The Hidden Costs of Outdated Technology in Commercial Cleaning Businesses

Commercial cleaning companies face fierce competition and unique challenges. Employee turnover rates are high, and customer retention isn't always straightforward. Long-term success requires a commercial cleaning company to overcome these challenges without losing sight of its revenue and growth goals.

Modern solutions address these common challenges, increasing efficiency and profitability, which is why 43% of commercial cleaning businesses have adopted end-to-end business management software.* 

But that means more than half of these companies still rely on non-digital tools. Why?

Adopting new technology seems expensive and time-consuming. 

→ However, the long-term costs of sticking with outdated systems and obsolete technology are far higher. 

Failing to adopt modern business management software leads to missed opportunities, making it hard to grow a commercial cleaning company. There are also several hidden costs — read on to see what they are.

Wasted time and money

Many commercial cleaning companies don't understand the actual cost of outdated systems and processes. But a closer look at daily operations reveals significant time and financial losses.

Inefficient manual processes

Operating a commercial cleaning company involves repetitive daily processes:

• Scheduling

• Planning

• Invoicing

• Reporting

Performing these tasks manually is time-consuming, and paper-based documentation is easily lost.

→ Using software to manage these tasks eliminates human error and saves time. After implementing Aspire, customers were able to schedule jobs 35% faster.*

Data entry errors

Manual work is also prone to error. Even the best employees aren't perfect—errors and duplicated efforts are common, especially in tasks like data entry that can be tedious.

However, those mistakes are costly. All it takes is a single mistake to cause billing disputes, which impact profits and threaten consumer trust.

Miscommunication

Poor communication can have a significant impact on daily operations for commercial cleaning companies, such as:

• Missed targets

• Unclear goals

• Disconnects between office and field staff

• Poor customer service

Missed or delayed communication prevents employees from doing their best work and meeting operational objectives. 

Meanwhile, customers feel unheard, leading to high churn rates and lost revenue.

Using business management software with a mobile app can significantly improve operational communication by bringing it all into a single platform. Aspire customers reported spending 22% less time on planning & communications.*

Lost revenue opportunities 

Outdated processes reduce profitability, preventing cleaning contractors from maximizing the revenue potential of their client base. Profit loss can occur across operations, including preventable mistakes when invoicing customers and common mistakes when creating estimates for jobs. 

Invoicing errors

Paper invoices and unwieldy spreadsheets are typical for commercial cleaning businesses that are just getting started, but as your client base grows, they can be a source of revenue lost through the following:

• Slow billing

• Incomplete charges

• Bookkeeping mistakes

• Customer confusion

Accurate and timely invoicing is crucial for maintaining a positive cash flow. Project management software is the answer—users spend 23% less time on invoicing and receivables.* 

Inaccurate bidding

Commercial cleaning companies operate on extremely thin margins, and operational inefficiencies further impact profitability:

• Underpricing jobs leads to negative cash flow

• Overpricing jobs creates unhappy customers

In such a competitive market, companies must optimize their pricing to maintain consistent revenue and customer satisfaction.

Inaccurate bidding is common when business owners don’t have access to real-time data and cost tracking. End-to-end project management software solves the issue by giving operational managers visibility into profit margins for every job and contract, which informs future pricing. 

Scaling challenges

Scaling a commercial cleaning company requires clear, complete data on current operations:

• Job costing

• Employee performance per job

• Profitability

• Business performance in the market 

Paper documents and manual recordkeeping provide little visibility into these crucial areas. Lack of accurate, up-to-date information prevents decision-makers from developing realistic growth initiatives.

Higher labor costs and turnover

Labor management is a constant challenge for commercial cleaning companies—63% of contractors identify staffing issues as their biggest risk.*

Over- and under-staffing

Managers need accurate data to schedule crews for every job. Older scheduling methods aren't time-sensitive, which causes frequent issues:

• Overstaffing reduces profits

• Understaffing impacts completion time

• Missed appointments cause customer dissatisfaction

Technology solves scheduling issues by providing managers real-time data on team performance and job requirements. Modern scheduling software allows managers to adapt to unexpected changes by modifying appointments and notifying team members immediately.

