Figures just released by BSRIA indicate that many M&E maintenance contractors are disappointing their customers, rather than delighting them. These results come from the latest BSRIA M&E Maintenance Contractor Customer Satisfaction survey, which looks at a range of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The KPIs with particularly low satisfaction scores were communication and innovation, though other key areas such as Planned Preventative Maintenance, site management and relationships also failed to impress.
I would hazard a guess that the companies performing least well in these areas are those that are also failing to take advantage of the technologies that would improve their customer service.
For example, effective PPM delivery necessitates managing resources efficiently – sending operatives with the right skills and qualifications, as well as the required spares, and getting them there on time. Packages such as Causeway’s Vixen software, combined with Telematics vehicle tracking and dynamic scheduling software introduce major efficiency improvements in this area.
In parallel, links to Vision reporting software and Vision alerts will both streamline reporting to customers and flag up areas that are not performing adequately, while deploying mobile technologies also does a lot to improve communications.
On the innovation front, features such as online call logging, with the ability to select time-slots for visits, is a great improvement in customer service. The same is true of the asset management side, where new technologies enable maintenance contractors to take greater responsibility for the customer’s assets – adding value to the contract.
Similarly, with sustainability being such an important driver for most organisations, the ability to offer cost-effective, auditable sustainability management services is a great feather in the cap for maintenance contractors. And Causeway’s Sustainability iQ makes it easy.
With so many more M&E contractors trying to grow their maintenance activities to compensate for fewer installation jobs, this sector is getting increasingly competitive. As BSRIA notes, M&E maintenance contractors have another challenging year ahead. Harnessing the right technologies is clearly the way to get ahead of the competition and build a portfolio of delighted customers.
