There are tons of products and services out there that make an office more efficient, from specialized industry software to something as simple as an Amazon Prime membership. But there’s no service that comprehensively handles the maintenance and everyday care of the actual space.
That’s where Managed By Q comes in. The startup just raised $1.65 million in seed funding from Homebrew, RRE Ventures, Semil Shah of Haywire VC, among others, and aims to make office management as easy as the press of a button.
The company starts by installing a free iPad, loaded up with Q software and FaceTime-based customer support, in the office on a wall-mount. That iPad gives anyone in the office the ability to schedule cleaning, maintenance, deliveries, etc.
“The first step to a good office space is a clean space, so that’s where start,” said co-founder Saman Rahmanian. “It’s a great starting point for us because it’s a recurring service we have with our customers, and the trust we build by cleaning up after them will transfer to us taking care of more things for that space.”
All of Managed by Q’s services come on-demand or on a scheduled basis, and the cleaning can be customized based on what the building already provides. If the building takes out the trash and does a once-over on the bathroom each night, Q can come two or three times a week to take care of the floors, desks, kitchen, etc. If you need daily, full-service cleaning for your space, Q can handle that, too.
Moreover, Q’s software monitors the cleaner as they’re in the space, noting each task they complete so that there’s complete transparency between the cleaner and the customer.
“A lot of times, cleaners don’t provide invoices that reflect the work that was done or the time it takes to do those things,” said co-founder Dan Teran. “We charge a flat $25/hour for the work done, and make sure you know exactly what we’re doing during that time.”
And it’s all customizable. The founders mentioned over the phone that one of their customers has a lot of dogs in the office, and one of the specified cleaning tasks is to put all the dog toys back in their proper place.
But it goes far beyond cleaning. Managed by Q can schedule office maintenance for clients on almost anything, from booking a plumber to fix the toilet to contracting an IT guy to handle some technical issues.
But of course, it takes more than a clean, unbroken space to make an office run. People need their orange juice, and their special yogurt, and the special scented candle that makes everyone feel cozy around 5pm. And everyone needs toilet paper.
Managed by Q offers a complete dashboard to order new supplies as they’re needed.
Any employee can add in a new item needed in the office, and a designated office manager will receive an organized email at the end of each day to authorize the transactions.
Cleaning costs $25/hour, and special projects (plumbing, painting, furniture assembly, electric work, etc.) are $80/hour. However, the founders explained that they can get higher margins on an upsell to a subscription package for office supplies that includes toilet paper, towels, staples, paper clips, etc. The basic subscription plan costs $5/employee each month.
Managed by Q partners with WB Mason for office supplies delivery and other contractors for specialized maintenance, with Q hiring regular operators to handle cleanings. Operators are paid on full-time basis, complete with a W2 and health benefits. Managed by Q also makes a referral fee for contractors they set up with customers, but the founders promise that the volume is high enough that the cost doesn’t transfer over to customers, who are on average paying less than they would booking on their own.
If you want to learn more about Managed by Q, head over to the website here.
