For facilities management companies, the single most important thing you can do for your bottom line is make accurate bids. Bids which are too high will lose clients while bids which are too low will cost you money. Getting the number just right, however, really is harder than it seems because there are so many variables you need to consider. How big is the building? How often do they want it cleaned? What types of services do they want? The list goes on and on and without a reliable record of what each of those services is going to cost to provide, you can't give an accurate estimate. Luckily, as technology has advanced, so has janitorial bidding software. Now, more than ever before, it is easy to keep track of your services and your expenses so the next time you are in a bidding war, you can guarantee your number! The Bidding/Estimating Function The first feature you should look for in a facilities management software is a bidding/estimating function. A function like this takes all of the data stored in the software, analyzes it, and creates an estimate for every specific situation. Without a bidding/estimation function, you waste time, money, and seriously risk a costly mistake by leaving the analysis and math to an employee. Besides using information it already has about your business, a great software will allow you to do actual surveys of the potential client's buildings and synchronize all of the information together, with the touch of a button. The Work Order Function In addition to a bidding/estimating function, your software should offer a plethora of other functions that help keep you organized and your clients happy. After all, even a spot-on bid doesn't do any good if you can't deliver on your promises. One function that many people consider handy is a work order function. If you have multiple clients and those clients have large or even multiple buildings, work-orders can be extremely difficult to organize and fill. A good management software will put all of those work orders into one place and will even make sure that your employees get them on their mobile phones in real time. A feature like this ensures that all work orders get processed and completed instead of getting lost or falling through the cracks. The Inspection Function Inspections are also a really important part of maintaining clients; without them, you never really know if your employees are performing their jobs to the client's specifications and standards--a problem which makes communication really difficult. If your clients feel like you are regularly checking up on your employees, they are likely to be a little more tolerant of slip-ups because they know you will hear about it and then fix the problem. Clients want to feel respected, cared for, and that they are getting the service they are paying for. By showing them the results of your inspections, you can communicate to them how important their business is to you and how seriously you take their requests. The Scheduling Function As any facilities management company can tell you, job scheduling can be a nightmare if you don't have the right tools. With a great management software, making sure employees are where they are supposed to be is easy. No matter how many or what size buildings you're in charge of cleaning, a great software makes it easy to make sure every task is scheduled and completed every day. With a great scheduling feature, you can eliminate "I didn't know..." from your employees' vocabularies and deliver on every one of the promises you make to your clients. Without a doubt, great janitorial bidding software is the perfect way to win more business!
Related Articles -
janitorial, bidding, software,
|