Keep it simple FMs are told at MEFMA Conference

Michael Pitt, Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL.

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There's a direct correlation between weak servive delivery and dissatisfied customers, explained Michael Pitt from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL, at MEFMA’s 2012 Conference.

In a presentation on the FM supply chain, Pitt raised the point of pleasing the customer by offering a simplified service, on which the FM team could guarantee a high level of service delivery.

"It comes down to the value chain. It’s either a complex or simple solution. It is much harder to deliver a complex solution; a high level one than it is to deliver a simple one. The main reason is that the high level ones are [more fragile] in the value chain," explained Pitt.

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"We can talk of a two dimensional service quality; technical solution and the functional solution. In a hotel, how do you determine the star rating? This is based on service. They all offer the technical solution, what differentiates is the functional solution."

Pitt used the example of a hotel-service operator and compared a lower-end hotel service which operated a wholly computerised booking and check in service, compared with a high end, where a staff member greeted the customer at every step through his/her stay.

"When it comes to service - high service quality - we talk about people and interactions and that is one of the key areas where we can differentiate in FM. It’s not just the service delivered, it’s how it is delivered,"said Pitt.

"[But] every customer encounter is an opportunity for you to delight the customer or upset them. If you maintain a lift and do it at a level that everybody is happy, but it is hard for your staff to work with the lift maintenance people, the delight encounter isn’t there. So it’s important you understand the solution that lies behind is as important as the solution in the front. Your customer encounters can destroy or enhance your value chain."