Sparkle and Shine with NestForms

25th July 2023

Introduction

Cleanliness reduces anxiety. Have you heard the saying, ‘Tidy house, tidy mind’. People find the sight of a tidy house not just relaxing but also stress reducing. You can find things again, you can unwind. There is psychology involved here, the benefits cleanliness brings to mental health has been well researched.

Let's take a look at clutter! University studies and other researchers have found that clutter and unkempt living spaces can cause depression, anxiety and confusion. Interestingly a person's visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to concentrate and complete projects efficiently (1.) Cleanliness and mental health, a cursory search on the internet will give you much food for thought. Food for thought rather than solidified on the crockery! Thanks to a particular blog by Sherri Gordon on ‘The Relationship Between Mental Health and Cleaning’ (2.)

So where does this leave the cleaners, site managers, account managers, small and large cleaning companies in the profession. It is one of the most important jobs in the home, factory or office. Offline surveys offer cleaning companies, teams and individuals an opportunity to provide proof of work reports. These reports are important for many commercial, industrial and domestic cleaning operations. 

There are potential scenarios and other areas of friction that can lead to complaints or client dissatisfaction.

Cleaners are often working in offices while staff are still about. Office parties take place while cleaners are in and often carry on after they've left the premises. People don't always clean up after themselves. Within industrial premises staff and cleaners are often working around the clock.

People working in the industry are human, the companies and cleaning teams don't always get it right. Staff attendance can be a problem as absences increase the workload on the others. Are the cleaners adhering to health and safety regulations? Are they clocking in, especially if they are working alone? Politeness, correctly dressed if they have uniforms? Are they using the correct products?  Are they using the products correctly? Do teams have enough materials and stock? There are many things an account manager or site supervisor has to keep a handle on when working with their teams.

Data Collection using the NestForms app

At NestForms we can help companies collect relevant data from cleaning teams working on the ground. Administrators or account managers can create simple or more complex forms that can be shared with cleaners through their personal or company smart devices. The NestForms mobile form app works with both Android and iOS devices.

All cleaning tasks when carried out to a high standard can reduce any friction, meetings or correspondence between an account manager and the facilities manager of a client company. There are many companies competing for contracts. Cleaning companies today face much competition when securing and renewing contracts. When a cleaning company can provide a clear working method to a prospective organisation, the chance of contract award is greatly increased. Continual high standards ultimately affect contract renewal when the time comes around. 

Mobile survey data collection is important for companies in being able to report back any problems to a central administrator or manager and ultimately pass this information on to customers. Within the NestForms app we can provide the means for an administrator to give clear instructions to teams deployed on all of your sites.

When an administrator has created their form an industrial or commercial cleaner working within a factory or offices should be able to see clearly which area they should be working in. They should also be able to see what tasks need to be carried out in the area.

Helpful features within the app for account managers and administrators 

Using our Note component clear text instructions can be provided for specific tasks or locations within client premises.

We can also give the cleaner or site supervisor the ability to prove that work has been carried out and to a high standard. Crucially teams and lone working cleaners can return data showing that location health and safety procedures have been followed, warning signs displayed, wet floor and that sort of thing. This can be achieved by inserting a Multiple answers component into a form. This will allow the cleaner or supervisor to tick or check off items and tasks from a list as they are carried out on location and within the shift. Post COVID many lessons have been learned, you may wish to provide a checklist of cleaning equipment required for specific jobs.

The Single answer and Dropdown components allow a responder to choose one answer from a list, for example, Yes/No/Not applicable. The Dropdown component works in a similar way but allows for a more lengthy list of options.

Many companies specialise in facilities, industrial, residential, window cleaning and even pest control. There are many jobs cleaners are tasked to carry when on site. These typically are toilets, floors, desks, kitchens and fridges among many others. A Number component allows a responder to insert any numerical data, fridge temperatures, for example. A number in minutes might be inserted for how long a task has taken. A Date and Time component can be used to show when any checks have been carried out, shift starts and times on site.

One way of proving tasks have been completed involves cleaning teams being able to insert images within their responses. An image of an area can show that the task has been completed and to a high standard. When inserted into a form, the Notes and images component also allows teams or individuals to include any comments where problems have occurred. An image of an overloaded bin area can show a client facilities manager that extra bins are required. This is a problem I have encountered more than once as a site supervisor in the past.

Imagine as a supervisor you wish to check all areas the teams have completed. Much of the question detail will remain the same for each room visited.  An administrator can clone sections when creating a form allowing the user to record details when moving from room to room without having to input repetitive detail.

A problem might be outside of the cleaners remit and require, for example, a plumber. Cleaners are easy targets when it comes to the blame game. Where the cleaning company can share data quickly and in real time with their clients, management can plan ahead with corrective action, budgeting, staff deployment and so on. Tasks can be carried out within sensible time frames.

Continue entering data whilst offline

The NestForms mobile survey app gives teams on the ground not only the ability to work online and in real time but also for teams to carry out tasks and continue entering data whilst offline. When using the NestForms mobile survey app any data entered whilst offline can then be shared when the relevant parties are connected again. This is hugely beneficial for companies who have employees working at remote sites and outside normal working hours.

As an administrator adding the GPS component allows your member of staff to confirm they are at specific sites and on time. This also provides an extra layer of security for any people deployed in a lone working capacity.

Administrator Form Share

Account owners can share a form with other managers giving them the rights to edit specific forms and approve responses. This feature is known as Administrator Form Share. This feature would be very helpful for larger cleaning companies with a number of account managers and administrators. It might also be beneficial on occasion to share a form with a client as they may have their own take on how they want things done.

Conclusion

It is always the case that potential clients will attempt to tender out contracts to those companies who give the best value for money whilst providing a top class service. Any search for cleaning companies on the net will bring up many bright and sparkling graphics with claims to be the best award winner in town. By using NestForms you can improve your operation and prove that you are an effective and proficient provider. 

   

Whether lone working or as part of a team, by using a mobile data survey app, teams can provide clear evidence of work carried out and to the high standard that organisations rightly expect.

The NestForms mobile survey app provides many component features that can assist cleaning companies when creating forms for employee management and work routines. Some of these features as discussed, include cleaners having the ability to record their own or teams work using images, dates and times. Comments can be added for supervisors and staff using the app to detail any problems for referral back to facilities management. Staff are able to sign off any work using a Signature component.

You can find out more about the NestForms mobile survey app on the NestForms website. You can also view a short video on how the app works on the homepage.

You can also learn more on how to use our formbuilder by getting a better understanding of NestForms

Finally, if you would like a chance to try out NestForms, you can sign up for free and your first two weeks begin with a free trial of the system as a premium user.

References:
1. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/2/587 (S McMains and S Kastner/Princeton University)
2. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-5097496 Sherri Gordon.