Inspire uses augmented reality to help janitorial services train their employees
With the high turnover rates, the technology can be viewed on any iPhone or iPad that is LiDAR (light detection and ranging) capable.
Anyone who has owned or sought services from a janitorial service company knows that one of the key issues facing the building services industry is high turnover. It averages 200 percent a year and, in some locations, can run as high as 400 percent annually.
How do you train new employees in that environment where turnover is so high? It’s a constant challenge but one that is being tackled by a Knoxville-based company using technology that can be viewed on any iPhone or iPad that is LiDAR (light detection and ranging) capable as well as on the Apple Vision Pro Headsets.
The product is offered by Inspire, a company that was spun out of Athens, TN-based Midlab Inc. several years ago. The latest iteration of the technology, dubbed Version 2, will be unveiled at the ISSA Show North America 2024 in mid-November in Las Vegas.
We talked recently with Ken Bodie, President of Knoxville-based Inspire, who told us that ISSA, the leading trade association for the cleaning industry across the globe, is an investor in the new venture. Bodie served as President of ISSA in 2020.
So, you are no doubt wondering how technology can positively impact the building services industry. We were, too, when Steve Powers, Chief Technology Officer at Inspire, approached us about an interview.
What we learned was the unique way in which Inspire is simplifying employee training through an augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) app designed specifically for cleaning professionals. Inspire’s AR technology allows individuals to see digital surface markers superimposed over the live camera feed on the iPad screen. These digital markers can then be selected with a touch which them loads resources showing product recommendations, instructions, safety data sheets, and even “how to clean” videos tailored to that surface.
If there are specific ways that a company wants its facility or certain areas cleaned, Bodie told us that the app can provide the cleaning staff with checklists, procedures, and even custom videos showing the process to be used. The room or designated area is then named and stored in the cloud, meaning anyone can call-up these resources and know exactly what to do. In addition to having a new employee be able to know exactly how to clean the area, it also avoids costly mistakes that can occur when inappropriate chemicals are used .
If the custodial person has a specific question, the app includes a real-time two-way communication option to ask questions of a supervisor.
“One of our big users is the New York Jail System,” Bodie said.
Feedback from that customer and other users influenced the features added to Version 2. They include a time clock to better manage time and payroll, multi-language capability for those for whom English is not their primary language, and a GPS (global positioning system) capability.
The end result is the right products being used consistently, boosted employee retention rates, a reduction in the time required for training new custodians, and a more efficient set of services which could result in new business for the building services contractor.
Bodie noted two videos on the Inspire site which explain the offering. They can be found on the company’s website.
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