Business profile
diverse from the smaller stations that represent little more than a space to board a train, to those such as Waterloo with a daily footfall of some 260,000 people. And while maintaining a station that sees just one train a day may extend to little more than a twice-weekly bin collection, that doesn’t mean it is without demands. Ensuring that the mobile teams are deployed as efficiently as possible is essential to ensure value from these environments.
By contrast, a busy cleaning contract such as East Coast Main Line network which had almost 19 million passengers in 2011, presents a very different sort of challenge if the high expectations of today’s rail user are to be met.
By being on the ground across the full scope of the operation, FM providers are best-placed to identify any inefficiencies and areas for improvement through effective asset management.
This can range from making sure lights are switched off and repairs addressed to a broader overview such as identifying the less commercially viable stations. In this way the FM provider has a growing role to play in steering the direction of a business through strategic advice and in- depth knowledge. ISS Facility Services transport sector director Mark Holmes explained: ‘There is a move away from contractors just delivering the contract in an operational capacity to providing a more strategic role. This is happening a lot in the FM industry, examples with ISS include its relationship with Barclays and Hewlett Packard.
‘Hopefully the rail sector will follow. Operators need to embrace FM and be aware that we can make up part of a client’s management team rather than just delivering contracted services on a daily basis.’
Embedded in client’s culture For the transport division’s managing director Brian Raven, being fully immersed in the client’s culture, objectives and values is critical to success. Raven cites a thorough approach to training as crucial to achieving this synergy, which is especially important for public-facing staff who in the course
of their daily role are well-placed to reinforce the operator’s brand and reputation.
A rolling training programme including customer care, cleaning skills and first aid occurs across the contracts, and where appropriate, basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and English as a second language and equality and diversity training can also take place. It is a focus which pays off. The retention of the East Coast Main Line contract comes in the wake of an approach that involves embracing the rail operator’s philosophy, vision and customer values. A training centre of excellence and bespoke customer care training programme to foster closer collaboration have been implemented along with a joint steering board that sets common objectives.
‘It is about working in partnership with the operator and seeing the service through the eyes of the passengers – quite simply the client’s customers become our customers,’ said Raven. Ensuring front line staff are versatile is equally paramount, for example, alongside their core duties, a cleaning team will be trained and equipped to remove graffiti and repair signage. ‘Traditionally, companies dealt with single service procurement, with different people cleaning or changing posters and travelling separately to the site, all of which pushes up the costs,’ explained Raven. ‘The smarter approach to facilities management is to bundle this together into one person; the offering has evolved as we flex our services to work harder and smarter. It is about getting more value out of people leading to improved control, consistency, safety, availability and punctuality and better value for money - all essential in this industry, which is why we invest heavily in this area.’ And equally important is the recognition of good staff performance and commitment through internal initiatives such as the Apple awards scheme.
This not only rewards employees who have demonstrated exceptional understanding of their customer’s business but motivates on-going good practice.
Technology Working with an operator that can serve up to 15 million people across more than 400 stations a day overseeing 4,800 staff presents a major logistical challenge, so maximising value extends to every sinew of the operation. Following substantial investment, ISS is at the forefront of the industry in its use of technology which assists with this effort. Business intelligence systems identify cost- cutting opportunities and collate data across the full scope of its operations to maximise value, efficiency and ultimately provide a better travelling experience for passengers. From service ‘hit squads’ that can be deployed in 24 hours to grit a station in winter to equipping all workers with hand held PDA’s for instant fault reporting, the aim is to access and share business intelligence as quickly as possible. A central helpdesk, known as a knowledge centre, manages all assets and control operations. Manned by subject experts, this is far removed from the image of an anonymous helpdesk sending automated responses. It is fully accessible and has all the technical know-how to address issues as they arise. More broadly, the wider use of technology and accessible information has resulted in a transparent operating environment for ISS Transport and its clients. Sharing business intelligence such as performance data with customers demonstrates measurability and gives them the information that can inform their own future business decisions. Brian Raven added: ‘It’s about layering the information from different sources so it is best aligned with our customer objectives; this ensures we deliver value such as the smarter allocation of staff to address seasonal peaks and troughs. ‘As with all aspects of facilities management, it’s just about working smarter.’
For more information contact Brian Raven on 0845 057 6500
www.issworld.com
April 2013 Page 199
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