Understanding Customer Satisfaction Delivered by Facility Maintenance Service Providers
Contributed by Cheryl Costello
Considering the overwhelming number of options available for outsourcing the janitorial function, many businesses are unable to select the evaluation criteria when choosing a new service partner. Some of them place more emphasis on the range of services offered, while others see value in the years of experience for the service provider. In general, businesses in different industries often overlook the importance of evaluating a janitorial service provider in several areas of service delivery and competence. For instance, having a sizable customer portfolio is a good indicator of success but it is even better to look at the percentage of customers that are new, the rate of customer churn or turnover, and overall customer loyalty to truly gauge the degree of success and get a better idea of the level of customer satisfaction delivered by the service provider.
“If you’re competitor-focused, you have to wait until there is a competitor doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering.” – Jeff Bezos
In addition to the different ways of assessing the potential in terms of service quality and delivery, it is also important to select a janitorial service partner that prioritizes customer service and satisfaction at each step of the way. Some of the key elements that stand out among these customer-centric practices include:
- Transition Phase
- The transition phase is paramount to a successful and seamless experience from the very start of the contract period for new customers. Ideally, a minimum of 30 days prior to the start-of-service can ensure that the service provider is fully prepared to deliver the expected results from the first day.
- Employee Training & Development
- A well-trained workforce is not only capable to deliver routine tasks and meet customer expectations consistently, but a sound training program also prepares them to professionally address different or unexpected situations.
- A dedicated training team can establish an environment where the staff feels valued and comfortable to perform their duties in optimal ways. Training programs also allow employees to develop professionally through proper skills and perform with a continuous improvement approach.
- Some service providers also implement cross-training initiatives that trains employees to take on job roles in addition to their own assigned responsibilities when necessary.
- Quality Assurance
- Alongside standardized practices, it has become increasingly important for customers to work with service partners that offer custom Quality Assurance measures that are designed to align with their scope of work, expectations, and program objectives.
- Despite consistent and high quality performance, service providers cannot operate with a continuous improvement and customer-centered approach without tracking and reporting performance. These require the use of helpful and relevant software as well as regular site inspections to evaluate performance standards. Quarterly business and performance reviews are also essential for quality assurance, benchmarking, best practices, and feedback cycles.
At Diversified Maintenance, high standards of service delivery and customer satisfaction go hand in hand. The Company prioritizes developing, maintaining, and growing relationships with all customers through leadership, strategic planning and execution of customer-specific strategies, and implementing operational plans to align with customer objectives. To learn more about the impact of a customer-centric facility maintenance service partner on your business operations and long-term costs, send me a note at: Cheryl Costello ccostello@diversifiedm.com
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