Outsourcing
Five Success Factors for Choosing the Right FM Partner

By Brad Peterson
Facilities Management Program Director, FM Solutions Group, Avatech Solutions Inc.

Facilities management solutions enable organizations to make informed business decisions that optimize ROI, lower asset life cycle costs and increase enterprise-wide productivity and profitability. Choosing a capable and flexible FM solutions provider who truly understands your unique needs will pay dividends throughout the implementation and beyond.

So what’s the secret in selecting the perfect FM solution provider?

Avatech Solutions recently asked a number of national organizations to better understand what they considered as the most important qualities and capabilities of a FM solution provider. The organizations polled were from a cross section of industries and the individual employees who answered the questions held a wide assortment of positions. Despite these differences, the answers were surprisingly similar.

The findings showed that regardless of the type of organization or industry, there are five critical success factors when choosing a partner to design, implement and deploy a FM solution.

Success Factor #1: Single-source capability
A well-designed and quickly implemented FM solution saves both time and budget. Choosing one provider that can deliver all the different elements of a FM solution is not only convenient, but the most effective method to streamline the entire process. Working with one company that assumes responsibility for the entire project from implementation to support maximizes efficiencies throughout the project.

According to the companies polled, single-source capability is an essential factor when choosing a FM solution provider. “We like dealing with one company that handles the support, software, and paperwork and have it all centralized,” said one FM professional.

In larger projects, the benefits of working with a single company are magnified. For example, an affiliation of hospitals may not only have numerous geographic locations, but also different management and infrastructures at each site. This type of project may also require specialists in every piece of the solution such as software development, technical support, training and consulting.

A single-source FM partner can nurture each of these relationships with a wide variety of vendors, allowing them to match the offerings to each of the unique needs at each hospital site.

Equally important to meeting these specific needs is maintaining consistency across the project. A provider with nationwide reach ensures cross-country coverage, but local customer service with the all the support of national resources.

Working with one main vendor also helps keep focus on project priorities. It increases the flow of information so that best practices easily can be deployed and newly gained insights quickly shared between sites. One service provider also guarantees that knowledge is transferred from the design team to the implementation team to the training and support team.

Success Factor #2: Industry specific knowledge and experience
FM providers that can draw upon industry expertise from proven real-world experience can offer unmatched strategic and tactical advice. This “insider knowledge” quickly can steer a project in the right direction—minimizing implementation time and maximizing ROI.

“I expect the organization to know the software,” said one FM. “Knowing how it applies to my industry is important. Knowing how it applies in my office would be ideal.” Experience in your world can make the difference between a solution that meets the project’s minimum requirements and a solution that provides a company with a true competitive advantage.

The benefits of FM in a manufacturing scenario are many and include shorter production times, reduced production bottlenecks and greatly increased profits. However, a solid understanding of the industry and specific company issues are necessary to provide the best solution to these complicated implementations. For example, details regarding ventilation systems, energy installations, work areas and offices and hallways must be accurate in order to review fire escapes and ensure compliance of safety codes.

‘Facilities management, or a lack of it, can make the difference between turning a profit and breaking the bank.’

Furthermore, the solution must be implemented so that it doesn’t impact the production schedule and pull employees away from core duties for training sessions. Facilities management, or a lack of it, can make the difference between turning a profit and breaking the bank.

Working with a partner who understands exactly what the facilities management solution must accomplish for your particular company and has the industry experience that provides foresight into how the process will unfold is critical to achieving your desired result.

Success Factor #3: Process orientation
In a successful FM solution, understanding the process is as important as supplying effective technological tools. Selecting a partner that possesses experience in your industry and capabilities related to process orientation is a winning combination. “Don’t sell me new software: I have plenty of that,” said one interviewed subject. “Show me the answer to a problem in our process.”

