Sodexo SA is piloting Soobr for on-demand cleaning at one of its customers in Zurich. The smart cleaning platform is being used to plan, execute and monitor cleaning tours.
We spoke to Laura Julen, Regional Director & Head of Innovation, about her experiences with Soobr.
What trends do you see in the cleaning market?
It is becoming increasingly important to offer transparency to the customer, as there is high cost pressure in the cleaning industry. However, the pandemic has brought the importance of cleaning back to the fore. Employees in the cleaning industry contribute significantly to safety and well-being, and their tireless efforts reduce the risk of infection in the workplace.
What challenges does Sodexo currently face?
Our most important asset at Sodexo is our people and the job market is very dry at the moment. Digitalisation also places higher demands on employees, so we are challenged to find and attract qualified employees to Sodexo.
What are your strategic directions within the company to meet these challenges?
We want to be an attractive employer and continue to invest in our most valuable asset, our employees, offering them opportunities, training them and supporting them in their career planning with attractive new working models.
Why did you decide to collaborate respectively to start a pilot project with Soobr?
Soobr's solution approach is a new way for us to provide our services and fits into our strategy of digitalisation.
What added value does Soobr bring you and what is the novelty?
We can offer our customers more transparency and the range of tasks becomes more exciting and varied for our employees. In addition, cleaning can be made more flexible by integrating sensor data into Soobr (smart cleaning), which is a great need in today's hybrid working world.
How is the acceptance of the cleaners?
At the beginning it was a big change, but in the meantime every staff member has learned how to use the tablets and enjoy the functionalities.
Where do you see long-term advantages in a joint cooperation with Soobr's Smart Cleaning platform?
In integrating with our other systems, both internal and external, and learning from the data we receive.
What do you have to bear in mind for a project or a possible rollout with Soobr?
We have rolled out Soobr in an already active company and this requires some change management and support for the staff. Furthermore, it is helpful if at least one member of the on-site team can also operate the tool, for example to make immediate adjustments or optimisations.
