A recent webinar hosted by Service Works and the Facilities Show revealed valuable insights into how FM performance is measured across the industry. The statistics address topics including the usage of SLAs and KPIs, input and output specifications, and the usage of technology to manage performance.

October 2014

FMs could do better when it comes to performance management reveals webinar

A webinar exploring whether facilities managers are using performance management to maximum effect has revealed that the approach is only just beginning to be recognised as a valuable part of the strategic FM function. Just 38 per cent of the more than 300 delegates who signed up for the webinar, hosted by Service Works Group, in collaboration with the with the industry’s leading event, the Facilities Show, believes that their organisation’s approach to performance management in FM enables them to improve their supplier performance significantly. Notably 18 per cent do not measure performance at all, and 8 per cent even feel that it has had a negative effect on performance and that results have been contested by suppliers. However, the benefits of well-executed performance management could be on the horizon as 37 per cent of webinar attendees reported that they are currently in the early stages of implementing performance management strategies and are awaiting the results.

Organisations are also changing the way they define their FM service expectation, with the trend for the output defined specification, rather than input specification. Nine per cent of delegates polled during the webinar use only input specs while 30 per cent use output specifications. There are advantages and disadvantages with both methods, indicated by the fact that 61 per cent use a combination of the two.

There is a general lack of understanding and agreement surrounding the standard measures for FM industry performance. Thirty per cent of attendees believe that service level agreement (SLA) and key performance indicator (KPI) acronyms are confusing, 14 per cent consider that SLAs are too loosely defined, and 24 per cent think that organisations’ are hampered by too many KPIs. Only 31 per cent agree that the measurements are being broadly used as intended.

The new concept for using gain-share contracts to split the proceeds of successful business, incentivising FM suppliers to drive change on outsourced services and rewarding them based on the level of saving received by the client, has seen a reasonable industry take-up with 29 per cent using gain-share contracts or similar and another 11 per cent considering using them in the future.

In relation to technology in the FM environment, the growing trend for self- service was evident as confirmed by 33% of webinar attendees, although with 53 per cent still using manual methods to manage contractor and in-house performance and only 8% using a mobile app for that purpose.

The audience polls were part of the 45-minute-long webinar hosted last week by Service Works and chaired by Cathy Hayward, deputy chair of the BIFM London region. It featured a panel of experts from the facilities management profession; Debra Ward, managing director for Macro, Tristam Slater, contracts and performance Manager King’s College London, respected international FM and organisational strategist Dave Wilson, and Mark Kirkham, director of Service Works Group.

To listen to a recorded version of the webinar, click here.

About Service Works:

Service Works Group (SWG) is an international expert solutions provider of comprehensive Facilities, Property and Workplace Management software. The company is committed to improving the performance of its clients’ real estate portfolios and facilities, through the provision of quality products and services, combined with a partnership approach, to deliver complete and customised technology solutions.  Many of the world’s leading corporate, government and service provider organisations rely upon Service Works’ software to optimise control of assets and resources, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

Service Works is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

For more information: contact Annie Gales, Marketing Director at Service Works Group on +44 (0)20 8877 4080 or email anniegales@swg.com or please email Jackie Bennett Shaw at Magenta Associates on jackie.bennett-shaw@magentaassociates.co.uk or call +44(0)7711 595 485.

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