The facility management industry continues to evolve even more so with the impact of covid-19 pandemic which brought a lot of attention to the industry. The resulting effect is the increased level of expectations from FM practitioners to deliver strategic solutions with less in, sometimes, difficult circumstances.
The opportunities and challenges come in equal proportions which can be described as two-fold. In this article, focus is on the opportunity. On one hand, opportunity to deliver exceptional service to the Demand organization and on the other hand, opportunity to scale up the internal systems of the service provider (FM organization)to be more effective, efficient in productivity which can increase customer satisfaction.
In a highly competitive market, service-based businesses need to capitalize on any opportunity to set themselves apart from their competitors.
While implementation and service management are important, perhaps the best way to demonstrate capacity for exceptional service delivery as an FM organization is to foster strong customer relationships based on the quality of its service. To achieve this, I outline a few ways to raise the service level in recommitting to customer satisfaction.
Communication
When it comes to customers, there’s no such thing as over-communication. Clients feel more comfortable when they know what’s going on. The amount of communication is not so imperative as the timeliness, its context, and its ability to clearly identify the value addition to the client. In a world of constant connectivity, the ability of facility managers to cut through the flood of information with quality and timely answers can achieve much.
Service Management
Defining expectations is vital to service management. FM practitioners and Demand organizations need to make sure that they are on the same page regarding what to expect (or not expect) from their service offerings. This includes what the services cover, potential limitations, costs, how to get assistance when needed, and more.
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This level of definition shouldn’t stop with the client. The best service organizations also clearly specify any internal efforts required to provide and support their service.
Technology
As services become increasingly digitized where possible, facility managers can drive the use of technology to improve problematic processes. For example, technology can be used to capture and store data.
In general, service delivery automation is high return and low risk, and more FM organizations are finding ways to cut costs and provide a more satisfactory customer experience.
Resource Utilization
Every organization has limited resources and wishes to utilize same wisely. It is therefore important for FM organizations to understand their current resource needs and to anticipate future resource needs. They need to be able to track employee requirements and capacities. With this information, the facility managers can schedule in accordance with current projects, and ensure that no resource is over- or under-utilized.
Strong Culture
After establishing a feasible service concept, the next area of focus should be its culture which will be instrumental to achieving success. Employees should be aligned when it comes to a specific set of overarching principles and, while methodology is crucial to service delivery, this should feel more like a philosophy.
FM organizations should never take for granted that the culture is strictly internal. It also shows up in the way service is delivered, Relationship and interaction with clients is a reflection of the corporate culture and clients know this.
The better the service provider understands its value proposition and what the organization represents, the more that translates to the clients. More often than not, clients know when a service organization and its employees are on the same page.
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