purchase and maintain its own hardware and
software. With web-enabled software, a cleaning company
can purchase a system running on a Windows 2000 server
(which includes a web server) and that single machine
will handle all telephone calls. The manager of each
branch can then access the data relevant to his or her
branch simply by logging onto the Website. Costs are
drastically reduced as each branch manager needs only
a Web browser to access his or her critical information
and all computer and software maintenance can be handled
at head office.
Within this article we have only
touched the tip of the iceberg with regards to what
cleaner-specific can do for you, software and how it
can save your floor-cleaning business a lot of money.
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