FRONT OF HOUSE
and created a path to solving the issue. Equally, they need to be reassured by appropriate timescales, and know when they are likely to hear back.
IT'S ALL IN THE TRAINING Given the need to be more than just
a friendly answering service, or a smiling face behind a desk, it is imperative to provide front of house staff with the right level of training. That may sound daunting to those who invest little in this side of their business - in the knowledge that staff turnover rates remain high. But, what's stopping them from investing in these employees, and helping them to be the best that they can?
Empowering front line operators to take ownership of a situation can only work in an organisation's interests. It is important not to micro-manage and to get involved in minor issues, but to bring in quality people with charisma - eager to be trained. They should be provided with the relevant level of information about the client, property and portfolio they are working with.
An example would be a tenant calling up to say: "A toilet is blocked on 11th floor". Surely, a good front of house person would know that number of toilets on that floor, and what course of action is determined thereafter. If it's the only facility, then signage needs to be put on the door, and other tenants directed to the nearest ones in the building ASAP. Expectations need to be managed, and demonstration of the fact that the situation has been handled - properly and promptly.
Front of house staff should also be provided with relevant training in relation to the (overall) task in hand. For example, do they need to know about areas such as: environmental awareness, fire safety, risk assessments, asbestos awareness, effective questioning etc.?
DEVELOPING
RELATIONSHIPS Front line operators should be allowed to develop relationships with their customers, in order to help them manage their tasks on a day-to-day level. Assigning operators to specific accounts will help to engender familiarity
www.tomorrowsfm.com
and real understanding of how a company works. This will help the front of house to be 'task solvers', as opposed to 'phone answerers'.
AGREE THE BOUNDARIES It is vital that any front of house
supplier agrees the boundaries from the outset. Maximum spend levels need to be set with the client. For example, if the FM in question can't be contacted - the front of house team should know what their approved spending levels are. For example: can they spend up to £250 before approval needs to be given?
There should also be an internal escalation process in the event of not being able to make contact with the FM - to ensure that the scenario is being managed and not being ground to a halt.
OUTSOURCING FMs core business is not in helpdesk
management, and helpdesks need to be reviewed on an ongoing basis, to ensure smooth management and their effectiveness.
It's a well-known fact that if not managed properly, helpdesks suffer the biggest turnover of staff. People use them as stopgap employment and move on - they need to be shown a career path. Isn't this the ideal opportunity to set them up with real base knowledge, so they can move into a career in FM, or customer services?
IDENTIFYING ISSUES What the FM doesn't want to miss
out on is repeated complaints, and it's down to the front of house to 'nip these in the bud'. For example: John on the 3rd floor keeps reporting the issue of a draft in his demise. Sending people out to make small alterations is papering over the cracks. Surely, it's down to the front of house to look at how this can be managed to prevent repeat queries?
Reporting the issue will flag it, and provide management with the information they need to ensure that tenants are being properly cared for. This is allowing the FM to be proactive in their role, which - at the end of the day - is all they can ask for.
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