Today, unlike at any other time in the past, the responsibilities and expectations that rest on a building manager are higher than ever. COVID-19 aside, tenant expectations across both commercial and residential buildings are high, and so are the standards imposed by regulatory authorities.
In this kind of environment, the resources funnelled towards ensuring each property is well-maintained and is operationally efficient is more important than ever.
The challenge for most professionals is that in the midst of taking care of long-term plans, day-to-day demands, coordinating with building owners and tenants, maintenance can be overlooked very quickly.
This is why most building managers seek to work with reputed facility maintenance companies and outsource this particular responsibility to them.
While this is a straightforward, uncomplicated decision, choosing the right service provider can be anything but. Sure, there are plenty of options available, but choosing a partner in the process—and not just hired help—is crucial.
Here are a few things to consider if you want to onboard an efficient, professional and experienced facility maintenance agency for your portfolio.
While you may want to look at various companies for their relevant areas of speciality, working with a service provider that provides integrated solutions is never a bad idea.
This ensures that you deal with a single service provider that supports you with all the facility maintenance services you require, even including facility management and new property development services as well.
Beyond these low-hanging fruit, there’s also the fact that working with a single provider who takes an integrated approach to facility maintenance and management will ensure you're supported by a consistent level of service and uniform quality across your portfolio.
Now, more than ever, the certifications, skills, and accreditations of facility maintenance companies are more important than ever.
It not only ensures that they have the skills and know-how to do their job, but it also ensures that they help you run and maintain your properties in line with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Highly professional service providers of this nature also ensure your properties follow the latest best practices in this niche; from using eco-conscious and sustainable cleaning products to masterful repair and maintenance work.
Given how rapidly regulatory policies and rulings evolve in this industry, especially in light of recent crises, and the higher expectations tenants possess these days, strict compliance is essential across the properties you manage.
Regardless of how simple and straightforward facility maintenance seems, it’s crucial to enquire whether your service providers are as committed to compliance as you are.
This spans everything from their internal governance and procedural frameworks to the wages their staff are paid; it’s all relevant to your success as a building manager and the properties you’re responsible for.
Another point to consider when you’re on the lookout for facility maintenance companies is whether they provide you with dedicated relationship support. When you’re in the midst of juggling many responsibilities and duties, the last thing you want to do is deal with any complexity, confusion or miscommunication with your service providers.
A dedicated point of contact ensures you get the support of a professional who’s acquainted, thoroughly, with the specifics and requirements across your properties and has a tab on all the maintenance work being carried out.
With this kind of support, you get to save precious time you would otherwise spend coordinating with numerous points of contact to keep your properties in excellent shape.
At Accord, our motto is, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
When your properties are taken care of by expert-led maintenance services, you know they don’t just look good and are clean and healthy spaces, but are also operationally efficient and compliant.
Choose the right service providers to ensure you benefit from their expertise and experience in property maintenance.