The State of Commercial Cleaning in 2025: Strategies for Winning the New Era of Commercial Cleaning

Beyond Tradition: Unlocking Success for Commercial Cleaning Executives in the Data-Driven Era of 2025

As a commercial cleaning leader, you know that this business can be very rewarding. The janitorial industry fulfills a critical need in commercial buildings, and this is a privilege that can be admired by all.
The cleaning industry creates some of the strongest talent of any industry in the world, fostering skills including relationship building, detail-oriented, and operational execution. The best organizations traditionally train and retain their talent, and look to grow by offering their clients higher levels of service and value. Client service is also extremely fulfilling, and in many cases, cleaning companies can partner with clients for the long-term.

However, in 2025, we see this trend changing. Property owners are under pressure to reduce costs with a changing real estate market. This leads to a glut of new cleaning businesses, challenging and threatening incumbent companies with low, unsustainable costs. Since the pandemic, the cleaning industry has seen dramatic changes, and there are new approaches to consider to stay competitive.

The challenges commercial cleaning teams are facing in 2025 can be distilled into three key areas:

• Client Expectations Chaining at the Same Time as Changes in Occupancy Patterns: Building occupancy is no longer predictable. The rise of hybrid work models has disrupted traditional facility usage, creating fluctuating and unpredictable cleaning needs. With this, property owners are also seeing changes in revenues, leading them to seek out the lowest-cost options in cleaning.
• Rising Labor Costs and Shortages: Attracting and retaining qualified cleaning staff is becoming increasingly difficult. Low wages, the physically demanding nature of the work, and competition from other sectors are exacerbating labor shortages, driving up operational costs, and impacting service delivery. Overstaffing (which is never aligned with profits) isn’t an option anymore.
• Technological Disruption: Property managers and owners have been inundated with technology options over the past 5 years, with many of them not providing significant value outside of marketing buzz. Real technology providing a solution for commercial cleaning teams has yet to be released, until now.

At Mero, we speak to hundreds of cleaning executives a month, so we wanted to document all of the commonalities amongst commercial cleaning executives, where they are in 2025, and actionable strategies from our customers on how to adapt and flourish in the future of the cleaning industry.

In this white paper, we’ll take a holistic approach to what the cleaning industry has looked like traditionally, what’s changed, and how we have seen success in implementing technology as a solution to adapt for the future.
We aim to document the prevailing sentiments among commercial cleaning leaders in 2025, highlight the critical inflection points in the industry, and share actionable strategies and playbooks gleaned directly from our customers for not just surviving but flourishing in the years ahead.

In this white paper, we’ll showcase the successful implementation of Mero’s beacon-based technology in the real world. Our goal is to empower commercial cleaning executives with the knowledge and insights needed to:

• Conduct Staff Workloading to optimize workforce utilization in the face of fluctuating demands.
• Create cleaning reports to show tangible value to property management clients in a cost-conscious environment.
• Conduct time studies to achieve competitive pricing strategies, grounded in real-world data and efficiency that are both sustainable and price-competitive.
• Feature technology in RFP’s and renewals to enhance win rates for RFPs and contract renewals by showcasing the cost saving of beacon technology combined with data insights.

Part 1: A Short History Cleaning Business and How We Got Here

Like many established sectors, the commercial cleaning industry has long thrived on personal connections and established relationships. Building personal sales relationships is paramount. Large players often deploy substantial marketing budgets to cultivate these connections, particularly with key decision-makers in facilities management.

We will dive into how the industry evolved from this type of relationship-based industry into an industry focused on health to the cost-driven business we see today.

The Traditional Bidding Process: Spreadsheets, Steak Dinners, and Handshake Deals

Prior to 2020, the procurement of commercial cleaning services often followed a predictable, relationship-centric pattern. The initial bidding process, while seemingly formalized through spreadsheets and proposals, was frequently influenced by established networks and personal rapport. Cleaning companies would invest in building relationships with property managers through industry events and conferences combined with direct outreach and client entertainment.

