How do facility service approaches introduce operational risk?

When you consider janitorial, landscaping, supplies, electrical, plumbing and other facility services, companies have various options. These include insourcing employees, using a variety of local suppliers, and contracting with a national FM provider. The problem is that none of these solutions are perfect. 

Insourcing your employees may seem like a good model to reduce costs and improve oversight of the work. The problem is managing these employees and accounting for turnover costs much more than the hourly pay rates. In addition, your employees and managers may not have the resources for ongoing training and development of new and current workers. While you can provide oversight, the technology tools to measure performance are not typically available, and managing the function takes focus away from the core business. 

Another solution is to use a variety of specialized suppliers. With independent suppliers, companies can evaluate a variety of small businesses and make individual selections based on value, cost and expertise. The problem is that managing a variety of suppliers for a variety of locations is a daunting task. There is no way to create standards and ensure consistency across your locations, and your FM spends most of their time managing these relationship and vendor performance issues. 

Lastly, you can work with an FM company. While these companies manage suppliers on your behalf, they still use direct hourly employees and contractors to do the work. This results in a blanket approach to your operation where they follow standard processes across your locations. You may have specialized needs at each location that require an individualized approach. Often, these hourly workers cannot provide the detailed service you need to remove risks associated with regulatory audits, safety protocols and operational disruptions.

How is OpenWorks FM different?

OpenWorks knows that janitorial and commercial cleaning can be a thankless job that is often overlooked (until it is missed). Unskilled cleaners in charge of million-dollar facilities need the skills to service them. In addition, they must have the commitment and understanding to work as a partner alongside companies requiring incomparable and high-quality service. 

The commercial cleaning industry historically has a 200 percent turnover rate. Paying minimum wage for what appears to be menial labor is not a tenable or sustainable system. Instead of hourly direct employees, the OpenWorks model uses specialized commercial cleaning franchises that understand the needs of your locations while your OpenWorks team ensures consistency and efficiency across all your locations. 

OpenWorks franchisees undergo hours of continuous training that includes safety and regulatory protocols, chemical cleaning product use, and business acumen. This keeps OpenWorks franchises—and service providers—up to date on the latest regulatory changes, methods, industry needs and products in cleaning. 

This unique model combines the best ideals of partnering with local service experts while OpenWorks provides oversight and governance to ensure quality and impart the training, finances, and systems to scale. Therefore, you receive one point-of-contact for various facility services needs with technology solutions that provide visibility to work tickets, service performance, and one consolidated statement. This reduces risks to your operation that are inherent with other facility management options. 

How does OpenWorks lead FM into the future?

OpenWorks prides itself on being a disruptor and innovator in the FM industry. Part of this vision is to help customers leverage data to improve operational processes and make informed decisions. Through our network of service providers, we capture data that offers a 360-degree picture of facility performance. 

Today, the OpenWorks portal gives clients and service providers an in-depth view of what the job requires, how it was completed, and when it was completed. A service ticket, therefore, becomes a data stream and an opportunity for FM improvement. Each site has specific needs and requirements, whether a healthcare clinic, cold storage facility or educational institution. OpenWorks understands these needs and can use data to ensure those needs are met while uncovering hidden risk. 

Using one centralized system, customers receive visibility across their locations and in the future, will receive actionable information to help improve efficiency and facility health. We view this future as more than a facility services supplier, OpenWorks becomes a strategic partner to help you reduce costs, minimize disruptions, and improve the bottom line.