They can't mop, dust, or answer the phones, so why is a computer one of the most important investments you could ever make for your cleaning business?

Computers have revolutionized the business world by increasing efficiency, integrating every aspect of a business into a single control center resting on the desks of the modern workplace in every industry. Computer software designed for cleaning businesses can help owners manage increased growth with less stress and better administration.

 Put Employees in a Position to Succeed: 

Extremely successful businesses give employees the proper tools to succeed in their positions. While proper training and management are essential, computers and industry-specialized software are equally vital in giving your employees the keys to success, and simultaneously providing management an easy way to track employee performance.

With customer information at their fingertips, your office staff will have an easier time responding to questions and complaints. Moreover, your cleaning staff will have professionally printed work orders containing all necessary customer and job information making it easier to do their jobs right. Your cleaning staff can also receive detailed driving directions and maps from job to job thereby increasing their punctuality and reducing the frustration of getting lost or bothering office staff for directions. New mobile solutions are now available that allow field staff to get their job information via a web-enabled computer, cell phone, PDA, or even an email-enabled pager. How much would your business gain just by creating one more billable hour per employee per day?

 Cut Your Office Staff's Workload by 25%: 

With an appropriate system in place you could free up an estimated 25% of your office staff's time to work on more important managerial duties. For example:

• Time spent on each phone call can typically be reduced by 10-20%, freeing up 4-8 hours per week, per office staff member.
  
  
• Producing clean, consistently formatted work orders with a click of a mouse, instead of digging through filing cabinets, might save another 4-5 hours a week.
  
  
• Reduces scheduling new jobs to the best fit with existing routes reduces drive time saving another 3-5 works per week and maximizes profit potential.

 Grow Your Business Instead of Running It: 

One of the world's most famous small business gurus, Michael Gerber, the author of The E-Myth Series (www.E-Myth.com), stresses one main point to all small business owners: "Your primary job is to grow your business; not to work in it." This might seem counterintuitive to many owners that just can't imagine their business running smoothly without them doing everything that needs to be done.The right technology can put computer systems in place, so that other people can run the day-to-day show while you address the larger issues.

This step can take your business to the next level, rather than just to the next day on the calendar. Who is better to promote and grow your cleaning business than you?

 Choosing the Right Technology: 

Business software systems are not like buildings- you cannot just build or buy them and be done. Computer systems are a living entity; just like children they need constant care and attention because they are always evolving, or should be if you hope to keep pace with the potential benefits offered by advances in technology. Selecting the business software for your company is a crucial decision, one that you want to make sure you get right the first time. Many companies are using a software program with which they are completely unhappy. They want to switch out of the system, but don't due to the time it takes to migrate data and train on a new system.

Here are a few tips when deciding on a management software application so that you do not become one of these unhappy companies. These will ensure that you are not only getting what you need now, but also that you will be getting future technological advantages as they become available.

Software is an investment in your business and one that should not be done without a thorough review. Sit down with each member of your office staff and ask them where they spend most of their time, and what would make them more efficient. Do a thorough analysis of your needs. What are your business administrative pains and inefficiencies? Many companies skip this crucial step. How can you possibly know the answer before knowing any of the questions?

Once you have done a thorough review and have your list of needs in hand, you are ready to see if there are solutions already available. Seek as many possibilities as you can; find at least two or three software programs and see if they have the solutions to your list of needs. You would think that is where it ends, but the last tip may be the most important of all, as the point of choosing a new system is to make sure you never have to change software again:

You want to choose a program that will grow with technology as it grows, but how can you tell without being a fortuneteller? Look closely at the company and the technology they use. Have they had multiple versions updating the programming language and underlying database technology? If they have not, my advice is to look elsewhere as the tools available for software developers are always being improved in both areas. You do not want to invest your future to an inactive technology partner.

As you dig into this evaluation, you may encounter words like Access, .NET, HTML, XML, and SQL Server. If these terms sound foreign to you or you have a difficult time telling the advantages/disadvantages between different technologies, you may want to consider hiring a computer consultant. Your new software package will be a major investment so spending a few hundred dollars on a consultant could save you from making a poor decision that will cost you thousands of dollars. Computers and software are a great way to be increase efficiency and profitability, , so make the right choice!

 Sell Your Business as a Turnkey Operation: 

Some day you may want to sell your business. The right technology makes your business more valuable. With the proper systems in place your operations can be transferred in a smoothly and seamlessly. This is one of the reasons that franchise organizations are so popular; they have a system in place that is easy to learn and implement. Selling the business will be similar to training new office staff members on how to use the programs and procedures that you have in place.

Without a computerized system you would be selling your personal business know-how, because that is the only place all your business procedures reside. Transition periods for cleaning businesses without computerized operations can run as long as 6-9 months while the new owner learns how to run the business, as opposed to the 2-4 weeks needed for those that already have computer systems in place. Computerized operations also have everything completely documented in a format easily understandable by the prospective buyer. Your number of recurring clients and their annual worth, full service history, outstanding accounts receivable, and turnover ratios are all at your fingertips to demonstrate the full worth of your business, accurately.

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