Lack of real-time information and low morale

Traditional scheduling and oversight methods are static. Employees receive scheduling information at the beginning of their shifts, but don't have access to that data in the field. 

When unexpected changes affect appointment times or job details, employees don't know until it's too late to make adjustments. Without mobile access to managers, cleaning crews don't report jobsite issues, leading to lost time and lower revenue.

Poor communication also creates a frustrating environment for cleaning crews:

• Inconsistent performance standards

• Missing job details

• Slow communication

• Inefficient scheduling

• Inaccurate timekeeping

Customer satisfaction and worker retention suffer without clear performance metrics. Inconsistent communication and scheduling also contribute to timekeeping errors, which impact payroll and internal costs.

Poor customer experience

Inefficient practices aren't just risky for commercial cleaning companies — they also impact customers. 

Unmet client expectations

Cleaning crews need clear guidance to meet customers' expectations. Traditional job management systems don't facilitate quick responses to customer requests or jobsite issues.

Business management software with mobile capabilities facilitates three-way communication between the office, field, and customers. Work tickets with task checklists ensure perfect results at every job site, with no cleaning task overlooked or forgotten.

Inconsistent service quality

Transparency is difficult with legacy systems that rely on paper documentation and office-based communication. Managers also lack the necessary tools to keep their crews accountable.

Comprehensive quality control requires access to historical data and real-time insights. Without these details, maintaining consistent service quality and customer satisfaction is challenging at best.

Loss of reputation

Satisfied customers are the foundation of long-term success for cleaning companies. Conversely, dissatisfied customers severely impact a company's reputation and growth potential with negative reviews.

Companies that refuse to implement modern technology, such as customer portals for easy invoice payment and communication, tend to have more dissatisfied customers. 

Lack of communication and unreliable service quality often lead to lost contracts, resulting in lost revenue from repeat customers. 

Lack of visibility

Long-term success for commercial cleaning companies requires more than efficient daily operations. Owners and key decision-makers must be able to make proactive choices that improve performance and support sustainable growth.

Reactive decision-making

In-the-moment decisions rarely have positive long-term results. Usually, these choices are based on limited information and short-term perspectives.

Owners and managers need access to robust data to make proactive decisions:

• Historical customer data

• Client feedback

• Current jobsite details

• Performance metrics

• Reports and analytics

Business management software gives managers access to everything in a single platform, saving time and supporting data-driven decision-making. Aspire customers reported significant time savings: 26% faster report preparation and 19% less time tracking KPIs.*

Compliance challenges

Commercial cleaning companies must keep detailed records to avoid lawsuits or compliance issues. However, paper records are easily lost and time-consuming to maintain and update.

For example, if a client contests a charge from several months ago, it might take office staff hours to comb through physical files to find proof of service—if it even exists! End-to-end business management software avoids this issue by storing and organizing critical information and making it instantly available to staff members via intuitive search functionality.

Save time and money with Aspire

Outdated systems and processes cost commercial cleaning companies a significant amount of time and money. Lack of visibility disrupts daily operations, impacting customer satisfaction and employee retention rates.

Manual processes waste time and introduce errors in crucial systems like bidding and invoicing. Continuing to rely on obsolete tools and processes hampers growth efforts and harms the reputation.

Not incorporating modern technological solutions has a far higher long-term cost than the initial investment. 

Business management software improves efficiency and supports long-term growth. After adopting the platform, Aspire customers saw an 85% increase in year-over-year revenue growth.

Are you ready to enjoy all the benefits of a modern business management platform?  Book a demo to learn more about Aspire. 

*2025 Commercial Cleaning Insights, Aspire Software (Market Survey)

*Aspire client ROI Survey conducted in Q3 2023. Reported results are illustrative of certain customers' success; your individual results may vary.