Facility management companies provide a wide range of responsibilities, from strategic planning and maintenance to managing third-party vendors and supporting staff. Despite the large number of jobs required to keep a building running, the value of a facilities management service is frequently neglected.
That frequently occurs simply because of one of these two things:
- Building owners prefer to manage their properties on their own
- They’re unaware of the benefits that a skilled facilities manager can provide
That is a huge problem. In this article, we hope to make you see why your building needs a facility management company and start by explaining the role of a facility manager.
What Is the Role of a Facilities Manager?
The typical responsibilities of a facilities manager differ from one organization to the other. Facilities managers are in charge of the upkeep and repair of an organization’s buildings, ensuring that they agree with the legal requirements and health and safety regulations.
Facility managers (FMs) work in a variety of corporate activities, both strategically and operationally. Facility management experts are responsible for providing, maintaining, and developing a variety of services, including:
- Property planning
- Management of the physical environment
- Infrastructure for communication
- Building upkeep
- Inspections and testing
- Administration of the building
- Contract administration
- EHS (Environmental Health and Safety)
- Safety
- Planning for facility Maintenance
- Organizing and supervising restorations and refurbishments
After all, the main goal is to keep a facility in the best condition possible to generate the desired revenue consistently, so one of the primary responsibilities of a facilities management company is to ensure that building owners or tenants are happy and getting the most out of their environment.
Effective workspace management, such as designing workplace layouts, keeping shared spaces clean, and providing the proper furniture or equipment, can contribute to this goal. Workspace management is crucial that well-managed office spaces are a driving force that helps staff perform better at work.
A facility manager oversees all aspects of a building’s operations and is responsible for a wide range of tasks.
Hard and soft services are the two types of services available. To help determine the functions expected of a facilities manager, it’s essential to understand the difference between hard and soft facilities management activities and which procedures fit each category.
What Are “Hard FM Tasks”?
Hard FM duties are those that deal with the physical space of a building, such as:
- Property planning, design, and strategy
- Building management both on and off-site
- Using a proactive, reactive, or preventative maintenance strategy
- Contract administration
- Management of the physical environment
- Inspections of lighting, plumbing, and electrical systems
- Ensure that all fire safety systems are operational.
What Are Soft FM Tasks and How Do They Work?
Soft FM duties are those that involve the administration of services that a company relies on to maintain a safe working environment, such as:
- Cleanliness
- Safety
- Services for waste management
- Management of the maintenance budget
- Maintenance of the work environment
- Facilities for cleaning and washing
- Catering and related services
Why Does Your Building Need a Facility Management Company?
Most firms would often struggle to increase the efficiency of their properties without the help of a facilities manager. They try to manage their day-to-day operations, keep their buildings in good repair, and retain productive personnel.
Such a burden is unnecessary when a facility management company can oversee various services on a strategic level, including synchronizing facility service demand and delivery. In addition, they will be in charge of matters relating to your property, such as hosting on-site visitors and monitoring occupants’ health and safety.
Also, issues and emergencies on the premises might have severe consequences if the wrong individual is in charge. This will influence the organization as a whole and the people who work there, the assets they hold, and the safety of third-party visitors.
How To Locate a Facilities Management Company Capable Of Handling Your Building
As stated above, facility managers are in charge of a company’s property and buildings. As such, they must demonstrate a blend of experience, talent, knowledge, and proactiveness to perform well.
When looking for someone to manage a building’s day-to-day operations, keep in mind that the ideal facilities manager should possess the following qualities:
Focused on the Long Term
When it comes to planning and management activities, a smart facilities manager should take a strategic approach. Facilities managers add value to a company’s bottom line through the contracts they negotiate and the KPI(Key performance indicator) they establish. While also improving the company’s culture, reputation, and employee engagement.
They Must Be Business and People Focused
Staff require a suitable working environment to be productive. Someone has to fix the building if there is an issue. As a result, a facilities management company must have excellent communication skills. To produce results, they must first comprehend the problems that occur and consider them in their decision-making.
Problem-solver in Facilities Management
A facilities manager’s mentality should be focused on continuous improvement. Knowledge of the most recent trends is also essential.
That can be accomplished by developing novel approaches and re-evaluating existing agreements or contracts to uncover more cost-effective alternatives.
They should also feel at ease establishing new procedures or enhancing systems with technology.
Analytical-Thinking
A facilities manager will work with a lot of data throughout their career, including financial planning, legal and regulatory challenges, contract conditions, and building plans. They must understand how to manage this data and how to apply it to improve operations and safeguard and secure sensitive third-party information.
Integrates Technological Tools for More Efficient Processes
Computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) software is critical for increasing efficiency in a building facility.
CAFM software allows a facilities management company to store and manage data in one centralized system to aid them and their teams.
Users can plan strategically and manage resources in the most cost-effective way by using solutions like CAFM software. Also, a company that uses one or offers such services is in sync with the times.
Also, CAFM tools facilitate numerous maintenance strategies, whether proactive, preventative, or reactive. With proactive maintenance reducing maintenance costs by up to 70%, it’s worth thinking about how software could boost overall ROI.
Improves Workplace Productivity
A good facility management company should be able to analyze how they can effectively use the building’s resources by storing and retrieving real-time data. This streamlines the relocation process and minimizes any potential workplace disruption. It also allows them to delegate responsibilities to teams or third-party vendors more effectively.
Cuts Cost in Building Maintenance
A facilities management company, especially one using a CAFM tool, can provide top-notch asset management to lower costs.
Additionally, good maintenance planning is necessary to extend asset life cycles. Examining and planning space management can also help you save money on your operations.
Conclusion
Facility management companies, directly and indirectly, support your staff and business; they maintain and improve facilities, cut costs, and do much more.
When you combine all the solid points stated above, you obtain a picture of what facilities managers do. In general, their goal is to improve the workplace to assist every area of the organization. But, on a deeper level, it’s about laying a solid basis for the company’s future success.
Looking for a facility management company that can help you save time, cost, and extend the life of your building? Click here to contact us today.