Where the spreadsheets did have a hard influence was in pricing, however, they were typically laden with assumptions on productivity rates, cleaning times, and more. A cleaner calling in sick can throw off your spreadsheet productivity rates. However, buildings were humming - office occupancy was at 97% in many metro centers, and most properties accepted that as part of their costs.

Property managers enjoyed a comfortable level of stability in this era of robust commercial real estate and high office occupancy. Renewing existing cleaning contracts was a common and relatively unchallenged practice. With building management's strong asset performance and consistent building usage, the drive to scrutinize cleaning costs or explore alternative providers was often minimal.

Consequently, cleaning companies that prioritized relationship building, maintained generous marketing and entertainment budgets, and actively engaged in client cultivation had competitive advantage in securing new business and retaining existing contracts. A blend of professional proposals, personalized outreach, and a degree of social cultivation characterized the "old way" of winning business.

Buildings typically initiated a "tender" process (issuing an RFP) only when significant dissatisfaction arose with the incumbent cleaning service or compliance regulation took effect. While industry best practices might suggest a periodic tender process every 5-10 years, incumbent cleaning companies could often maintain contracts for decades if provided service levels remained acceptable, no major issues emerged, and the steak dinners kept coming. The inertia of established relationships and the perceived hassle of switching providers simply favored the status quo.

2020: The “Earthquake” - How COVID-19 Reshaped the Industry

The year 2020 marked a seismic shift for the commercial cleaning industry, as it did for businesses across the globe. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered widespread building shutdowns and mandated drastic changes in facility management and cleaning protocols. The established norms of office occupancy and cleaning practices were upended almost overnight.

Paradoxically, Initial Success Amidst Disruption

Counterintuitively, the initial phase of the pandemic proved surprisingly beneficial for many commercial cleaning companies. Several factors contributed to this unexpected surge in business:

• Economic Stimulus and Real Estate Stability: Unprecedented low interest rates and massive injections of capital into the economy provided a crucial lifeline for the commercial real estate sector. This financial support helped prevent widespread asset devaluation and enabled property owners to maintain operations, albeit under drastically altered circumstances. Furthermore, there was an initial push to get tenants “back to the office safely,” driven by a desire to return to pre-pandemic psychological normalcy.
• Essential Service Recognition and Heightened Hygiene Concerns: Cleaning services were designated as essential, underscoring their critical role in maintaining public health and safety. Simultaneously, widespread "cleanliness paranoia" emerged, driven by anxieties surrounding virus transmission. Property managers, under pressure to reassure tenants and stakeholders to return, readily embraced enhanced cleaning protocols.
• Upselling Enhanced Cleaning Services: The heightened focus on hygiene translated into significant upselling opportunities for cleaning companies. Protocols such as four-times-daily surface cleaning, enhanced chemical disinfection of common areas and restrooms, along with specialized deep cleaning services became commonplace and were actively requested by property managers. Air filtration systems and UV disinfection products were born and now persist from the pandemic.
• Price Insensitivity and Urgent Needs: In the initial phases of the pandemic, property managers were often price-insensitive when it came to cleaning costs. The urgent need to implement enhanced hygiene measures and reassure tenants overshadowed budgetary concerns

However, Underlying Economic Realities Persisted

Despite the initial boost in cleaning revenue driven by enhanced protocols, the broader commercial real estate sector never experienced the robust recovery initially anticipated. The shift to remote and hybrid work models, accelerated by the pandemic, profoundly impacted office occupancy rates. While other asset classes, such as education, retail, and transportation remain strong, there has been an undeniable shift in building usage dynamics across all spaces that the pandemic catalyzed.

The commercial real estate asset class as a whole remains under pressure, a trend that continues to shape the industry in 2025.

The Repricing Wave and Shifting Priorities

As the pandemic progressed and the long-term implications became clear, the industry began re-pricing their pre-pandemic cleaning contracts. The dramatic changes in building usage and cleaning requirements necessitated a fundamental reassessment of service scopes and associated costs. Buildings that went to tender at this point were often subject to significant cost adjustments, reflecting the new realities of the economics.

The ingrained practice of automatic contract renewals without rigorous review began to erode. Property managers could no longer afford to maintain pre-pandemic spending patterns. The era of unquestioning renewals was drawing to a close.

