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The Bottom Line on Cleanliness: How a Spotless Environment Can Boost Your Revenue

Cleanliness is not just about making a good impression—it's a catalyst for driving customer satisfaction, guest traffic, and revenue growth. Data from Steritech's assessments reveal a striking correlation: cleaner locations consistently report higher customer satisfaction scores and significantly better sales. 

The Correlation Between Cleanliness and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Steritech's data shows a strong link between cleanliness and customer satisfaction (CSAT):¹

  • Interior cleanliness correlation with CSAT: 0.9584
  • Exterior cleanliness correlation with CSAT: 0.9764

These numbers don't lie – customers notice and care about cleanliness, both inside and out.

Voice of Customer (VOC) Feedback

Cleanliness is one of the top things customers mention in their feedback. Keep it clean, and you'll see more positive reviews, repeat visits, and increased traffic.

Data Makes the Case

Here's where it gets interesting:

  • A 5-point increase in cleanliness score corresponds to a 1.3% boost in average monthly sales².
  • The correlation between cleanliness scores and sales? A solid 0.82333.

Let's break it down with an example4:

  • Average limited-sales establishment: $44,231 weekly sales ($2.3 million annually)
  • A 5-point cleanliness improvement could add $506.12 per week
  • That's an extra $26,318 in annual revenue per location

 

Steritech cleanliness score chart

Strategies to Keep It Clean

  1. Regular Assessments: Schedule regularly, cover inside and outside, identify areas for improvement.
  2. Employee Training: Invest in it. Make sure your staff knows the importance of cleanliness.
  3. Leverage Technology: Use digital tools like Steritech's assessment platform to track performance and make data-driven decisions.
  4. Benchmark Against Competitors: See how you stack up against the cleanest in the business.
  5. Focus on High-Impact Areas: Prioritize spots like restrooms, entryways, and customer areas.

Outsourcing for Efficiency

Outsourcing cleanliness assessments to third-party partners offers several key advantages:

  • Reduced travel expenses:
    • Internally managed programs can be costly, especially for multi-location businesses
    • Outsourcing cuts down on travel-related expenses like airfare, hotels, and meals
    • Third-party partners often have local assessors, further reducing travel costs
  • Consistent, expert evaluations:
    • Specialized partners provide accurate, thorough assessments across all locations
    • Their expertise ensures proper evaluation of cleanliness and food safety standards
    • Eliminates potential biases or inconsistencies that might occur with internal teams
  • More frequent assessments:
    • Leverage third-party resources to increase assessment frequency at each location
    • Higher frequency drives accountability and helps maintain consistently high standards
    • Allows for quicker identification and resolution of issues
  • Better insights across all locations:
    • Gain system-wide insights by analyzing data from all your locations
    • Identify trends, best practices, and areas needing improvement across the organization
    • Focus internal resources on locations that need the most help, based on data-driven insights

By partnering with providers like Steritech, businesses gain streamlined scheduling through combined Operational Excellence and Food Safety assessments, along with comprehensive reporting and cost-efficient, high-quality evaluations.

Cleanliness is a Strategic Investment, Not Just a Compliance Issue

Cleanliness goes beyond appearance—it's a powerful driver of revenue. Prioritizing it boosts customer satisfaction, increases foot traffic, and drives measurable growth. Even small improvements in cleanliness scores can lead to significant sales gains, making it a smart, strategic investment for any business.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cleaner establishments show higher customer satisfaction scores and better sales
  • A 5-point increase in cleanliness score correlates to a potential 1.3% boost in average monthly sales
  • Cleanliness strongly impacts both interior (0.9584) and exterior (0.9764) customer satisfaction
  • Cleanliness is a top concern in customer feedback surveys
  • Regular assessments, employee training, and technology can improve cleanliness
  • Focus on high-impact areas like restrooms, entryways, and customer areas
  • Outsourcing cleanliness assessments to partners like Steritech can lead to cost savings and expert evaluations
  • Combining operational excellence with food safety assessments offers additional efficiencies

Keeping things clean with regular check-ups, staff training, and expert help opens the door to more revenue and smoother operations. When customers walk into a spotless space, they’re happier, spend more, and keep you ahead in a competitive market.

About Steritech

Since 1986, Steritech has been a trusted assessment and consulting partner that helps multi-location businesses drive operational consistency, mitigate risk, and accelerate growth.

Our 450 Specialists serve nearly 135,000 individual locations across food, retail, hospitality, and consumer services. The derived data and insights allow organizations to benchmark against best practices, improve performance, and deliver consistent, high-caliber brand experiences.

For more information on Steritech's services, approach, technology, and how we can help your organization boost your bottom line with operational insights, contact our team of experts here.

Let Steritech's decades of experience guide your organization toward a more effective and impactful assessment program.

SOURCES:

¹Steritech OnBrand360® data, January 1 - July 31, 2023
²Steritech Clients End of Round Business Review case study, 2024
³Steritech Clients End of Round Business Review case study, 2024
4https://verticaliq.com/product/limited-service-restaurants/. Verticaliq Industry Profile Excerpt. Accessed October 17, 2024.

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