CINCINNATI, Sept. 27, 2011 – Procter & Gamble Professional today released the
findings of its national “2011 Cleaning Industry Insights” survey, which
queried 400 cleaning industry professionals and decision makers. The survey’s
findings revealed that in today’s economic climate, the preferable action
(reported by 75 percent of total respondents) to improve their business’ bottom
line would be to ‘find ways to become more efficient'; compared to 20 percent
who would prefer to ‘raise prices for clients or customers.’ Six out of ten
respondents indicated their business has taken a ‘doing more with less
approach' within their organization by ‘doing more or the same amount of work
with fewer employees.’ The other four out of ten respondents indicated they've
taken this approach when it comes to internal products and services, such as
using multiuse cleaning products.
P&G Professional launched the survey to explore
the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors, as they relate to the current economic
climate, of decision-makers managing in-house or contract cleaning services in
the healthcare, food service, hospitality/lodging and commercial industries.
Certainly in today’s economic climate, ‘value’ is a
key consideration for any decision-maker and there are various ways of defining
the value of products and services. Nearly half of the survey’s respondents (48
percent) indicated ‘versatility of use’ as best defining value. Nearly as many
respondents (40 percent) selected ‘high-quality or effectiveness,’ compared to
just 13 percent who selected ‘low price’ as best in defining value when it
comes to the cleaning products they use within their business.
“Our team at ereP&G Professional was pleased to
see that value was defined by our customers as high-quality and versatility of
use, because that’s exactly what we have always aimed to provide,” said Chris
Vuturo, external relations manager, P&G Professional. “Customers don’t have
the time or money to repeat processes or buy more products than they need, so
we design complexity out and instead develop products and solutions that get it
right the first time. For example, our Spic and Span All Purpose Disinfecting
Spray and Glass Cleaner provides a powerful 3-in-1 formula that cuts grease,
disinfects and leaves stainless steel and glass virtually streak free.”
Achieving Efficiencies Good for Business
Across multiple survey questions in P&G
Professional’s “2011 Cleaning Industry Insights” survey, the results suggest
that cleaning professionals are interested in improving efficiencies.
Specifically, three out of four respondents would rather ‘find ways to become
more efficient’ than ‘raise prices for their customers’ in order to improve
their bottom line. In an environment where raising prices doesn’t seem to be a
preferred option, it’s not surprising that a mere 15 percent reported ‘making a
profit’ as the most important factor for their business right now. Further,
when asked what their business had cut back on as a result of the economic climate,
close to one-third of respondents (28 percent) reported their business has cut
back on ‘staff, such as laying off employees.’
According to 83 percent of survey respondents,
cleaning professionals or those they report to have been under pressure to
control costs over the last 12 months. The good news is that 83 percent of
those surveyed also reported being effective in this area over the past 12
months. Similarly, when asked about how efficient their business has been in
the last 12 months, thinking exclusively about cleaning operations, 83 percent
of survey respondents reported being at least somewhat effective.
Additional Survey Highlights
- Customers are King: The most
important factor for businesses right now selected by three of the four
industries surveyed, is ‘keeping customers satisfied,’ (selected by 33 percent
overall) followed by ‘growing the business’ (23 percent), and
‘being as efficient as possible with their current resources’ (17 percent).
- Surveyed professionals indicated they would rather ‘find ways to
become more efficient,’ than ‘raise prices for clients or customers,’ by a
margin of more than three to one (75 percent versus 20 percent.)
- Getting the Job Done the First Time: Forty-seven
percent of respondents reported that the most helpful element when it comes to
performing their cleaning services would be ‘products that get the job done the
first time.’ ‘Products that work quickly’ (30 percent) and ‘a simpler routine
that all staff can get accustomed to’ (25 percent) round out the top three most
helpful elements according to respondents.
- Training Needed: One in four respondents
selected training as one of the top three challenges with managing a cleaning
staff today. Trailing only “quality of work (selected by 60 percent)”, “lack of
interest/motivation/dedication” (54 percent) and “employee turnover” (36
percent).
- Although training challenges differ across industries and businesses,
the overall top four challenges or obstacles to effective cleaning-related
training include ‘loss of work productivity,’ (selected by 18 percent of
respondents) ‘availability of qualified training leaders,’ (18 percent)
‘language differences’ (17 percent) and ‘actual cost of training’ (13 percent).
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos survey conducted June
15-20, 2011. For the full report of the survey, visit:
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5329.