Adapting to Hybrid Work Models: The Occupancy Conundrum

Perhaps the most profound and persistent challenge facing commercial cleaning companies in 2025 is the widespread adoption of hybrid work models. As we’ve discussed in our blog, the shift away from traditional, full-time office occupancy has created a dynamic of dynamic building usage, rendering traditional cleaning schedules and operational models less effective.

The core challenges posed by hybrid work are multifaceted:

• Inconsistent Occupancy Patterns: Office spaces no longer experience the predictable and consistent occupancy levels of the pre-pandemic era. Foot traffic and space utilization vary dramatically from day to day, week to week, making static cleaning schedules based on full-time occupancy obsolete.
• The Need for Dynamic Cleaning: Traditional, fixed cleaning schedules, designed for consistent daily occupancy, are no longer efficient or cost-effective in a hybrid work environment. Cleaning companies must adapt to provide more flexible, responsive services aligned with fluctuating occupancy levels.
• Increased Demand for Deep Cleaning and Hygiene: While overall occupancy may be lower, shared spaces and high-touch surfaces require more frequent deep cleaning and enhanced hygiene protocols to maintain a safe and healthy environment for building occupants.
• Tenant Value Expectations: Occupants are also now more aware than ever before of cleaning standards. Tenants are scrutinizing cleanliness levels and sometimes demanding innovative high tech solutions like UV cleaning.

The Dynamic Occupancy Disconnect: A "NOW" Moment

This dynamic between property owners and cleaning companies has created a dramatic "NOW" moment – a fundamental disconnect between two long-term partners, now forced to navigate converging pressures: macroeconomic headwinds, relentless cost-tightening mandates, and fundamentally evolving cleanliness standards.

Fluctuations Are The Name of The Game

The fluctuating and unpredictable nature of occupancy rates presents a significant challenge for both property managers and cleaning companies striving to manage facilities efficiently and cost-effectively.

For instance, a tenant hosting an after-hours event or experiencing an unexpected influx of visitors can create immediate and unanticipated cleaning needs. In a traditional constrained operational model without beacon data, responding effectively to these dynamic situations is exceedingly difficult.

The lack of occupancy consistency extends beyond occasional events. With different tenants adopting varying hybrid work schedules – one tenant primarily occupying the space on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while another utilizes it on Mondays and Fridays – a predictable, static cleaning schedule becomes increasingly irrelevant and inefficient. This has led both cleaning companies and property managers to adapt with new pricing models for cleaning.

Read: No BS-Guide: Top 5 challenges for janitorial companies we learned after 700 conversations and how to solve them

The rise of cost-plus cleaning models

In response to the dynamic nature of occupancy in today’s facilities, many Commercial Cleaning companies and Property Managers have mutually moved to “cost-plus” cleaning models, which adds a fixed margin to the hours that a cleaning company needs to clean a space. This is advantageous for commercial cleaning companies, as it gives predictability in revenue and profit to a cleaning company.

Traditionally, most commercial cleaning contracts were “performance-based” or “fixed-price”, which means the cleaning company is paid the same amount, as long as work can be completed in time. It provides certainty for the property manager, as any fluctuations in traffic will not end up on their budget, but puts the onus on the cleaning company to operate efficiently to be able to turn a profit in the competitive price that was offered during the proposal. There are ways for cleaning companies to save in performance based models, but it requires significant operational expertise and technological adaptation.

The rise in cost-plus cleaning creates issues with cost-sensitive property managers who realize the benefits they get from fixed-price contracts. As the holder of the budget, property managers benefit from significant negotiating power, and there is a consequential shift happening to re-negotiating and sending contracts to tender in 2025. They are seeking performance-based contracts that are lower in cost than before, and there aren’t many solutions for commercial cleaning teams to combat this, particularly when they face a new competitor coming in at a lower price.

That solution is here now with Mero. Continue reading to learn the actionable strategies $100M+ cleaning teams have used to save more than 20% on cleaning costs, while remaining competitive and winning more business.

Part 2: Unlocking Your Cleaning Competitive Advantage: How Mero Solutions Address the Challenges of 2025

The challenges facing commercial cleaning companies in 2025 are significant, but they also present a unique opportunity for those willing to embrace innovation and adapt to the evolving landscape. Mero’s technology-driven solutions are specifically designed to empower cleaning companies to not just navigate these challenges but to thrive in the new era of data-driven cleaning.

Conducting Cleaning Time Studies Traditionally

Conducting cleaning time studies are generally done through utilizing assumptions from various sources, including the ISSA’s Cleaning Times handbook. Cleaning teams of all sizes will recognize this manual, as the ISSA widely regarded as the top association for the cleaning and hygiene industry globally. The REMI Network does a good job of also explaining the rationale behind commonly used cleaning times.

Here’s an example productivity rate calculation:

Most cleaning teams extrapolate the exact formulae above to create their own internal productivity guides. They may replicate certain cleaning times for:

• Day porters
• Day matrons
• Night staff (male/female)
• Heavy duty staff
• Light duty staff
• Other associated roles with productivity rates

The above rationale assumes ideal scenarios for cleaning, which we know is far from reality. Issues arise daily in the cleaning industry, including ensuring timely staff attendance, staff not performing their tasks at their highest output, and more. Ben Gardecki from City Flow Building Maintenance spoke on this exact subject:

While there are many potential issues, the biggest issue we have seen for most cleaning companies is using static cleaning productivity rates for an incredibly dynamic industry. This leads to challenges in pricing, particularly with the many commercial cleaning contracts that are already low margin. With any subsequent delinquencies, non-attendance, or performance issues, a contract can go from in the black to in the red.

With Mero, we have already worked with numerous cleaning companies, small and large, to develop a system for conducting cleaning time studies. We’ll walk you through that methodology now.

Time Studies with Mero

Conducting high-quality cleaning time studies is critical for any commercial cleaning company looking to maximize their profit and improve margin. They give you the ability to find efficiencies and areas where cost can be minimized.

We have worked with both large and small companies on conducting cleaning time studies, and we have put together the following guide on how to conduct time studies with actual cleaning times to guide your pricing at the time of RFP, offer cost-savings in cost-plus contracts, or reduce staff in performance-based contracts.

In the below example, we’ll walk you through how to use Mero to assess if a cleaning staff member is cleaning efficiently compared to our quoted price in a performance-based contract.

Step 1: Equip Your Cleaning Team with Mero’s Real-Time Beacon

Mero’s Beacon is the only solution on the market to offer a no-touch, no-tap work validation system that automatically tracks cleaning tasks. When your cleaning staff enter a space, their location and time spent cleaning is automatically tracked, meaning staff don’t have to deal with a clunky mobile app or any manual forms.

They can focus on what they do best, which is clean, making Mero the most user-friendly cleaning validation technology on the market.

Read: Ranking Every Cleaning Validation Method: A Tier List for Commercial Cleaning

Step 2: Assess Overcleaned Areas

Task your supervisors with the duty of investigating areas that may be overcleaned, or might not require as frequent of servicing. There are likely several locations across your cleaning portfolio that stand out like this, so don’t be afraid to get a comprehensive list.

Signs of overcleaned areas:

• Labor costs exceeding estimates in your contracts
• Low traffic areas getting daily deep cleaning
• Cleaning teams repeating tasks unnecessarily
• Staff being unavailable for cleaning in higher priority areas

This can be easily applied to undercleaned or areas with high complaints also.

Step 3: Analyze Locations in Mero’s Cleaning Time Log

Once your staff are equipped with Mero’s Beacon, and you’ve identified locations to analyze, you can utilize Mero to assess exact cleaning times.

Mero sets up locations based on 3D geofences nearby your cleaning locations, so they are mapped exactly how you want them to be based on your facility setup.

That means your cleaning staff’s presence in one location can match exactly to what you’ve quoted out your site during your pricing sheets on your spreadsheet based time studies, allowing you to utilize the log for exact cleaning times in locations.

Step 4: Export to CSV and Conduct Analysis

Utilizing Mero’s export to CSV feature, you can export the entire cleaning visit log from your cleaning staff in one place. In a CSV, you can assess and analyze the data across multiple dates, sites, cleaners, and more. When you have a sample size that works for you, and most importantly, matches your pricing sheets, you can sum the data to get the total cleaning time and compare this against your expectations.

In the example below, we summed all of the cleaning times across a 15-floor site in a pivot table. When compared against an example 40-hour working week, we see that we are cleaning significantly less than required at this performance-based site, even when factoring in 20% of buffer time for administrative tasks (ex: walking between locations and visiting supply rooms).

Step 5: Enter Into Your Cleaning Model to See Your Savings

All that is left to do is enter the actual cleaning times against the expected cleaning times to understand the level of savings that could be generated through hours reduction or re-negotiation. See below for an example model.

If a cleaning team were to implement the savings above, it would translate into 40% higher productivity rates per staff, reduced cost per cleaner and minimized cost per square foot.

These results could be implemented in the following ways:

• Performance-based contracts: Reduction in the extra cleaning hours or staff based on the actual cleaning hours seen in the model
• Cost-plus contracts: Proactive reductions in staff hours to offer savings or value to property owners before a renewal

With this exercise, we’ve shown how you can utilize Mero’s Beacon for labor adjustments with actual cleaning times, but as we learned earlier, the dynamic nature of buildings means any facility can see a rush of traffic on a given day. This issue still has cleaning companies unsure if they are willing to cut labor hours, and oftentimes overstaffing facilities.

How can cleaning teams make proactive adjustments based on real-time occupancy? That’s what we’ll get into next.

On-Demand Cleaning for the Hybrid Work Era

As we previously discussed, traffic fluctuations and the changing nature of commercial real estate are the driving forces behind many of the challenges facing commercial cleaning teams in 2025. The variability from day-to-day keeps cleaning companies staffing their sites at higher than required cleaning rates, in the case of any event or party throwing their plans off. These high rates also leave incumbent cleaning companies susceptible to the “fly-by-night” competitors that will undercut and price lower than possible to win bids, creating an unfavorable dynamic for most cleaning companies.

Utilizing Real-Time Occupancy from Sensors to Adjust Cleaning Schedules

Occupancy sensors offer the ability to visualize traffic patterns and occupancy rates in facilities in real-time. Seeing this as a way to improve facility operations and make tenancy decisions, property management teams have been adopting occupancy detection technology like Mero’s as a way to understand traffic patterns in their sites for various operational decisions.

This can extend to amenity planning, heating and cooling, security staffing, and more. Commercial cleaning teams utilizing occupancy sensors for cleaning will also benefit tremendously. Let’s walk through that process now.

Step 1: Install Mero’s Wireless Occupancy Sensors in only a few hours per facility

By deploying occupancy sensors, Mero tracks foot traffic in various areas, allowing for efficient dispatch of cleaning staff to high-traffic zones, thereby preventing complaints and aligning service scope with client needs. It also allows the cleaning teams to adjust schedules on the fly with work loading.

Mero's system is designed for quick installation, with peel-and-stick sensors that require no drilling or wiring and can be set up in about 30 seconds. The sensors boast over 95% accuracy in tracking incoming and outgoing traffic, providing detailed insights into traffic trends and peak times.

Step 2: Track and Analyze Tenant Traffic Across Multiple Days

Once installed, Mero’s occupancy sensors track tenant traffic by detecting traffic levels in/out of different entryways and doorways. As time moves on, you will start to see traffic patterns on specific days of week as well as developing trends.

Step 3: Utilize Mero’s Work-Loading Tools to Get Optimized Cleaning Hours Based on Traffic Levels

Once you have a good sample of traffic data in Mero, you can leverage Mero’s tools to adjust cleaning times in real-time for your facility.

Start by inputting your key data inputs. These include:

• Date range: input the dates you are looking to analyze
• Square footage per person: the density or occupancy rate of your facility, typically office settings
• Low/Normal/High Occupancy %: cutoff for occupancy rates in your facility. Higher occupancy rates will necessitate more cleaning, and vice versa
• Heavy Duty Square Footage Per Hour: cleaning productivity rate for heavy duty cleaners
• Light Duty Square Footage Per Hour: cleaning productivity rate for light duty cleaners

From these inputs, Mero’s occupancy sensors will understand different occupancy rates and categorize them as follows:

• Very Low
• Low
• Normal
• High
• Very High

Each occupancy rate has an associated hours output from Mero that gives you your Optimal Heavy Duty and Light Duty hours. This is your recommended work loading for a given day, based on the actual occupancy for that day. It can be applied before a shift starts (for example, conduct work loading for your night shift start with the day-time occupancy rates).

Step 4: Empower Your Supervisors to Implement Real-Time Workloading

Prior to the shift starting, supervisors can utilize Mero’s dashboards to issue staff work loads.

Say, for example, you clean a 3 story building, with each floor having its own tenants and restrooms. An example process would look like this:

• Mero’s occupancy sensors detect high traffic on floors 1 and 2, and low traffic on floor 3
• Currently, 2 cleaning staff are set to clean for 1 hour on each floor
• Mero’s Optimal Staff Work Loading suggests an adjustment to 30 minutes on floor 3, and 1 hour on floors 1 and 2
• Supervisors dispatch and relay the work loading split, and staff are able to complete their tasks in less time than originally scheduled

Mero offers training resources to supervisors to assist your team understand how to implement real-time work loading recommendations prior to a shift starting.

Step 5: Analyze Cleaning Savings in Performance-Based Contracts

Over time, your cleaning teams will start to generate significant savings as a result of real-time work loading in client facilities.

You’ll be able to export these savings directly from Mero and use this as a strategic tool for renewals, new RFP’s, and as a differentiator to other organizations. We’ll get into the exact methods of how cleaning teams are leveraging Mero for commercial success.

Winning More Business and Solidifying Existing Contracts with Mero

So far, we’ve discussed the history of the cleaning industry and how that’s led us to the point where we are at. We’ve given actionable strategies on how cleaning teams can implement technology to drive cost savings. But now, how can we actually leverage these tools to not only cut costs, but increase our revenue? That is the most critical question that is on the minds of nearly all of the customers that we work with.

There are two major instances where a solution like Mero’s can be beneficial to a commercial cleaning team:

• New Business - cleaning teams can integrate Mero as part of their offering for proposals towards cost-sensitive and innovative property managers
• Renewals - cleaning teams can proactively offer value to their customers to pre-emptively re-new with their clients, or avoid a tender process altogether

We’ve discussed this in the past in our two-part blog series, and we’ll go into more detail of each avenue below.

Winning New Business and RFPs with Mero: A Partner Program for Success

Several tailwinds are in place that are pushing commercial property managers to select commercial cleaning partners that prioritize technology. As discussed, the dynamic nature of occupancy in commercial properties has created a swath of change in operating a facility, and many property managers are looking for their service providers to come with solutions in their proposals.

We’re giving the exact strategies of how our customers who are leading some of the fastest growing commercial cleaning companies in North America are separating themselves from the crowd with Mero. Collectively, these strategies have generated >$100M in revenue for commercial cleaning teams and been leveraged by some of the largest and most successful organizations in North America.

Strategies to implement Mero as part of your cleaning offering and have your clients pay for the service

It would be simple to recommend cleaning company owners and executives to take Mero’s website, insert it in their pitch deck, and call it done. However, being proactive about featuring Mero in your sales materials requires intentional and strategic planning for optimal results.

Step 1: Consider the level of integration into your cleaning operation

There is a key difference between offering Mero as an “option” vs. an integral part of your cleaning operation. While there is some value to offering Mero as an option to clients, as we’ve already discussed, most clients who are unfamiliar with the benefits technology can offer them are aiming for the lowest possible price in their contracts. Because this opens them up to potential undercutters or competitors coming into the picture based on price, commercial cleaning teams should be motivated to integrate technology deeply into their cleaning practice.

• Basic - cleaning and technology are distinct offerings, solutions are added as a “menu” of items for the client to choose from. Often utilized for cleaning RFP’s that do not explicitly seek out technology. Technology is only implemented if the property manager pays for the solution.

