Facility managers often become frustrated with facility maintenance contractors. Some contractors lack good professional work habits which can make the job difficult for a facility manager. Three general areas cause this frustration and anxiety among managers. If a maintenance contractor addresses these three areas, they might well become a facility manager’s favorite.
Better Communications
A facility manager’s number one pet peeve is when a maintenance contractor does not stay in close contact with him or her. On numerous occasions, jobs are issued to specific contractors, and no communication is exchanged between the two parties until the facilities manager receives an invoice at some later date.
In between times, it’s possible that weeks or months will have transpired, and the facility manager hears nothing at all from the maintenance contractor. Ideally, the manager would like to stay informed during every phase of a job. The manager will then know precisely what is going on and how much progress is made. When there is no communication until invoice time, a facility manager is uninformed on what is happening. When unaware, the manager does not know whether he’s working with a conscientious facility maintenance contractor or a fly-by-night operator who can’t be trusted.
Inadequate Follow-Through
Some maintenance contractors acquire a reputation which causes facility managers to be wary or distrustful. Contractors sometimes show up late for a job, or they may not show up at all because they have other commitments, or perhaps even a lack of interest in doing the job.
Facilities managers have supervisors to report to, which means they need to supply information to upper management about the progress of any specific job which they are overseeing. When contractors don’t follow through with facilities managers, that puts the manager in an awkward position of being unable to keep their supervisors informed about job progress.
Facilities managers – like anyone else – prefer to work with maintenance contractors who show up to tackle a job when they’re supposed to and who accomplish the specified body of work on time. If any rework is necessary, or something is overlooked during the initial phase of work, a conscientious and reputable contractor should have no problem addressing those issues
Fair Pricing
Pricing may not be the number one concern of a facilities manager, but it certainly is considered when choosing facility maintenance contractors to accomplish the necessary work. The actual cost of doing business with any maintenance contractor is not so much about hourly rates, as it is about how much time is required to accomplish the work.
Another factor that comes into play is the quality of work performed by a maintenance contractor. A low hourly rate is meaningless if constant rework is necessary to make corrections on the original work. An experienced facilities manager knows better than to look for the maintenance contractor who offers the most affordable rates. More often than not, those affordable rates are a reflection of the quality of work exchanged.
Instead, a wise manager looks for facility maintenance contractors who charge a fair work rate and can get the job done on time, without having to rework and make repairs. Rework and repairs drive up the original price significantly. If all three of these elements are included in the relationship between a facility manager and a maintenance contractor, it is ideal for both parties.
ABS Facility Maintenance is proud to provide excellent and reliable facilities maintenance services to businesses and property owners nationwide. Contact us now to find out about our services and learn how we can help you meet your business goals