Login

Blog

Harnessing the Power (and Avoiding the Pitfalls) of Cellular Data and GPS

GPS and cellular data technology can be a huge advantage for teams in the field, where there isn’t always access to WiFi. However, there are considerations around privacy, compensation, and property you’ll need to think through. So how do you reap the benefits mobile technology while minimizing the downsides? It’s something we’ve thought about quite a lot while developing OrangeQC! Over the years, we’ve been able to talk to teams around the world, hear their Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

QC 101: How to Get More Business with a Great QC System

This is the final article in our series on improving your quality control process. Just to review, so far, we’ve talked about: Why do QC, and how great inspections = happy customers How to build a great inspection form and develop the right rating system Four steps to set your inspectors up for success As promised, today we’ll cover how to use your quality control process to sell your services. Yep, this is the payoff Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Image of a spiral staircase by Maxime Lebrun

QC 101: Four Steps to Set Your Inspectors Up for Success

Welcome to the third part of our Quality Control 101 series! In our previous two articles, we explored why it’s important to track quality through inspections and how to create your own inspections. Today, we’ll look at who performs the inspections. We’ve outlined four key steps to making sure your inspectors (whether that’s you or your employees) do a great job. 1. Decide who’s owning inspections. If you’re the owner of a smaller company, you’ll Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Woman looking down at tablet in a clean building. Photo by Emmy E from Pexels.

QC 101: How to Build a Great Inspection Form and Develop the Right Rating System

In our last article, we went over why quality control and inspections are so important to janitorial businesses. Today, we’ll talk about how to build an inspection that helps you track your quality, get the right feedback, and pounce on problems. We’ll wrap things up with a deep dive into the math behind determining unique percentages and scores for your team. Step 1: Make your list Inspections track the quality of the cleaning services you’re Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

Quality Control 101: Why Bother (and How It Makes for Happy Customers)

Welcome to the first part of our Quality Control 101 series! Whether you’re just getting started with janitorial/facilities quality control or are an old pro looking to revisit the foundational building blocks, this series will give you a well-rounded foundation for QC. So let’s dive in. Why have a great quality control program? Quality control is checking a sample of a product or service against the standards of how it should look. For janitorial services, Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Seats in a campus lecture hall

How to Convert APPA Scores to Percentages + Conversion Tool Download

This is the million-dollar question among those who use APPA’s levels of clean scoring system. Teams who use APPA scores want to know which scores map to which percentages — and how to convert between the two. The short (and sometimes frustrating) answer is: There is no official answer. You can pretty much decide for yourself. But . . . we’re not going to leave you hanging. There’s more you should know before you create Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Books on a circular shelf

What Does APPA Offer for Educational Organizations? How About BSCs?

Industry trade associations help teams stay on top of the latest trends, network with others in the cleaning industry, and provide a wealth of resources. There are a variety of trade associations, including ISSA and BSCAI, but APPA is definitely the big name in educational spaces. We’ve noticed APPA growing in importance for a variety of facilities teams. Over the past few years, their influence has grown from educational facilities to teams in healthcare, offices, Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

How the UMN Office of Classroom Management Skyrocketed Classroom Readiness from 41% to 95%

There’s nothing like a good success story — and the University of Minnesota’s Office of Classroom Management has an amazing one. The quality control data they’ve tracked over the years dramatically illustrates their team’s triumph. (So do the before-and-after photos!) Because their student team uses OrangeQC on campus, we got to sit in on a talk that UMN project coordinators Nick Pnewski and Jessica McCarty gave at the MAPPA 2019 conference. We’re excited to share Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

How UMN Empowers Student Employees to Do QC Inspections Across Campus (and What to Expect When You Manage Students)

The Office of Classroom at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus is focused on one thing: Making sure classrooms and informal learning spaces are ready for learning. They want everything to be all set when students and faculty come in: markers ready to write on the cleared-off whiteboard, presentation equipment working smoothly, no flickering lights or strange noises to distract students. Because just one problem can distract students or force the instructor to stop Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Neat rows of chairs in a clean classroom.

How UMN Trains Students to Do Inspections

The University of Minnesota’s Office of Classroom Management employs dozens of student employees to help maintain learning spaces across campus. (Check out our articles on How the UMN Office of Classroom Management Skyrocketed Classroom Readiness from 41% to 95% and How UMN Empowers Student Employees to Do QC Inspections Across Campus for the full story.) This is the final piece in our series on the OCM’s success story, and we’re going to drill deep into Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago