SSC Magazine

While the AI is rapidly improving in simplicity and ease of use, only some people are comfortable with having a robot as their coworker. To get started, hands-on training from site leadership aids in confidence, but when there is high turnover, in-person vendor training produces the best results. Bonus incentives for maxi- mum use in facilities that are monthly target-based KPIs aid associate adoption. Since most floor work is completed when buildings are unoccupied during second and third shifts, account- ability provided by the custom reporting functions aid management who may work a first-shift schedule. The associate responsible for the AMR should have nearby detailed tasks to complete while the AI runs the pro- grammed map. Being nearby allows them to check on the unit if it needs assistance and reactivate the program once its needs are met.

The Operators

In 1997, I started with SSC as a trainee, learning the basics of daily floor care. It was a simple process. As the years went by, not much changed with that task; there was still a mop, a bucket, and effort. Improvements have come, but they were small and easy to overlook - the move to microfiber mop heads or a safer cleaning chemical. Sometimes, there were advancements in our custodial service that were cause for celebration, like the night we first placed a magnet on the front of a vacuum to collect all the staples from the office carpets. Now, 26 years later, so much has changed: I’ll visit a site and see a robot doing that same daily floor care. Innovations are leaping forward and transforming our roles: LIDAR, Collision Avoidance, Aqueous Ozone, and AI. But one piece I know will not change is the necessity of our people. Innovation and technology don’t replace our teams - they allow our teams to do those simple tasks even better and raise the level of service we offer our clients. It’s exciting to watch the advancements across our industry, but they have made me look back and understand that mop and bucket were only tools in the process, just like our AMRs are today. It’s the effort of the person initiating that simple task that drives us forward.

Is Your Program Working? For our teams, the goal is not to reduce headcount or labor hours, but to increase building occupant and associate satisfaction.

Our ROI factors in not only usage-based KPIs, which are customized to every location, but building client satisfaction, which can be a harder piece to measure. It is driven by awareness and visibility: naming con- tests, incorporation into STEM lessons, and googly eyes. Sometimes it means choosing to run the AMR during occupied times. Where cleaning was previously a disruption, a robot running down the halls inspires excitement, curiosity and, hopefully, a new generation passionate about driving technology forward.

- Derrick Parker - SSC, VP of Higher Education

8

9