• Moderate - terms like “innovation” or “technology” spell out in the RFP that cleaning teams feature a solution like Mero’s, and a cleaning team can offer case studies or examples of how they’ve leveraged solutions like Mero in the past. Providers aim to add value to their client through technology, but the solution is only implemented if the property manager pays for the solution.

• Full Integration - technology becomes a key part of the service offering of the cleaning company. Optimizations and cost efficiencies are gained after the implementation of the technology, allowing the cleaning company to confidently price to perfection, much more accurately than “guesswork” pricing. The resulting savings are so frequent that they can bear the cost of technology on their own or the end-user pays for technology with an additional margin.

Each of these options have merit, but cleaning teams featuring Mero fully integrated realize the most savings and benefits. Take it from Andrew Hood, VP at Innovation Building Maintenance. He utilized Mero to not only gain insight over which cleaning staff were performing effectively across multiple of his client sites, but also leveraged it as a tool to help him drive client savings and efficiency improvements.

You can listen to Andrew’s full case study here. Even in scenarios where his firm pays for Mero upfront, he is receiving the costs of the system back in return via direct cleaning cost savings in performance-based contracts or he is able to build the cost of the system into his proposals, effectively having his clients pay for the Mero system on its own - making it a win-win for both cleaning companies and property owners.

Step 2: Improve outreach with sales templates and talk tracks utilizing Mero

After considering the level of integration Mero will have in your cleaning business, the next step for your team is to introduce the technology to your clients and prospects. Many property managers  in 2025 are very aware of different technologies on the market, so you usually can introduce the solution as a partnered solution and they’ll be ready to consider it. We’ll use an example of a cleaning team that is fully integrated with Mero.

This accomplishes the following:

• Explain the benefits of Mero to both the cleaning company and property owners
• Introduces the solution as a value-add to clients, setting the stage for clients to be able to pay for the solution
• Offering clients the opportunity to request cleaning reports, offering them transparency, helping cleaning teams retain and re-new business

Offering technology solutions to your clients can be a major benefit to both the cleaning organization and property owner, and as we’ve shown here, can be communicated in a way to have your clients bear the majority of the costs and even become a revenue generator through marking up Mero’s offering for additional technology margin.

Other support that Mero can provide include:

• Flyers
• Decks
• Co-branded materials for RFP’s
• Mero sales representative support in your client proposals and meetings

Upon launch, we will discuss with you the most critical marketing materials that you need for success and offer them based on your level of integration with Mero.

Step 3: Assign someone in your company responsible for utilizing the technology

The next critical component required for success of the Mero platform is assigning a project champion (PC) to leverage and own the Mero system launch, implementation, and ongoing data needs. While Mero aims to provide as much support through our Customer Success team as possible, you will need an internal resource that is familiar with individual site nuances and training programs to fully leverage the value that Mero can provide. These people will become Mero’s point of contact for day to day operations, but also be the first to know about site issues, potential optimizations, and be able to translate the results into insights for your company’s leadership.

Generally, the roles that are most successful as Champions with Mero are:

• Operations Managers
• Supervisors
• Resident Managers

These roles not only value the insights that Mero can generate, but can also implement quick action to mitigate and fix operational issues before your clients notice. Over time, you’ll start to see your superstar managers and supervisors finding inconsistencies in the data on their own, proactively fixing issues on-site without any managerial intervention.

Many of our customers have even called our system a “virtual supervisor”, replacing the need for traditional managers in some instances due to the ability to track and locate staff wherever you are.

