Integrated Facility Management 101: What Is Integrated Facility Management & How It Helps Businesses To Grow?

When it comes to the ground-level improvements of buildings and workplaces, most companies would like to streamline internal and vendor-based communication. They search for ways to optimize spaces, manage facilities and their day-to-day operations and improve overall productivity and wellness across the organizations. So, how is it possible to perform so many tasks under one umbrella? With the help of Integrated Facility Management (IFM), appropriately implemented, companies can get the right solution with new cost-efficiencies.

Instead of hiring several small vendors for different facility services, companies are now keen on hiring integrated facility management services to manage and operate everything consolidated under a single umbrella.

What Is Integrated Facility Management?

Integrated Facility Management (IFM) consolidates facility services under a single roof – a single, unified management team. Here, the professionals manage one or more buildings with efficiency and effectiveness to benefit the organizations or occupants within the facility.

In simple words, instead of having multiple systems for doing various tasks under the same facility, IFM is a method of consolidating several office-related services and processes, including contracts, space management, vendor partnerships and real estate planning.

Now, let’s take a deeper dive into the IFM – facility management approach, the difference between IFM and single facility services and the benefits of using IFM.

Following the Integrated Facility Management Approach

If the definition of IFM seems like a deep-rooted consistency, its ripple effects are also huge. Hence, choosing a specific facility management strategy is important to take the necessary steps towards an Integrated Facility Management Approach. This approach can be your saviour to close process gaps and controlling costs.

Choosing the right integrated facility management approach is important as it can broaden the business aspects such as replacing multiple small vendors with one large vendors, delegating tasks to oversee among several qualified expects and so on.

Let’s have a look at some examples of IFM transition:

• First, replace multiple small vendor contracts with the consolidated services offered by a larger vendor.
• Implement various technological advancements to reduce manual works
• Outsource the entire operation to a professional facility management company that has a team of qualified experts
• Consolidate facility management services and delegate them among the key team members to supervise the task as a whole

Here, we should remember that there may be differences in the level of integrated facility management approach and its scope. However, the basic concept remains the same – the key objective is to provide better management, reduce costs and eliminate mistakes and redundancies.

Single vs. Integrated Facility Services

By assigning a single facility service provider to carry out some of your services, you outsource the tasks to an independent entity. For example, this could be a security service provider, housekeeping service provider, catering provider or another single facility service expert.

While single facility services offer diligence and task-specific specialization, they do have several limitations which can be overcome by hiring integrated facility management services.

Advantages of single facility management

• The service provider can perform the task with diligence, offering services that they are best at.
• Since their team consists of task-specific specialized experts, they are expected to provide higher efficiencies and better service quality.

Disadvantages of single facility management

• Using task-specific service providers means you have to work with multiple vendors or service providers.
• Managing a multitude of sub-supplies is a mammoth task that would be a burden for your current employees.
• Working with multiple service providers also means a time-consuming task as it may restrict you from focusing on your core businesses.
• Dealing with different facility providers for multiple tasks comes with increased costs and more risks involved.

Read More: Did covid-19 change the way facility management operates?

Working with Integrated Facility Management Services

• Conversely, outsourcing to an Integrated Facility Service Provider means handing over the entire responsibility of multiple facility services to your outsourced partner.
• The integrated service provider manages administration, training, service deliveries, operation management and provides strategic support using advanced technologies.
• Instead of dealing with multiple partners for various service deliveries, you will deal with one facility management service provider where everything is integrated into one solution.
• Hiring Integrated Facility Management can come with economic benefits and cost-efficiencies. By working with multitasking workers, businesses can benefit from the reduced costs on volume discounts, back-office functions, training volumes, and so on.

Benefits of Implementing Integrated Facility Management

Efficient & Streamlined Work Management

The consolidative move with Integrated Facility Management can effectively drop multiple vendor contracts into a single service provider with all facilities. The practice followed by a facility management company leads organizations to juggle with fewer contracts, less number of teams and bucketed resources. Some major facility management services include:

• Housekeeping & Janitorial Services
• Property Maintenance
• Pest Control
• Mall Management
• Swimming Pool Management
• CCTV Camera Installation & Maintenance and so on

Above all, they are facilitated with a bird’s-eye-view to manage all tasks. As a result, they can expect more effective team management, faster response to service requests and reduced downtime for employees.

Implementing facility management benefits the growth of business in several ways including streamlined work management, minimizing operation costs, long-term business strategic approach and so on.

Minimizing Operation Costs

When multiple teams work on different tasks, time and cost, both are bound to increase. Moreover, chances of redundancy and overlapping of work are in, evitable. Hiring an efficient integrated facility service provider can help you identify inefficiency and unnecessary costs to get better visibility with the integrated work form.

On the other hand, the Integrated Facility Management Company also benefits by spending less on materials and vendor costs. They can also increase the team’s productivity by overseeing a single team instead of multiple teams of workers.

Focus on the Big Picture

The advantages of a simplified and integrated facility management structure also give you relief from the overwhelming task of bouncing between different teams and their works. The amount of time you save here can be used in focusing on the business’s larger goals. Thus, you can take a more strategic approach to business management rather than just managing day-to-day workflow. When you don’t need to think about micromanagement, you can ultimately focus on the bigger picture.

Final Thought

So, all of the above certainly sounds enticing? Now, are you considering moving to facilities management? Like other significant organizational changes, establishing integrated facility management services with the workplace needs significant preparation and strategic planning. Overall, you need to follow the proper steps to find one of the best Integrated Facility Management Companies in India to provide you with the benefits of potential productivity and increased efficiency.

For more info on integrated facility management services, contact S&IB and, accordingly, get a quote for your commercial properties!