These days, there are apps for everything—including janitorial businesses. Janitorial apps handle a multitude of tasks, from simplifying inspections to tracking how many bottles of glass cleaner you have left.

But which janitorial apps are really best for your business? As we’ve designed OrangeQC, we’ve put a lot of thought into that question. But it really boils down to a few things.

Simple

First of all, it has to simple. An app can have all the features in the world, but if your team hates using it, it doesn’t matter. It won’t get used. Your team has enough on its plate without complicated software trainings and struggling to get technology to work.

We reach for apps when they’re easier than the manual alternative. For example, pulling up an inspection on the OrangeQC app, filling it out with a few swipes of your thumb, and having it automatically upload is a lot less hassle than juggling a clipboard and keeping track of papers throughout the day.

Likewise, our own team uses an app called Slack for team messaging. Slack has free options and a fantastic chat room feature, as well as private messaging, and it only takes a few minutes to get started.

Ready to Grow

Secondly, a great app needs to scale with your business. There are plenty of solutions that might work in the short-term, but if your business grows, you’ll be scrambling to find something new… and after you land that big new contract is the worst time to be figuring out a new app. (But it can be done, as Joe Stamler will tell you—he found OrangeQC after his company won a bid to clean one of the largest airports on the East Coast.)

For instance, we often recommend our clients use Google Drive to share and manage documents such as contact lists, Scope of Work documents, and contracts. Google Drive works great for a tiny company—but some of the biggest companies in the world also use it for file-sharing and collaboration. We personally use it here at OrangeQC, too.

Worth the Price

That leads to our next point: a good app is worth the price.

Certain free apps work well at a small scale, but they’re still not worth it if they won’t grow with your business—or if they’re creating more work for your team, which actually is costing you money.

On the other hand, you don’t want to overpay. If you have a five-person cleaning team, why should you pay the same amount as a company with hundreds of employees? And why should you spend extra to unlock core features on an app that’s deceptively cheap?

So when you’re considering purchasing an app or software program, look for:

Support and Updates

Apps need to be updated and maintained by their developers. Otherwise, they’ll eventually stop working, and you’ll be back at square one. Look for apps from established companies that are dedicated to improving their service.

You also want to find apps that offer support if you need it. You’d be surprised how many apps refuse to offer support if you aren’t paying a certain amount, so check to make sure you can get help if you need it. (This is why we offer support for all our clients, small and big.)

How to Find Great Apps

Is there a business that has the success and growth you’d like to see in your own business a few years down the road? Find out what software and apps they’re using and whether they like them. For example, many of our own clients use and like solutions such as TSheets and Kronos for time tracking and workforce management. Don’t be afraid to ask around!

Any app should have publicly available reviews and testimonials, too. (You can check out some of OrangeQC’s own clients and success stories.) Read them and ask: does this app sound like it solves the problems my own business is facing? Is it just good enough for now, or will it help take us to where we want to be?

We hope these tips help you find the right apps for your business! If you’re in the market for an inspection app and quality control software, we’d love for you to claim your 30-day free trial of OrangeQC.