Step 4: Finding opportunities to present Mero

We’ve written a lot about top use cases for Mero, but Mero offers broad benefits across various cleaning operations, certain use cases demonstrate particularly strong value and strategic advantages:

• Priority Client Satisfaction & Elevating Service for Key Accounts:
  • Offices, retail, airports, manufacturing facilities, healthcare, and marquee sites
  • For flagship properties or clients with stringent quality expectations, Mero provides the data and operational control to consistently exceed service benchmarks and ensure client loyalty.
  • Critical cleaning sites rely heavily on confirmation of cleaning and knowing that a site has been properly cleaned.
• Turnaround and Performance Improvement At Problematic Sites:
  • For sites experiencing operational challenges, performance issues, or client dissatisfaction, Mero can be instrumental in driving rapid turnaround and measurable improvement. Data-driven insights can pinpoint areas for optimization, improve efficiency, and restore client confidence.
• Gaining a Competitive Edge in Bidding Processes Of New RFPs:
  • In competitive RFP situations, Mero provides a distinct advantage. Showcasing Mero's technology and data-driven approach differentiates a cleaning company from competitors, strengthens the value proposition, and increases win probabilities.
  • Furthermore, the landscape of RFPs is shifting. New proposals are increasingly including requirements for technology-based task verification and data reporting. Mero, as a comprehensive platform for data-driven cleaning, perfectly addresses this emerging demand.

Step 5: Results and impact of featuring technology from our customers

Now that Mero has seen significant traction in the commercial cleaning industry, we have started to evaluate the rates of increase in new business win and renewals.

Cleaning companies that effectively feature Mero in their proposals and sales efforts have reported significant increases in win rates, in some cases as high as +120% per quarter. This quantifiable business impact underscores the power of technology and data transparency in securing new contracts.

One major reason many commercial cleaning teams are seeing this increased success is that property managers are increasingly confident in the value and accountability that Mero provides. The ability to access data-driven reports on cleaning performance and hygiene levels allows property managers to confidently communicate the value of their cleaning programs to tenants, allowing them to show value in the competitive real estate market.

We had one major property manager proactively approach Mero when there was an issue with the cleaning on-site, and suggested adding another new cleaner to ensure they were able to attend to all areas of the property. While this may sound like the property manager not trusting their cleaning partner, in reality, it created a dynamic of transparency and accountability between the two parties that has improved the relationship for the commercial cleaning company and their client.

Another area that Mero shines is assisting commercial cleaning teams with renewing contracts before they go to RFP.

Integrating Mero into existing contracts, even those not immediately up for renewal, is a proactive strategy to demonstrate ongoing value and strengthen client relationships. By showcasing data-driven reports and optimized cleaning schedules, cleaning companies can preemptively address potential client concerns and increase the likelihood of seamless contract renewals without the need for competitive RFPs.

When contract renewal discussions arise, Mero becomes a powerful tool for justifying continued partnership. Presenting data-backed evidence of improved efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced service delivery reinforces the value proposition of the cleaning company and strengthens the case for renewal.

Some of Mero’s top customers renew contracts proactively by bringing Mero to the table. One major university campus loved the ability for Mero to prove and validate that cleaning teams were meeting their scope of work requirements, while also proving that APPA standards were adhered to in their cleaning operation. For a high-traffic, variable occupancy site like a university, having the peace of mind that cleaning teams are adhering to promised levels is paramount.

Conclusion: Embracing the Data-Driven Future of Cleaning in 2025 and Beyond

The commercial cleaning industry in 2025 stands at a critical juncture. The traditional paradigms of relationship-based business and static operational models are no longer sufficient to navigate the complexities of hybrid work, relentless cost pressures, and evolving client expectations. The future of success in commercial cleaning hinges on embracing innovation and adopting data-driven strategies.
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Mero provides the technological foundation for this transformation. By empowering cleaning companies with data-driven insights, optimized workforce utilization, and enhanced service delivery capabilities, Mero enables them to not only meet the challenges of 2025 but to seize the opportunities presented by this evolving landscape.

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Mero offers a clear path to achieving competitive pricing, enhanced client satisfaction, and sustainable growth in a market increasingly defined by cost consciousness and demands for demonstrable value. The cleaning companies that embrace data-driven solutions from Mero will be best positioned to thrive in the years to come, leading the industry into a new era of efficiency, accountability, and client-centric service excellence.

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We invite commercial cleaning executives to explore the transformative potential of Mero and partner with us to navigate the future of clean together. Contact us today to learn how Mero can empower your organization to not just survive, but flourish in the data-driven era of commercial cleaning.