Core KPI Operating Expense Per Month
The Operating Expense Per Month KPI measures your total monthly overhead costs that are not direct technician payroll—items like office staff, rent, utilities, vehicles, software, insurance, supplies, and marketing. Operating Expense Per Month shows how efficiently your company runs outside of service delivery. By tracking Operating Expense Per Month alongside revenue and labor KPIs, you can control overhead, protect margins, and plan for sustainable growth.
Core KPI CalendarGrow Faster and Stronger by Tracking These 12 KPIs.
- 12 KPIs explained in plain English
- Monthly improvement tips
- Growth forecasting tools
- Real MaidCentral user examples
Core KPIs
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Bill Per Cleaning
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Quotes Per Week
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Close Rate Per Week
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Cleanings Per Home Per Month
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Revenue Per Technician Per Day
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Rate Increase Per Year
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Direct Payroll % to Revenue
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Customer Attrition Rate Per Month
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Skip Cleanings Per Day
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Absentee Rate Per Day
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Technician Turnover Per Year
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Operating Expense Per Month
How to Calculate Operating Expense Per Month
The Operating Expense Per Month KPI is the sum of your overhead expenses for a single month (exclude direct technician payroll captured in other KPIs).
Operating Expense Per Month =
Total Monthly Overhead Costs
Example: If monthly overhead includes $9,000 office payroll, $3,000 rent,
$1,200 utilities, $1,800 software/insurance, and $2,000 marketing:
$9,000 + $3,000 + $1,200 + $1,800 + $2,000
= $17,000 Operating Expense Per Month
Close Rate Per Week — What, Why, How
What is the Operating Expense Per Month KPI?
The Operating Expense Per Month KPI is the total of monthly overhead costs—office payroll, rent, utilities, vehicles, software, insurance, supplies, and marketing—excluding direct technician payroll.
Why is the Operating Expense Per Month KPI important?
The Operating Expense Per Month KPI shows how efficiently your company operates beyond service delivery. Controlling this KPI protects margins and cash flow.
How can I improve the Operating Expense Per Month KPI?
Improve the Operating Expense Per Month KPI by budgeting categories, renegotiating contracts, optimizing software stack, right-sizing office staffing, and tracking expense-to-revenue monthly in MaidCentral.
Operating Expense Per Month KPI — Practical FAQs
How should I categorize Operating Expense Per Month?
Use clear GL categories: office/admin payroll, rent/lease, utilities, vehicles/fuel/maintenance, software, insurance, supplies, phones/internet, marketing, and other overhead. Exclude direct technician payroll.
What is a good benchmark for the Operating Expense Per Month KPI?
Benchmarks vary by size and market. Many residential cleaning companies target Operating Expense Per Month so that total overhead stays within a sustainable expense-to-revenue ratio (e.g., 15–25% of revenue), while monitoring trends month-over-month.
How do I connect Operating Expense Per Month with pricing?
Translate overhead into a required gross margin target. If margins compress, consider rate adjustments or cost reductions to keep Operating Expense Per Month in line with revenue.
How often should I review the Operating Expense Per Month KPI?
Review monthly and compare to a rolling 3- and 12-month trend. Investigate spikes immediately and tie back to vendor changes, hiring, or campaign spend.
What tools help manage the Operating Expense Per Month KPI?
Use your accounting system plus MaidCentral reporting to monitor expense categories, trend lines, and expense-to-revenue ratios. Set alerts for variances over budget.