With Change Comes More Challenges for Facility Leaders

It’s no secret that the field of facility management has been undergoing significant changes over the past couple of years. The integration of various technologies for more informed facility and asset control as well as the shift from in-house facility management to outsourced models for cost savings are just two examples.

But as we recently explored, one of the most important elements that underscores any trend or change is the importance of having a strong national facility management foundation. This is particularly critical in today’s world as organizations across many industries are experiencing surges in growth, requiring them to open more locations to support demand. Companies in other industries have also experienced changes that meant rethinking where and how they operate; in some instances, companies have either downsized or shifted service areas to better serve markets that align with their core offerings.

Regardless of the situation, having national facility management coverage to support growing or changing locations is essential — not only to proactively protect the many assets that keep those locations running but also to make the most effective use of organizational resources as possible.

Overcoming the Barrier to Effective Coverage

The problem that many organizations and facility managers run into is how that national facility management coverage is achieved — particularly with organizations that are looking to grow their footprint or move into new markets. There are three typical approaches companies take:

  1. In-house facility management — a single person or team managing every aspect of facility management using in-house personnel
  2. Outsourced facility management with decentralized vendor management — in-house or outsourced oversight of self-performing local vendors for each location
  3. Outsourced facility management with centralized vendor management — multiple vendors managed by a single facility management partner, i.e. an aggregator

The Problem with In-House Facility Management

If you’re a facility manager working at an organization that’s growing or actively changing its footprint, your plate has likely never been fuller. You have to identify talent to execute facility asset management and maintenance work at your locations. Whenever you need to bring an outside partner in, you or your team have to manage that process for every location in your footprint. The administrative burdens of this approach are immense — as are the costs. Not only must you manage a FM team, but you also have to spend a significant amount of time identifying, vetting, and coordinating with vendors from multiple disciplines. These hassles never lessen, either — you’ll always have maintenance demands for existing locations, and those demands will grow as the organization grows.

The Problem with Outsourced, Decentralized Facility Management

The challenges of an outsourced approach to national facility management are closely related to those of organizations managing the process in-house with the exception that the internal team overseeing everything is much smaller — if there is one at all. It may even be a single facility management leader coordinating work with different vendors on a daily basis. Vendor identification, vetting, communication, project coordination, reviews, and other tasks that must be completed all fall on a smaller set of shoulders. The complexity and hassle of this are overwhelming and will only continue to grow in complexity.

Why Outsourced, Centralized National Facility Management is Ideal

Working with a third party with national coverage for your facility asset management needs streamlines this heavy workload, simplifies management and oversight, makes the work more consistent and accurate, and ensures a more proactive approach that saves on costs. As an aggregator, CLS Facility Services manages a national network of proven vendors so you don’t have to — all while overseeing program execution at all of your locations. Key advantages of working with CLS for national facility management include:

Make Your Work and Life Easier with CLS

Whether you’re undergoing significant growth or are navigating change as a result of the past two years, your organization has a distinct opportunity to streamline national facility management. Get a stronger picture of your overall asset footprint and transition from a reactive approach to a proactive one — all while ensuring your locations have the coverage needed to deliver the best possible experiences for your customers.

Ready to experience the CLS difference? Schedule a meeting or connect with us here.

Are you a vendor looking to work with a nationwide FM partner? Get started here.