The UK cleaning industry is one of the UK’s largest employers, providing essential services that keep workplaces, schools, and public spaces safe and functional. It remains one of the most competitive and cost-sensitive sectors where delivering results is highly visible each and every day. With rising labour costs, tighter margins, and increasing client expectations for transparency and quality, companies that fail to harness technology risk being left behind. Embracing digital tools for cost control and operational efficiency is no longer optional—it is essential for survival and growth.

This year margins are being squeezed like never before. The Employers National Insurance and Minimum Wage change and the proposed Statutory Sick Pay changes next year mean it’s critical for businesses to ensure high levels of cost control and efficiency. However, we often see examples where manual processes are still being used, despite the evident waste of time, duplication of work and the errors that are created, which all combine to eat into profitability. Investing in the right software and user training, companies can:

Optimize staff deployment to manage contract costs

With labour costs typically accounting for over 80% of contract costs in the cleaning industry, they are often the hardest to manage efficiently. Modern software systems allow cleaning businesses to schedule staff much more dynamically, matching resources to client demand, ensuring performance and reducing unnecessary overtime.

By integrating time-and-attendance data directly with payroll, these systems reduce payroll processing time and cost and eliminate manual errors and ensure staff are paid and clients are billed accurately for work completed. Companies can also use analytics to identify under-utilised staff or high-cost sites, enabling data-driven decisions that save time and money. Timely and accurate payroll data can provide:

• Real-time insights into which sites are running within budgeted labour costs.
• Prompt allocation of staff during absences or high-demand periods.
• Reduced overtime and idle time.

Automate Invoicing and Reduce Payment Times

Invoicing and payment collection can often be overlooked when thinking about operational efficiency, but it has a huge impact on cash flow. When this process is managed manually, errors, delays and a lack of follow up slows down payments. This results in financial strain particularly for small businesses and an automated process using software can provide the following benefits:

• Faster, more accurate billing.
• Consistent follow ups with automated reminders resulting in quicker payments.
• Better visibly with easy tracking of outstanding invoices and forecast revenue.

Less time is spent on chasing payments and focus can be on growth tasks. Clients will also experience a more professional relationship.

Enhancing Quality and Transparency

Clients increasingly expect proof of service delivery and measurable standards of hygiene. Mobile auditing apps and digital checklists allow supervisors to conduct inspections on-site, log performance data, and capture photographs in real time. Reports can be instantly shared with clients, demonstrating accountability and fostering trust.

This transparency not only strengthens relationships but also helps cleaning providers win and retain contracts in an industry where evidence of compliance and consistency is a key differentiator.

Analytics to improve pricing strategy

Data takes the guesswork out of pricing contracts – whilst two buildings may look identical, they’re likely to have different cleaning requirements and therefore costs. Analytics can track costs per contract in detail, including labour hours, product usage, travel time, and equipment maintenance. This visibility allows managers to see exactly which contracts are profitable and which are underperforming. This is important as it helps to deliver:

• Smarter pricing as prices are set to reflect true service costs.
• Better forecasting for better cash flow.
• Informed decision-making which may include removing unprofitable contracts.

The insights help you to continually refine your pricing strategy which in this uncertain financial climate will help to deliver profitability robustness.

Looking forward

It’s clear the future of the cleaning industry will rely on people and technology working effectively together. The human element will remain essential, but the companies that thrive will be those that equip their teams with the right digital tools. Therefore, tech adoption isn’t a nice to have anymore, it’s a baseline expectation. It provides a foundation for growth, compliance, and client & staff trust. The efficiencies it provides directly boost profitability – making technology a growth driver, not just a back-office tool. Companies that fail to adapt risk being left behind by more tech-savvy competitors.