FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT’S VIEW
SIMON BURLISON,
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, MONEYPENNY
One of the most critical ways that FMs can help to keep vital buildings operational during a time of national crisis, is to make it easy for people to stay away and observe the social distancing rules. That means having the right communications infrastructure in place to deal with a dramatic influx of calls and enquiries from families of patients, to other service providers, staff, visitors and volunteers.
During a time of unprecedented change like this, there’s a real spike in people reaching out for support. People feel panicked and use the phone to seek reassurance from professionals – be it health, legal, financial. While hospitals and other healthcare providers might be able to divert some calls, a shift in working patterns coupled with stretched resource and heightened call volumes, is a recipe for disaster. Phones ringing out are a distraction for vital healthcare workers, and unanswered calls could result in people arriving at hospitals when they should really stay away.
Hospitals and other vital businesses need to be able to scale-up their support services, including call handling and live chat on their websites, and should look for suppliers who can respond quickly to make that happen. Answering calls, queries and chats in a timely and professional manner helps to ensure that vital buildings are operational and efficient and that on-site resources are used wisely.
As admin and support staff aren’t considered key workers, many will be trying to work from home but this presents many challenges. With schools closed and children at home, there are more distractions to contend with and increased traffic across internet connections, which could limit broadband speed and therefore productivity. Managing remote working safely and efficiently usually requires putting solid foundations in place, but many organisations haven’t had that luxury due to the speed of this pandemic. To support employees during this period of transition, FMs should ensure that IT helpdesks have the capacity to handle the inevitable spike in calls from those suddenly working from home and be able to recommend appropriate remote working tools to help employees cope.
Managing office calls remotely, be that with a fulling outsourced or overflow telephone answering service or even a digital switchboard, is vital during this period. These services ensure that the flow of information in and out of an organisation remains uninterrupted without compromising employee safety or ignoring the challenges of the current situation. This sort of agility is essential in the current climate and benefits organisations and remote employees alike.
