Rubis Services, a Nigerian-based company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2020, started its journey in Lagos as a small laundry service before its management quickly realised that it could do more by developing technology to transform the entire industry. While pursuing this line of service, the company discovered a major pain point in the industry–which was getting reliable professionals for cleaning services. Sensing that this was a unique opportunity in the industry, in December 2020, Rubis Services transformed its offering into a digital platform connecting consumers to over 3,000 cleaning agencies across Nigeria.
Business Model and Market Position
Rubis Services started as a company that manually managed its network of cleaning agencies, but it soon transitioned to incorporating and developing technology to scale its operations. Their growth rate became exponential after that, extending beyond Lagos to other parts of Nigeria. Currently, the business runs a fully automated platform that connects its users with a wide range of cleaning agencies located across the country. Customers and cleaning agencies intending to be a part of the platform can get onboard through the official website of Rubis Services or a user-friendly app. The website and app contain provisions for registering as a cleaning agency and for contacting a cleaning agent. Customers are able to book a variety of specialised services, from basic home cleaning to industrial cleaning. The company also ensures that it vets all cleaning agencies to confirm their capabilities before placing them on the platform. In addition, Rubis Services provides a dashboard to allow these agencies to manage bookings, track payments, and communicate with clients. Their wide range of services makes them a one-stop shop for all cleaning services; this has helped them capture a larger share of the market in the country.
Competitive Landscape
The cleaning industry is currently worth N13 Billion and has a number of players. Companies like Sweepsouth, a South African start-up that expanded into Nigeria, offer an on-demand tech platform for home cleaning services. Local platforms such as Gidi Cleaners and WeClean also offer home cleaning services and pest control. However, Rubis Services occupies a unique position in the country’s cleaning industry because it offers a broader range of services. They do not only offer cleaning services but also connect small-scale businesses to clients. To ensure customer satisfaction, Rubis Services vets all agencies seeking to be part of its platforms. Only consummate professionals are displayed on the platform and can be hired by customers. Each cleaning agency has to provide information on their areas of expertise to make it possible for Rubis Services to place them in the right category. This also makes it easier for customers seeking to hire agencies.
Customer Experience and Reputation
Rubis Services has earned a reputation as a leading authority in the industry. They have two major selling points. First, they offer a wide range of services, which makes them the go-to cleaning services for much of the market—customers like that the agencies can handle a wide range of services every day of the week. Rubis Services has also raised the bar in the quality of professional cleaning services nationally. The businesses on their platform are prompt, flexible, and deliver efficiently. Additional features on the platform, such as the data on their agencies, proximity to businesses, and reviews from other customers, allow each visitor to make informed decisions on booking, payment, and scheduling. Negative feedback is quickly addressed, and sad incidents like tardiness, sloppiness, theft, or even damage to properties are greatly reduced and taken care of. In fact, customers have also commented on the increased peace of mind they experience when they utilise the company’s services. All of these benefits sufficiently counterweights Rubis’ key drawback- high costs and charges. Even though Rubis is positioned as a low-cost solution, its final cost to consumers severely limits its usage to high-income earners.
Operational Efficiency
Rubis Services’ operational model is reliant on three different models—its technological platform, its customer base, and its network of cleaning agencies under their management. These three pillars hold Rubis Services up and sets them up for success however, Rubis no longer running its own cleaning service but relying completely on vendors and agencies, comes with a lower level of control as well as other disadvantages.
Supply Chain
The cleaning service business has been rocked by a series of bad reviews, which has led to scepticism among customers. Rubis Services solves the problem of unreliability by only onboarding properly vetted cleaning agencies on the platform. They have also expanded their list of cleaning agencies in different specialisations to fit the needs of the customer base better. So far, Rubis Services has on-boarded more than 3,000 cleaning businesses across Nigeria while supporting about 600 small laundry businesses. They have also integrated 100 delivery services into its platform to facilitate reliable and timely delivery of services. This provision solves the issue of logistics, which would have been a significant problem for the small businesses on its platforms. While this approach to scaling favours Rubis’ services, the insistence of outsourcing core parts of its business such as the actual cleaning service and the supporting services across its supply chain, can lead to an overwhelming loss of control, forcing cracks in across functional lines of the business.
Technology and Innovation
Rubis Services has taken the lead in championing the incorporation of technology into the cleaning industry. This technology supports its customer base and the cleaning agencies under its network. Rubis Services uses its online platform to handle booking and payment security for both customers and cleaning agencies. The company also invests a good amount of revenue in maintaining and upgrading its website and app; this enables it to ensure the efficacy and security of its client base and the cleaning agencies that operate under it.
Customer Base
Rubis Services has organised its business to guarantee a high level of customer satisfaction. The platform provides several avenues to improve its customer experience, including increased transparency when it comes to booking and payment security. As Rubis Services hosts different cleaning agencies, some of which offer similar services, the customers can compare prices and pick the more affordable option. Also, Rubis Services offers information about each agency so prospective customers can have important data such as proximity to their location and performance reviews from other customers. This allows them to make sound decisions when choosing a service provider. The comparative approach employed by the platform pushes competition among cleaning agencies and drives up service standards.
Leadership and Corporate Culture
Sylvia Ezennaya runs Rubis Services and is a majority shareholder of the company. She has a degree at the Nnamdi Azikwe University in Cooperative Economics and Management [Human Resources and Development] and, as of the time of this writing, and is pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of Salford, where she intends to further her knowledge in Human Resources Management and Development. In addition to her role in the business, she has worked as a human resource business analyst for several companies since 2017. Upon founding Rubis Services, she observed the often complicated nature of the industry in Nigeria. The cleaning service industry is highly fragmented and unregulated, which earned it a bad reputation among those who sought these services. She also had the vision of using technology to bridge the gap between small cleaning businesses and their clientele. This is important as these small and medium-scale businesses do not often have the resources to invest in quality online platforms. She intended to create a platform that would provide these businesses with the tools to allow even the smallest agencies to manage their operations efficiently. Her first line of business was solving this issue by bringing in a bit of organisation and higher use of technology in service delivery. She also incorporated a culture of ensuring quality control and customer satisfaction; as regulations are often weakly enforced in the industry, Sylvia has enforced her standards of service, which she doesn’t allow her employees to reduce at all points. This has involved proper monitoring and incorporating customer feedback as part of the corporate culture. This approach has elevated the standards of services in the market and makes them stand out in the industry. Sylvia also championed the expansion of Rubis Services’ focus to incorporate a wide range of services as opposed to some of their competitors, whose services were more narrow. Her efforts have led the company to the pinnacle of the cleaning service industry in Nigeria.
Corporate Governance
Aside from its dedicated and visionary leader, Rubis Services’ sustained excellence can be attributed to three pillars of corporate governance:
- An astute management team consisting of people proficient in business analysis and tech incorporation; they also possess a deep understanding of the Nigerian cleaning service industry.
- A dedication to continuous innovation and customer satisfaction is seen in the leadership’s plans to expand its services into the field of home and office maintenance.
- A transparent leadership style involving all of management in major decision-making that would impact the company.
Conclusion and Overall Assessment
Rubis Services stands out as an innovative leader in Nigeria’s cleaning services industry. They have successfully leveraged the use of technology to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency, providing a platform that both cleaning agencies and their customer base can trust. In the process, they have had to beat challenges like navigating the chaotic nature of the country’s cleaning industry as well as combating a negative reputation brought on by bad actors. With its position as a major player in the cleaning service industry, Rubis Services has the opportunity to maintain its growth by continuing its incorporation of technology and dedication to improving the customer satisfaction of its clientele.
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