How Businesses are Leveraging Technology

Technology and data are changing the way industries conduct day-to-day business. Retailers, hospitals, schools and hotels are using data to make their facilities more user-friendly, cleaner and profitable.

In the retail sector, knowing where shoppers spend the most time in a store not only helps determine the ideal layout, but may also offer clues into effective merchandising. To this point, retailers have basically guessed how to arrange displays to entice shoppers to buy. By heat mapping shoppers' movements within a footprint, retailers can optimize store design.

Hospitals rely on heat map analytics to address staffing needs. At a Florida hospital, rather than simply assigning nurses based on the number of patients in the facility, caregivers' movements are tracked using wearable technology. This identifies patients who require the most care and the tasks that aren't being staffed properly across the hospital. At least one change has come about as a result. Patient care technicians no longer retrieve IV pumps for sterilization at 6 a.m. after heat mapping revealed this was a very busy time on most inpatient units.

Hotels use data to improve the guest experience and increase revenue. By utilizing Bluetooth beacon technology, the hotel can send push notifications and other messages to guests while they're on the property. Information about hotel services, discounts, special events or amenities can be shared in this way. The technology only works within a set geographic area and if the guest is using both Bluetooth and the hotel's Wi-Fi.

Technology and data can also be incorporated into the cleaning industry. One company equips cleaning technicians with Bluetooth enabled beacons that track movements during a shift. The data is used in employee training efforts, to determine technician deployment and in reports to the client. Some schools are incorporating ATP swabs and a bioluminescence reader to identify the dirtiest portions of a classroom. This information points cleaning staff to areas that need special attention.

Data and technology will play big roles in the future of almost every industry, including the cleaning industry. Stay current by adopting technology now that leads to industry best practices for data collection and analysis.