Since the 1960s, Australia has experienced a healthy urbanisation rate, leading to the creation of various industries and businesses. However, while businesses expand, their ability to manage these complex systems will inevitably lag behind and spiral out of control. This problem prompted an increased demand for building and facility management services. Where by Connect Facilities understand this problem like no other.
This fuelled us to create a guide to explain to you how facility management companies help keep your business running as seamlessly as possible while also preventing any unwanted downtimes through sound management.
What are facility/building management services?
Facilities management refers to the process of outsourcing the task of managing a business’s physical assets. Services can include managing the business’s systems, buildings, infrastructure and equipment.
Facilities management services involve planning, maintenance, asset tracking, and optimisation of daily operations to keep the business running as safe, efficient, and reliable as much as possible.
What’s the incentive of hiring someone to manage your facility or building?
As businesses keep getting more and more competitive by adding extra features that give them an edge over their competitors, it also puts a strain on their daily operations because they require a lot of oversight.
A facilities and building manger’s role encompasses outsourcing tasks such as cleaning, pest control, and security services to a companies that specialise in these field, we call this Procurement. This drives businesses to hire facility management services so they can focus their attention towards their core business operations.
Another major incentive is that outsourcing can be quite cheaper compared to keeping it in-house.
Granted, this incentive is largely influenced by several factors such as the cost of hiring experts, implementing specialist tools, and facility size, but the cost of investing in these resources might be more expensive in the long run.
Here are three reasons why hiring facilities management services continue to be a top priority for growing businesses:
1. Smoother day-to-day operations
Businesses, especially in the medical and retail space, have employees onsite working 40 hours a week and maybe even more during peak seasons. With this in mind, it’s important to keep your facilities as tidy and optimised as possible by keeping your employees’ needs and expectations met.
For example, your HVAC suddenly breaks down in the middle of the day, forcing your employees to uncomfortably work under the heat– disrupting normal business operations.
With a facility manager overseeing your space, you avoid these untimely issues because they coordinate with your contractors and schedule maintenance ahead of time.
This preparedness ensures everything is in good working order to keep your in-house staff running like a well-oiled machine.
At the forefront of facility management companies in Melbourne, we employ a similar service through our concierge team. Our 24-hour concierge service keeps our clients’ commercial properties’ front-of-house operations open for business whether customers come in day or night.
2. Better Security
Businesses, especially industrial facilities like factories and warehouses hire facility management companies because they can keep a closer eye on issues like employee safety, potential safety hazards, protect against theft of goods, and any legal liabilities.
Your facility manager will prevent workplace injuries by ensuring everything is safe from flooring, equipment, and lighting. This in turn protects your business from incurring legal fines and damages that can potentially disrupt business operations.
To give you a general rundown of what security tasks facility management companies do, here’s a list of the following services we offer as an example:
- Managers monitor movement in every entrance and exit of the property through surveillance systems and respond to suspicious/malicious activity when present
- Coordinate with security contractors to conduct daily patrols and draft daily checklists for risk-prone areas.
- Ensure main entrances, alternate entrances, exits, emergency exits, and stairways are free from any obstructions at all times.
With the right company, you can keep track of who and what enters the building preventing unwanted visitors and theft of goods. This ensures your employees and tenants are granted some much-needed peace of mind.
3. Better Maintenance
According to Entrepreneur, as businesses grow, we notice that they tend to neglect their maintenance tasks in favour of expansion.
While growth comes with sacrifice, every part of your property– from the floorboards to its electrical wiring– is a vital component you need to keep in good shape to keep your business running smoothly.
A good facility management company can help make the task of running your building easier without all the headaches and hassles included.
The company will send over a manager who can keep their fingers on the pulse of all the most important aspects of your property. Their duties include but are not limited to keeping your property functional, clean, and efficient through regular maintenance and strict supervision.
Facility managers do this by handling the enforcement of contractor responsibilities, coordinating with them to schedule maintenance activities and ensuring that everything they do is on par with company regulations and standards.
This guarantees that your facilities are optimised as much as possible which can prevent high repair costs and minimise business downtime.
Run a hassle-free business with Connect Facilities
While it’s tempting to keep your management solutions in-house, outsourcing your to a facilities management with a stellar track record like Connect Facilities will provide you with lower overhead costs, a happier staff, and an optimised workplace– benefiting your business in the long run.
Get in touch with us and experience unparalleled end-to-end facilities and building management services available in Melbourne today.