Prime Cleaning

In industries where service quality depends on a structured workflow and rapid response, modern digital solutions are crucial. A case study of a cleaning company.

Founded in 2006, “Prime Cleaning” is a reputable cleaning company, offering services ranging from one-time cleanups to comprehensive cleaning solutions, equipment rentals, and construction waste disposal.

In the cleaning industry, effective and timely communication with remote employees is absolutely critical. Managing a large team across multiple locations without dedicated software can quickly become unmanageable. Without the right tools, it's easy for important tasks to be forgotten, steps in the cleaning process to be missed, or for issues like equipment breakdowns to go unreported. Ensuring that cleanings are completed thoroughly and to the highest standard can be a major challenge. Any oversights may result in customer dissatisfaction and damage the company's reputation.

We always aim to provide a guaranteed level of service to keep customers satisfied with the quality of the services provided. Due to the desire to minimize the notorious human factor and the risk of unforeseen situations, the question of implementing task management software at the sites has become a pressing issue for us.

After reviewing our processes, we realized we needed a flexible solution with an easy-to-use interface for our team. We wanted to streamline and digitalize all cleaning operations without expensive equipment. It was also important to get real-time notifications about when work starts, any delays, or breakdowns, so we could quickly adjust plans as needed. Ideally, the software would also track completed tasks and provide analytics to help measure performance and improve efficiency.

Search for a Suitable Solution

We were looking for a task management system that could meet the following requirements:

A mobile app that operates without the need for additional equipment.

The ability to manage schedules, tasks, and checklists electronically.

A system to monitor completed services with direct communication capabilities.

Notifications for important events and issues in real time.

Access to data analytics and reporting for performance insights.

The system had to be:

Quick to implement and easy to use.

User-friendly, requiring minimal training for staff.

Cost-effective, with no need for additional equipment.

Capable of displaying real-time data.

Able to integrate seamlessly with our existing ERP system.

In summary, we needed a simple and convenient solution to help manage tasks for employees at remote sites and provide timely notifications about any issues, without requiring significant resources for implementation or ongoing support.

As a result, we opted for a solution from TARGPatrol. After testing the system in a free demo version, it became clear that it was the most suitable for our business’s specifics and would allow us to implement it with minimal changes to existing business processes. Additionally, this solution was more appealing in terms of cost-to-functionality ratio, with a subscription cost of $15 per employee per month.

Workflow

Before implementing the new system, we aimed to outline our “ideal” business process:

Assign employees or groups to specific locations requiring cleaning at designated times. All employees would receive their work schedules in advance, ensuring they know where and when they need to be on-site.

Each task would include a clear description along with a step-by-step checklist to guide the employee through the process.

Employees must notify when they arrive at the location and start work, using a mobile app without needing additional equipment.

If an employee fails to start work on time due to any circumstances, our HR specialist should automatically receive a notification of the schedule violation.

Task completion should be confirmed by a photo taken by the employee.

In case of issues, such as property damage, employees should be able to quickly register the incident, attach a photo, and send a notification.

Once the cleaning is finished, employees would mark the task as complete, allowing managers to instantly access all data about the work performed.

To implement this process, we first created a company account on the system’s website and installed the mobile app from Google Play on our employees' smartphones. In the organization’s account, we entered all employee data, set up individual work schedules, and added checklist templates.

For our larger sites, such as factories and supermarkets, we set up specific cleaning zones, assigning a QR code to each one. In the system, we created cleaning routes and linked them to the appropriate employees. At the start of their shift, employees open the app and select their assigned route. Upon reaching each cleaning zone, they scan the QR code to access their tasks and checklists. As they complete each step, they mark it off on the checklist. Once finished, the data is uploaded to the system, providing reports that show time spent in each zone, along with photos and comments from the employees.

Challenges Faced After Implementation

We understand that any change in the usual workflow can be challenging. Initially, we were concerned that employees might struggle to adapt to the new application. Fortunately, most of our workforce, consisting of millennials and Generation Z, had no issues.However, around 35% of our staff belong to Generation X, and some needed more time to get familiar with the system. Thankfully, TARGPatrol’s interface is user-friendly, and with a bit of training, we ensured a smooth transition. Occasionally, a few employees forgot to mark certain steps in the checklists or scan the QR code, but these were rare occurrences that we quickly resolved through brief follow-ups.

As a result, we can affirm that implementing TARGPatrol in our company has allowed us to:

Flexibility

We’ve minimized manual work and replaced scattered communication with a unified mobile app, streamlining our operations.

Transparency

All processes are now clear—employees can easily follow tasks, schedules, and locations, while managers have real-time access to important data.

Communication

The notifications and comment features have become invaluable, allowing us to provide prompt feedback and quickly address any incidents.

Quality

The quality of our cleaning services has improved significantly, with checklists playing a key role in ensuring thorough task completion.

Reporting

Automated reports and intuitive analytics have saved our team considerable time and effort when it comes to reporting.