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JULY 2019 21
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route and may
not stop at B.
When you
look at the
Uber model, it’s
very simplistic.
A customer
accesses the
app and,
bingo, they’re
wherever they
need to be. In
FM, there’s a
whole array
of pretty
significant
variables to consider. As such, we think it’s doubtful
that we’d get to the point where the current Uber model
would be achievable, but there are components that can
be introduced now by those organisations already using
smart field technology.
One of the benefits of smart tech – and the
transparency that comes with it – is knowing you’re
getting exactly what you pay for. With Uber, there’s
something comforting about knowing who your driver
is, how they’ve been rated, where they are, what route
they’re taking, and how much it’s going to cost… all
before the car even appears. If we adopt a similar
model in FM, well, it could be a huge benefit. By the
same token, it could involve quite a bit of work for the
occupier… unless they use a partner that does it for
them.
Automating processes so an FM o‹ ering can move
from ‘planned’ to ‘reactive’ is definitely in the industry’s
interest. O‹ ering customers more flexibility and choice
when it comes to how they engage and manage their
service provider(s) or inhouse FM teams is also a bonus.
Digitalising the supply chain would enable customers
to get closer to the person delivering the service. It
will also promote best practice and consistency across
independent service providers. Uber drivers get rated
až er every journey. Imagine the di‹ erence it would
make if FM customers could issue 5 stars for excellent
service, or 1 star for the opposite!
Contracts could be a thing the past, too. Instead of
signing up to a three-year agreement, with set service
level parameters and KPIs, organisations could simply
engage with a contractor as and when they need to.
Those are the good facets of Uber’s model.
Transparency, choice, flexibility, convenience. But, alas,
life’s not a utopian dream. Considering that facilities and
property management requires many di‹ erent ‘drivers’
all going in di‹ erent directions at di‹ erent times, so
the time, e‹ ort and resource required to constantly
find and manage service engineers with the relevant
experience, competence and expertise would perhaps
dilute the excitement of the supposed benefits if not
fully automated.
People who operate buildings and facilities have a lot
on the line. There’s the health and safety of occupants
on their shoulders, not to mention the operational
aspects. FMs want stu‹ done by people they trust. An
Uber-style model o‹ ers a much more fleeting, onedimensional
engagement with those who are ‘in and
out’ with every job done. The ‘next, next, next’ mentality
of the Uber model could remove the heart of what FM’s
about – relationships. There’s definitely mileage in the
Uber model but let’s plan the route carefully.
THE CLEANING SERVICES EXPERT’S VIEW
JULIAN KELLY, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT CLEANEVENT GROUP
There is no doubt
that the 'Uber
e‹ ect' has had a
significant impact
on the local
transportation
market. Since
its arrival, Uber
has transformed
the centuries
old business of
transporting
people and
goods over
relatively short
distances. For the customer - the service is convenient,
intuitive and relatively cheap. Its impact has a‹ ected the
viability of local public transport infrastructures, delivery
businesses and couriers. Even the local fish and chip
shop has felt its disruptive tentacles reach into many
long-established business models.
The obvious - as played out over several years in
Central London - has been the running battle with
the London Taxi Drivers Association. Uber's costs per
passenger mile are significantly lower than that of
the traditional cabbie. The value of the skills of the
'knowledge' has been eroded since the introduction
of the satnav 25 years ago. The almost total erosion of
these once- prized skills has been vitually rendered to
nothing with Uber's market growth. The cabbies are
understandably angry at the devaluation of their intense
training, expertise and personal service.
Uber's recent US flotation has seen the company's
development into a profitable business seem ever
further away. The received wisdom -that Uber will
only be profitable when the operation of vehicles does
not involve the input of a human driver, seems highly
plausible. This ties in with the scary (to many) vision of
a dystopian future of robot drivers and lack of personal
touch.
And so to the world of FM.
Do we value the e‹ orts, skills and knowledge of
established companies in our marketplace? Are
established FM companies a shell - a low-value drain on
the talents of the individuals employed by them? Can
FM CLINIC
Stephen McGregor
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T: +44 (0)1708 251900
E: info@fsifm.com
www.fsifm.com
Julian Kelly
ADVICE & OPINION
link
/www.fsifm.com
