UG2 Partners with Customer in Complex Transition
Challenge:
A global property management firm came to UG2 with a unique request. They were ramping up to buy one of LA’s largest buildings and knew they needed to replace the existing facility services manager. The sale timeline was a moving target, but the potential new customer wanted to give a 24-hour termination notice immediately upon closing. UG2 needed to be waiting in the wings, ready to be on site with virtually no notice and begin delivering facility operations & maintenance and janitorial services within a day.
This would be a complex and weighty undertaking with major implications, but the firm knew UG2’s unmatched reputation, and our Northern leadership team in California had full confidence in our people.
Solution:
Our goal was to ensure a smooth transition while shouldering as much of the work as possible, freeing up the customer to focus on other aspects of the transition. We developed a detailed action plan that prioritized:
Conducting thorough exploration and analysis. To quickly understand as much as possible about our new customer and their facility and identify every issue of importance, we spent several weeks gathering intel. We drilled down into everything from property sale updates, potential stumbling blocks, and facility blueprints, to existing equipment and setups, UG2’s evolving potential scope of work, related staffing needs, roles, and challenges.
Ensuring constant communication and alignment. Operating from a shared understanding of objectives, roles and responsibilities is integral to any successful partnership. When effecting major changes on a tight timeline, there’s no room for misinterpreting a request or overlooking any task. To ensure success, this partnership demanded constant contact, and we spoke directly many times a day, in person, when necessary, to avoid missteps. UG2’s internal team communication and alignment were just as critical. Our account leadership maintained regular contact with UG2’s critical corporate teams from HR and payroll to IT. This enabled us to ensure everyone was on the same page and everything would be ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Adhering to an organic and evolving master plan. UG2’s on-boarding experts follow a proven methodology that is adaptable to a wide range of customers, industries, facilities and situations. For this complex undertaking, we developed a master transition plan and shared it among all team members. This living document mapped out and prioritized all necessary tasks, identified who was responsible, and laid out timelines and processes to confirm completion or revisit as needed.
Harness resources and relationships. Long before the sale went through, UG2 had every critical resource at the ready, from staff and supplies to mobile maintenance teams and emergency services. Our HR and IT teams procured employee onboarding equipment like laptops, phones, and emails. All related paperwork was in UG2’s system, fully executed. We leveraged a strong partnership with a janitorial supplier, who stocked a truck with thousands of dollars’ worth of vacuums, scrubbers, mops, buckets, and more, a week ahead of the expected property sale close date, with the caveat that we might need to cancel at the last minute. Our deep experience and long-established relationships made all of this possible.
Result:
When UG2’s leadership received the call on a Wednesday afternoon that the property sale had closed, they signed the paperwork at the customer’s site within the hour and activated our transition plan. Our facility engineering and janitorial teams were on-site early the next morning, running on all cylinders.
UG2’s comprehensive preparation, agility, and constant communications paid major dividends. Our property management customer was able to ensure an excellent tenant experience, with no surprises and no service disruptions. And UG2 proved, once again, that even complex, lightning-fast transitions can go smoothly and pave the way for superior facility services from an elite team—one who will be in it for the long haul.