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Digital Inspections Unlocked a “Dramatic” Shift in Quality for This K-12 District’s Custodial Team

One of the biggest benefits of attending the ISSA conference is getting to meet people face-to-face. That’s especially true for our clients, who we usually speak to over video calls and email. So when Sharon Boyd, the Supervisor of Custodial Services for the Newport News Public Schools team, told us she’d be in Las Vegas for the conference, we jumped at the chance to connect. Using OrangeQC, the Newport News Public Schools custodial team went Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

Free Inspection Software: When It’s Good Enough (and When It’s Not)

When facilities teams look to go digital with their quality control, they usually consider free inspection software alongside paid options.  So if the price is right, why doesn’t everyone use free custodial inspection software? In our work with thousands of facilities teams over the years, we’ve had plenty of conversations with people who have used or tried free options. We’ve noticed some themes about the pros and cons, as well as what tends to go Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
FSU Housekeeping Supervisor Nedra Stokes presents in front of an audience.

How Fayetteville State University Embraces Custodial Technology on a Budget

Digital inspection technology isn’t just a luxury for facilities teams. According to the most recent APPA standards, doing inspections digitally is a best practice for all educational organizations, no matter their size. At the NCAPPA regional conference in May 2024, Nedra Stokes (Fayetteville State University’s Housekeeping Supervisor – Housing) presented on ‘Custodial Technology with Limited Resources.’ She shared FSU’s strategy for implementing high-quality, sophisticated quality control systems while staying on budget. Because FSU is mid-size, Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Huntley Community School District logo on a red background.

5 Key Strategies for Solid Contractor Relationships from D-158’s Doug Renkosik

When Doug Renkosik joined Huntley Community School District 158 in 2002 as the Director of Operations and Maintenance, the district was on the edge of dramatic changes. The student population was growing at breakneck speed. One elementary school had to be expanded four times before they even opened the doors. Renkosik’s education in structural and geotechnical engineering gave him expertise to contribute as the buildings he would continue to manage for the next two decades Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

The Top 5 Things Every Team Needs to Do When Deficiencies Happen

When a problem at one of your sites needs to be fixed, what happens next? Upholding the terms of your contract or service-level agreement (SLA) is crucial to your team’s success. The right communication makes that much easier. Everyone on your team should be involved in addressing and correcting deficiencies. If possible, this should happen before your client or organization even notices something is wrong. Here are some strategies to help your team sharpen communication Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

The Industry Buzz from ISSA Show North America 2023 in Las Vegas

Three members of the OrangeQC team headed out to Las Vegas for the ISSA Show North America 2023 in November. This whirlwind week was full of connecting with forward-thinking professionals in the cleaning and facilities industries! We got to connect with teams who use OrangeQC, share our quality control tools with new teams, and learn about the latest trends in the industry. Now that we’re back — and have had a few good nights’ sleep Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Dashboard listing inspection form templates.

Where to Start with Janitorial Inspection Forms? Check Out the OrangeQC Template Library

We recently introduced a new feature for our software: a Template Library with pre-loaded inspection forms from APPA and ISSA. This resource puts industry standards sourced from the most reputable organizations in janitorial and facilities management at your fingertips. We’ve heard great feedback from our teams so far! Why are janitorial inspection templates valuable? One of the most common questions we get from new OrangeQC customers is: Where should I start with janitorial inspections? These Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

3 Types of Inspection Systems That Hold Educational Facilities Teams Back (and One That Doesn’t)

At a recent regional APPA conference, we had lots of great, in-depth conversations with educational facilities teams of all kinds. The more teams we met, the more some common themes emerged. Most teams who weren’t happy with their inspection technology fit into one of these three categories: They were using outdated technology, like paper forms or spreadsheets. They were using a custom solution created by their organization’s IT department. Their inspection tools were part of Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

The OrangeQC Process: How We Think About and Improve Our App

OrangeQC only exists because of bad software. Our founder, Matt Gornick, spent time in college helping a facilities company set up really complicated janitorial inspection software. It took a long time—and a lot of money. But in the end, after all that work, the software was so complicated that the company’s employees wouldn’t use it. The inspiration for OrangeQC emerged from that experience. (You can read the whole story here.) The goal with OrangeQC was Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago