Getting the Most from Your Facility Services Budget
As business leaders across industries plot out their financial plans for FY24, they run the risk of spending more—by cutting back.
Facility services is an area where preventative maintenance is, hands down, worth investing in from the outset. Contracting with a trusted partner instead of overloading your staff or risking the need for emergency intervention can protect your budget from major blows. And taking a long view of your facility’s health means also planning for capital improvements.
With the pressure on for keeping costs low amid ongoing economic uncertainty, we tapped our in-house experts to get their best advice on making the most of your facility services budget.
Engage a trusted partner. Identifying an expert in the field with a strong record of success is essential to protecting your facility in the short and long term. At UG2, our senior leadership remains involved and engaged, our teams are trained for your specific space, and our process, technology and equipment are the best in the business.
Leverage the onboarding process. Whether you’re transitioning to a new service provider or renewing contracts with an established partner, you and your facility services provider should make time for a review period where you discuss goals and plans, identify training needs, outline priorities and challenges.
Communicate openly about budget concerns and constraints. A true partner will prioritize communication with you—and will help you strategize when it comes to stretching your budget. A key component of UG2’s near-perfect customer retention rate is the fact that we work so closely with our customers, emphasizing transparency and clear communication.
Don’t skimp on preventative maintenance or enhanced cleaning. Unanticipated repairs are not only costly, but they can lead to periods of downtime that can impact productivity, dampen morale, and wreak havoc on your schedule for days, weeks or months. This is even more of a concern with today’s supply-chain-related delays. To keep everyone safe and healthy, periodic specialty cleaning services should be incorporated into your standard cleaning protocols.
Increase your ROI. Working with a single, established partner for multiple services often allows you to make your budget go further. Streamlined operations can bring cost savings through labor efficiencies and a stronger self-performance model can avoid waste and duplication of services.
Inquire about problem solving. What kind of emergency response does your facility services provider promise? Extreme weather events can be disruptive but not if you work with experienced janitorial and landscaping teams who partner with you to make the necessary preparations. UG2’s mobile maintenance team technicians are available 24/7 and backed by extensive training; trade licenses in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC; and certifications in areas like Universal EPA, Building Automation, and Infrared Scanning.
Keep safety top of mind. A strong budget prioritizes safety at every level, from routinely walking the property to identifying hazards to replacing valves and filters on a regular schedule. UG2 incorporates safety planning in all we do, cultivating a culture of safety that reminds every member of our team of their responsibilities to the customer and to each other.
Do you have questions about making the most of your facility services budget? We’re always happy to walk you through strategies tailored specifically to your needs.