Only a third of facility management organisations have reviewed their KPIs for cleaning in last two years

More than a quarter (28%) of FM leaders in the EMEA region admit that their organisation has not reviewed metrics and KPIs for commercial cleaning in the last five years.

New research from SoftBank Robotics EMEA finds that only 18% of FM leaders have reviewed or updated their cleaning KPIs in the last 12 months and only 34% have done so in the past two years.

And even when measurement is taking place, the range of metrics used is limited. 57% of FM leaders report that they monitor air quality and other environmental factors and 40% measure employee engagement amongst cleaning teams. 18% admit that they do not formally measure or report on any technical or financial benefit from their cleaning operations.

Overall, 80% of FM leaders state that measuring cleaning performance and validating cleaning results is a challenge.

The research reveals a strong appetite amongst FM leaders for more stringent measurement and evaluation within commercial cleaning to demonstrate benefits and value to clients and end users. 84% of FM leaders think that performance-based contracts would be positive for the cleaning industry and 80% believe that new KPIs are needed in order to deliver smarter cleaning, in line with the shift towards smart buildings.

There is broad agreement that cleaning metrics need to evolve significantly over the next five years to include a wider range of measures around health, sustainability and worker satisfaction. 43% of FM leaders think cleaning KPIs should include measuring health amongst the end users of buildings, 39% would like to incorporate metrics around quality and cleaning performance and 33% want more focus on operational efficiency.

Nils van der Zijl, VP Sales & Marketing, SoftBank Robotics EMEA, said: "COVID-19 has proved that rigid input-focused KPIs just aren't fit for purpose in a dynamic, agile and unpredictable business environment. Time is simply not an adequate or relevant metric for delivery of cleaning services in the current marketplace; FM leaders are in no doubt that quality, productivity and value are more appropriate, meaningful measures when it comes to commercial cleaning. As we move towards smart, connected buildings, it's critical that commercial cleaning evolves to demonstrate performance and prove its value."

88% of FM leaders report that improving productivity is a key business priority and 70% of supply-side organisations say they are facing increasing pressure from clients to demonstrate innovation.

However, the research shows that very few FM organisations currently have the technology and processes to measure and evaluate levels of productivity and performance over time, nor to demonstrate the benefits of new innovations.

The research explores the potential benefits of cobotics within FM and commercial cleaning. Cobots are collaborative robots which work alongside cleaning teams and undertake repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as vacuuming, freeing up staff to focus on other tasks such as the deep cleaning and sanitisation of hard surfaces, something which has become even more important to stop the transmission of COVID-19.

FM leaders believe that cobotics can drive cleaning performance and productivity and, importantly, empower them to measure and evaluate against more strategic KPIs.

Van der Zijl concluded: "The introduction of cobots means that, for the first time, facility management providers are able to demonstrate how innovation within their operating model is delivering a cleaner, more hygienic building environment, and accelerating the wider smart buildings agenda. It allows them to meet and exceed service levels without needing to take on additional resource and to create genuine differentiation in the market."

The full research findings can be found in the white paper, The Cobotic Evolution, available here.