“Changing anything costs time and money we don’t have”
You spot something that needs improving — an export that's missing some key data, a clients request for a change to their dashboard or a change in approvers to an important sign off procedure.
You raise it with your software provider…
and you wait.
Another dev ticket. Another support queue. Probably another quote.
And by the time the change is finally made (if it gets made), the moment’s passed - or you’ve blown your budget.
We keep hearing the same thing:
“It’s just not worth the hassle anymore.”
So, people stop asking.
Teams muddle through with dashboards that don’t show what clients care about.
Area managers rely on spreadsheets and screenshots to track what’s going on.
Ops leads spend time fixing workarounds instead of improving the service.
And all of that makes your business slower, less efficient and harder to scale.
Most cleaning companies don’t need fancy features or big upgrades. They just want to tweak what’s already there to suit how they actually work. But traditional systems often make this harder than it needs to be:
When it takes weeks and money you don’t have to change important factors like the wording on a report or data on a dashboard, people lose faith in the system altogether.
Here’s how to take back control and make your tools work for you – not the other way around.
1. Prioritise editable tools
Look for systems that give you flexibility to update things yourself – without needing a developer. That means editable checklists, drag-and-drop form builder and report settings you can configure in-house. Even better if you can clone or template things for different clients.
2. Review support SLAs
If support is patchy or always comes with a price tag, that’s not sustainable. Ask your provider for clear service-level agreements: How quickly do they respond? What’s included? Will you be charged every time you need something small sorted?
3. Keep a log of change requests
If your team has stopped asking for changes, that doesn’t mean everything’s fine. It means they’ve given up. Keep a central log of tweaks, frustrations and workarounds. It’ll show you where the real friction is — and where the software is holding your team back.
4. Stop chasing perfection
You don’t need everything customised to the nth degree. But you do need the basics to work for your team. Focus on quick wins - the small adjustments that remove daily frustrations and save time.
5. Involve the people who use it
Before requesting a change, speak to the people doing the job. What do they need to see? What’s actually helpful in that report? You’ll end up with simpler, better tools that people are more likely to use and trust.
And if you’re wondering…
Yes, there are systems out there that make changes easier.
Facility Apps was built with this in mind - giving teams control over the day-to-day setup without waiting weeks for tech support. You can customise checklists, build forms, change PPMs, even build your own process automations simply. Report configurations are all accessible.
The aim is to empower your team, not give you a quote every time you need a change... Just saying.
Because if your software can’t keep up with the way your business runs, it’s not helping - it’s holding you back.