The commercial cleaning KPIs that actually predict growth
Nine numbers separate cleaning companies that scale from ones that stay stuck. Here is what to track and what good looks like.
Pipeline: walkthroughs booked per month
Everything downstream depends on this one number. A cleaning company adding one contract a month needs roughly four to six qualified walkthroughs a month at a normal close rate. If the number is unknown, the business is running on hope rather than a pipeline.
Conversion: walkthrough-to-contract close rate
Track how many walkthroughs turn into signed agreements. Inbound shoppers close around 15-25%; exclusive outbound walkthroughs where you are the only provider in the room commonly close at 30-45%. If your close rate is low, the problem is usually lead source or follow-up, not pricing.
Profit: gross margin by account
Company-level margin hides loss-makers. Calculate gross margin per contract every quarter — revenue minus loaded labour, supplies and supervision. Most operators find one or two accounts eating the profit of five good ones.
Efficiency: revenue per cleaner-hour
Divide monthly revenue by total cleaner-hours delivered. It exposes overservicing faster than any other metric and gives you a single figure to compare accounts, sites and shifts against.
Durability: churn and average contract length
Annual account churn under 10% and average contract length above 24 months means the business compounds. Above 25% churn, every new sale is replacing an old one and the company plateaus regardless of marketing spend.
Cost of growth: cost per signed account
Total acquisition spend divided by contracts signed. Compare it to first-year contract value. When a signed account is worth $18,000-$40,000 a year, an acquisition cost of a few thousand pays back within the first two to three months of service.
FAQs
What is a good close rate on cleaning walkthroughs?+
30-45% on exclusive outbound walkthroughs, 15-25% on inbound enquiries where the buyer is comparing several quotes.
How do I calculate revenue per cleaner-hour?+
Monthly recurring revenue divided by total cleaner-hours delivered that month, including supervision hours.
What gross margin should a cleaning company target?+
38-48% on general office, 45-58% on medical and childcare, 40-52% on industrial once equipment time is priced correctly.
How often should I review KPIs?+
Pipeline and close rate monthly, margin per account and churn quarterly.
Which KPI matters most early on?+
Walkthroughs booked. Every other metric is a ratio applied to that number.