by Brianna Crandall — February 17, 2014—Global facilities services provider ISS has launched a white paper about service excellence based on its recent research collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University. Defining Service Excellence in Facility Management, authored by Professor Ilfryn Price and Patricia McCarroll of Sheffield Hallam University and Paul Thompson of ISS, presents findings by the Centre for FM Development (CFMD) at Sheffield Business School aiming to explore client perceptions around service excellence in facilities management.
While existing material around the concept proved to be limited, a 2004 study found that perceptions of service excellence consistently equated to “the small things and the unexpected extras,” particularly in relation to the effective resolution of a problem or challenge.
This was broadly endorsed by CFMD’s own research. In spite of the fact that the respondents spanned many different sectors and scenarios, a commonality was an appreciation of swift and responsive action to an issue that showed good understanding of the customer’s needs. Conversely, a poor and ineffectual response was a key determinant when perceiving service as bad.
For others, service excellence remained synonymous with a seamless high-end luxury experience, particularly in the hotel sector. Opinion was divided over whether or not service excellence could and indeed should be transferred to the FM environment, essentially between those who either did or did not view it as being reliant on budget.
For some, the pressures of the FM operating environment made service excellence an unrealistic expectation, and being seen to deliver it ran the risk of appearing to overspend. The question of just what drives service excellence also raised a wide variety of different perspectives, one of which was that excellence is underpinned by consistency, and an absolute confidence in delivering to an agreed set of standards.
However, this consistency is not enough in itself to guarantee service excellence, found the report. For this there reportedly needs to be “that element of positive surprise, the unexpected experience above and beyond what is normal, that moment which exceeds anticipations.”
