What is Integrated Facility Management

Facilities management is an organizational function that integrates people, location, and process within the physical environment with the goal of efficiently delivering support services and improving people's quality of life while also increasing core company efficiency. IFM can integrate hard facilities management, which includes building fabric aspects, with soft facilities management, such as security, cleaning, and waste management. Bringing these services under one contract provides you with a single point of contact for customer service, greater coordination amongst FM services, and consolidated prices to keep everything under budget.

It is the professional administration of one or more buildings with the goal of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the organizations or inhabitants. Simply defined, it's a way of bundling many (or all) of your office's services and operations under a single contract and management team.

Benefits of Integrated Facility Management

1. Streamlined, efficient work and task management

IFM is, at its essence, a reorganization. Depending on your present facilities management structure, this could entail consolidating numerous vendor contracts into a single service agreement or grouping together a long list of activities that were previously handled by separate internal teams. In either case, the strategy yields fewer contracts, teams, and bucketed resources to manage, as well as a bird's-eye view of management responsibilities. This greater visibility means more effective team management, faster response times to requests, and less downtime for employees when compared to managing each independent stakeholder and each individual activity they handle numerous times.

2. A focus on the bigger picture

The advantages of an IFM-based streamlined structure don't end there. Rather than bouncing between different activities and teams—or putting out multiple flames at once—this bird's-eye view lets you match tasks with the bigger aims of the company. You'll have the time and freedom to take a more strategic approach to facilities management once you've stepped away from the constant day-to-day control of workflow. It is simpler to assume a more significant role inside the organization with a broader view of company goals on one hand and more detailed management of fundamental operations on the other. At the end of the day, less micromanagement means more time to consider the larger picture.

3. Reduction of operating costs

Redundancy and overlap are unavoidable when various internal teams are responsible for different aspects of the workplace. Costs can also rise as separate teams devote their time and resources to initiatives that aren't aligned with the company's wider objectives. Because there is more visibility with IFM, inefficiencies and wasteful spending become much easier to spot. External sellers are treated the same way. Managing a single budget nearly always results in lower materials and vendor expenses, even before factoring in the increased productivity that comes with managing a single workforce (as opposed to multiple partners or employees)

How to move to Integrated Facility Management

The three Rs: research, research, research

Switching to IFM requires some basic changes to operations and the adjustment of a number of moving components, therefore it should only be implemented after thorough research. Start with best practices in your area, if possible: reports, white papers, and industry publications should be a helpful source of information. You can also speak with consultants and IFM vendors directly, particularly those with experience in your sector. On the other hand, you should conduct an extensive internal study to determine how your various teams currently operate. Only when you know what your existing system looks like and have identified the most obvious inefficiencies can you establish a plan for IFM deployment.

Establish clear communication

An internal communications plan, as well as taking the required steps to ensure that the entire organization understands the shift, can be quite beneficial. Encourage questions and recommendations by using surveys, focus groups, open meetings, and other change management tools. Finally, implementing IFM requires good communication between multiple stakeholders, so make sure to build close connections across the various teams and contractors before going live.

Clarity in goals & performance indicators

Clear goals and performance indicators, which follow the preceding part, are a kind of critical communication in and of themselves, providing you with information on how the IFM engagement is proceeding. This information can have a big impact now (for example, informing minute modifications) and in the future (deciding tasks outlined in service agreements, for another). As a last communication suggestion, it's critical to establish and clarify protocols for filing complaints and resolving conflicts; without established procedures, problems can fester and spread across the business.

Take advantage of technology

When it comes to integrated facilities management, technology is critical. IFM is all about integration, as the name implies, and that includes software solutions that can bring all of the diverse components of facilities management together on a single platform. A complete IWMS may make integrated facilities management much easier to adopt by offering a single point of management for all systems and operations. Good software can provide a single user interface from which important FM responsibilities such as space management, move management, and work order processing can all be managed. When it comes to integrated facilities, technology plays a crucial role. It can also provide the statistics and analytics needed to improve integrated facilities management, as well as software integrations that keep all departments up to date and connected.

Frequently-asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What do you mean by FM outsourcing?

FM outsourcing includes maintaining the upkeep of your premises to ensure that your employees have all of the tools they need to do their jobs well. You can either outsource a specific service or look for a full-service FM solution. FM outsourcing could help a company become smaller and more efficient, allowing it to focus on its main business.

2. What types of services can be outsourced?

Click here to see a list of our services from A to Z. If you require anything that isn't part of our core offering, we can most likely meet your needs by bringing the service in-house or outsourcing it to one of our appointed specialist's subcontractors, depending on the size of your overall FM contract.

3. What is a single service provider?

A business that focuses on offering a single sort of service. In most cases, we exclusively deliver huge single-service contracts. Eric Wright FM isn't a good fit for your firm if all you need is a simple cleaning service.

4. What is an integrated or total facilities management provider?

Integrated FM providers either deliver their services in-house or use subcontractors to do so. This means they eliminate superfluous management overhead, simplify FM management, and train and develop multi-skilled individuals to give a service tailored to your company's needs. Apollo Facility Management primarily provides a full-service facilities management solution.

5. What cost savings will you make?

In general, we can save money for you by forming and managing a more successful workforce both on and off-site. Every organizational contract, on the other hand, is distinct. As a result, cost reductions will vary depending on which services you choose, pre-agreed SLAs, and how compliant your present FM service delivery is. If you'd like a more extensive analysis of predicted savings and ROI, please contact us to schedule a meeting with one of our consultants. Clients that supply more information and detail at the start of negotiations will help to optimize cost savings.

6. What are soft services in facility management?

Soft services are a collection of services that create a more comfortable and secure environment by including more human interaction. For example, housekeeping, payroll administration, pest control, front office management, pantry services, and front desk help are all examples of services.

Apollo Facility Management is one of India's leading providers of integrated facility management services. We are known for our customers' dependability, dependability, and value-added services, and we also provide extremely cost-effective facilities management solutions. We manage roughly 60 million square feet of space and provide fully integrated facilities management solutions at our clients' facilities and workplaces that are cost-effective and long-term.