Your FM solution partner should want to become intimately involved with the inner workings of your company. The insight gleaned will help achieve design and information efficiencies within your unique workflow process. Don’t settle for a generic FM solution. Your company will benefit the most from a customized implementation designed specifically to overcome your company’s challenges and meet your goals.

For example, a facilities management solution provider working with a university might send a team onsite to assess workflows and gain first-hand knowledge of current processes. Consultants may shadow the university staff, watching them in action. They may ask relevant questions about how their jobs fit into the overall scheme, discover where their daily duties may be streamlined and listen to their concerns.

The environment, culture, chain of command, current pains and people within your organization are the key to providing the answers to achieving your organization’s goals. Your prospective partner shouldn’t just see your world, they must live it.

Success Factor #4: Flexibility, compatibility, responsiveness
A good FM solution provider will track changes and become aware of hidden needs within your organization. Armed with this knowledge, they should be able to foresee and respond to future issues, providing solutions with minimal disruption to current processes.

Flexibility and responsiveness extends beyond just technical support. One respondent said, “I need it all… centralized purchasing, a trainer in each of our offices around the country, a company that can do the training and installation. And I don’t want to make a lot of phone calls.” She wanted a single provider who was flexible enough to respond to her organization’s every FM need.

‘I expect the organization to know the software. Knowing how it applies to my industry is important. Knowing how it applies in my office would be ideal.’

This flexibility has its roots in some of the other points we’ve discussed. If the provider’s technical support staff includes professionals with experience in related fields, you can be assured of service from staff that understands your organization with an insider’s perspective. A provider with multiple national locations can also provide fast local service and support with minimal complications.

For example, if a vital team member suddenly leaves a company their knowledge may not be lost. If your FM provider understands where each employee fits into the picture, they can ensure that downtime in productivity is minimized. On the first day of the new hire’s arrival they can teach the new employee exactly what they need to ensure that they are capable of performing the same tasks.

Success Factor #5: An organization-unifying standard approach
A good FM solution will not only bring efficiency to your workflow and processes, but also coherence to your organization through a standard approach.

Over time, most organizations with multiple sites become disjointed when it comes to operating systems and upgrading software. Some employees may be using obsolete programs, while others may be benefiting from the latest technology. Employee training is often sporadic and usually done by someone who had learned the system from a coworker rather than a trained professional. This type of environment ensures that there is no coherence with employee skill sets or capabilities.

A FM partner should be able to standardize methodologies, processes and technologies. This way employees work is compatible across the organization, and they are all using the most powerful tools available.

The survey findings also highlighted the value of standard approaches to organization-wide processes. “We’re beginning to realize the value of ‘capability compatibility’ within the company,” said one interviewee. “In other words, we want everyone up to the same high level of competence in software utilization.”

Implementation strategies that incorporate the sum of all your organization’s parts have multiple benefits. Purchasing departments can pool their supply-ordering resources and save with bulk orders while streamlining operations and alleviating redundancy.

The five pieces of the puzzle

A well-managed facility is the cornerstone of efficient, productive, profitable companies.
Ensuring that the FM solution provider you’re considering meets your expectations is the key to achieving your FM goals. Ask the right questions, listen to the answers and learn from your peers’ experience to determine which supplier can serve you best.

Can your potential partner show you examples of similar implementations? Do they understand your industry beyond what they’ve read in trade publications? Ask in detail about their experience because selecting the right partner can directly impact your company’s future.

The five key success factors highlighted are an excellent starting point for any organization engaging a FM solution provider. However, your unique situation will always require other factors to be considered. Choosing a compatible, capable partner who truly understands your organization’s unique needs and can provide a flexible, responsive approach is crucial to creating a winning FM solution.

Managing Avatech’s Facilities and Asset Management Group, Brad Peterson focuses on maintaining the company’s status as a leader in design and engineering technology. With 16 offices across the country, Brad’s national team works with clients in different industries including healthcare, banking, education and government. For more information, visit www.avatechsolutions.com