ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Today’s cleaning and facilities professionals are being asked to do more with increased oversight, less time and higher expectations than ever before. In this high-pressure environment, smart auditing tech is empowering frontline teams, supporting regulatory alignment and helping businesses achieve operational clarity and cultural cohesion.

Francis Lyons, co-founder and CEO of ECAT Group, explains how smart auditing tech is evolving into a real-time performance enabler.

Across Europe, cleaning and facilities professionals are being asked to do more with increased oversight, less time and higher expectations than ever before. Whether operating in healthcare, education, transport, or commercial environments, organisations face intensifying demands for transparency, traceability, and assurance.

In this high-pressure environment, smart auditing tech is empowering frontline teams, supporting regulatory alignment and helping businesses achieve operational clarity and cultural cohesion. No longer confined to reactive, checklist-driven oversight, smart auditing tech is evolving into a real-time performance enabler.

But what does that shift look like in practice? And why is it gaining momentum now?

From reactive to real-time: the rise of altitude reporting

In the past, auditing was largely retrospective. Managers reviewed paper trails, investigated inconsistencies and manually compiled reports. It worked… up to a point. But today’s challenges demand faster insight and more responsive action.

Smart auditing tech offers what I call ‘altitude reporting’ - a real-time, bird’s-eye view of operations. These platforms gather and analyse live data from cleaning and hygiene activities across multiple sites, enabling managers to spot anomalies, monitor compliance and intervene where necessary. Whether adjusting cleaning and facilities services in response to footfall trends or identifying high-usage washrooms for more frequent cleaning, altitude reporting supports proactive, evidence-led decision-making.

This shift from retrospective review to real-time insight marks a significant cultural step, from catching problems to anticipating them.

Navigating diverse regulatory environments

While regulatory frameworks vary across countries, one constant is the growing expectation for traceable, auditable processes.

Smart auditing tech supports this by creating a centralised, standardised and timestamped record of cleaning activity. Features such as near-field communication (NFC) tagging, photographic proof-of-performance, and automated task logs ensure organisations can demonstrate compliance - to external regulators, internal quality teams and/or third-party stakeholders.

In some countries, the digitisation of hygiene and cleaning compliance is accelerating. For example, within the EU, developments in data privacy, environmental reporting and occupational safety are prompting cleaning and facilities professionals to re-examine how they gather and manage performance data. In this climate, smart auditing tech isn’t just a helpful tool - it’s a strategic necessity.

Supporting sustainability goals

Sustainability is no longer an optional extra. Increasingly, cleaning and facilities services are expected to reduce environmental impact while maintaining exceptionally high standards. Smart auditing tech can support this in several ways:

• Paperless reporting - Switching from physical checklists to cloud-based systems reduces paper consumption and streamlines communication

• Chemical tracking - Some systems now allow operatives to scan product QR codes, verifying safe and efficient use. This is critical for environmental compliance and health and safety

• Usage-based scheduling - By monitoring traffic patterns or occupancy, audit platforms can adjust cleaning frequency dynamically, minimising over-servicing and waste.

Together, these features help to reduce resource consumption, improve carbon performance and embed sustainability into day-to-day operations. These goals are increasingly aligned with tender requirements and corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies.

Empowering frontline teams

One of the most overlooked, but transformative, impacts of smart auditing tech is cultural.
In the past, auditing and compliance was often perceived as a top-down control mechanism, more about catching mistakes than recognising effort. But today’s platforms offer a different approach - one that emphasises enablement, transparency and recognition.

With the ability to log work, capture proof of quality and highlight improvement opportunities, cleaning professionals can demonstrate the value of their work. Managers, in turn, gain visibility of effort and outcomes. This can help to improve trust, loyalty and engagement across teams.

I’ve personally seen numerous cases where operatives who were previously disengaged become strong advocates. Because smart auditing tech gave them a voice, visibility and a tangible way to demonstrate their contribution.

This matters at a time when recruitment and retention remain pressing challenges across the cleaning sector. Giving staff pride in their work, and tools that support their success, is a win-win for service delivery and culture.

A connected future

Looking ahead, smart auditing tech will play an increasingly strategic role in connecting frontline operations with broader business goals.

We’re already seeing integration between audit tools and wider enterprise systems - linking quality scores to contractor performance, triggering alerts for missed KPIs or embedding hygiene data into ESG reports. In some advanced settings, smart auditing platforms are even being linked to building management systems, enabling cleaning to respond to occupancy or air quality in real time.

But the promise of connected, intelligent auditing isn’t just about automation - it’s about agility. In a sector facing tighter margins, shifting expectations and increasing regulatory scrutiny, the ability to adapt quickly and act confidently is key.

In summary

Across Europe, the pressure is on cleaning and facilities services. But there’s potential for smart auditing tech to support. As audit and compliance tools evolve, they’re no longer just about oversight - they’re engines of improvement, engagement and assurance.

For those willing to reimagine what auditing and compliance can be, the opportunities are clear: cleaner buildings, stronger compliance, engaged teams and a more sustainable future.

ecat-group.com