Back to blog 08/23/2021

3 Actionable Ways a Facilities Maintenance Partner Prioritizes Customer Requirements

Most businesses selecting a facilities maintenance service provider often focus on key attributes of successful companies including their customer portfolio, years of experience, and regional footprint. These criteria, while significant, can evaluate a company’s business performance but overlook the impact it can make on day-to-day operations. It is critical to look at other procedures and practices to determine whether the facilities maintenance company can establish a customer-first strategy in the future.

Start-Up Plan – Facilities maintenance companies offer service customization as a key to serving their customer base successfully in a highly competitive industry. However, the focus remains on the cleaning and maintenance program to include tailored services and frequencies. The ever-evolving customer requirements also include a smooth service transition phase. A successful facilities maintenance company can deliver a seamless transition, by dedicating ample time prior to the contract start date, to understand all functions required and performance model expected by customers.

Customer Feedback – Another important element of a customer-centric approach in facilities maintenance is to take regular feedback from customers and use it to improve the service plan for enhanced operational results. Effective methods for gaining an insight and gathering feedback include open communication, on-site performance and safety audits, senior management visits, structured surveys, and customer interviews.

Reports and Reviews – Regularly generating reports and sharing them with customers are important measures that demonstrate a company’s level of transparency and relationship building efforts. Quarterly business reviews and following up with customers regarding operating activities at regular intervals also ensure regular and productive interaction.

Diversified Maintenance follows a comprehensive Start-Up timeline with a month of planning prior to the anticipated start-of-service date. The transition team focuses on understanding customer needs beforehand. Simultaneously, customers have multiple feedback opportunities for insights on how well the on-ground staff is meeting their expectations. Through leadership, strategic planning, customer-specific operational strategies, and regular quarterly business reviews for effective and continuous communication, Diversified’s business strategy focuses on creating long-term, mutually beneficial customer relationships. To learn more about prioritizing customer requirements with a customer-first strategy, send me a note at: Michael Arrington marrington@diversifiedm.com.