CASE STUDY DIRECT LINE GROUP
The property team didn’t lose one person
during the Tupe process, due in part to the
sensitive handling of a very challenging
situation. Says Lennon: “Within a couple
of days of the Carillion collapse it was
quite clear that ex-Carillion people were
not getting clear messages, so a note came
from me as then Head of Property to
every member of the team a ected, with
the message being, ‘don’t worry, we are
looking for a new solution and you’ll be part
of that’.”
Senior people from Ascot and Mainstay
were positioned at DLG’s core sites, says
Iles, “to put their arms around the property
teams. From that first week of mobilising
we’ve operated in the same way as Bristol
– which is best in class. We’ve mirrored that
with a transformation programme on all
the sites, with the building maintenance
technicians (hard services) and workplace
managers (so services) making sure we
o er the same customer experience for sta
and visitors.”
A er more than 30 years working within
the financial services industry, Mark Lennon
was inspired by Ascot’s passion for its work
to join the company. “For me, an industry
that is ripe for revolution is the FM sector,”
he says. “It was frustrating meeting senior
FM professionals who didn’t understand the
26 FEBRUARY 2020
IMPROVED SERVICES
Nearly two years on and DLG’s property
team, now headed up by Head of Property
Rob Taylor and aided by its partners Ascot
and Mainstay, has revolutionised FM services
across the estate. The team remains focused
on continuous improvement, ensuring that
the way services are delivered provides an
improved workplace experience.
“We used to get a lot of feedback on how
slow Carillion were to respond to reactive
jobs, updates were really poor and users
didn’t have a relationship with the engineers
out delivering services,” notes Iles. Rather
than take the traditional approach of
placing the onus on the supplier to
provide a CAFM system that wasn’t
necessarily visible or accessible
at the right level, DLG worked
alongside Ascot to develop its
existing purpose-built service
desk solution into a product
that really enhances the client
experience.
Lennon explains that while
there has been little change
in certain fixed costs, overall
value for money far outweighs
anything previously achieved, and
variable costs are significantly lower.
The introduction of Ascot’s energy
management strategy, for example, has
reduced DLG’s electricity consumption by
20 per cent and gas consumption by 35 per
cent.
“We have a dedicated team of planners,”
says Lennon, “delivering roughly three and
a half thousand PPM visits throughout the
estate every year. Each of the core buildings
in DLG now has a building maintenance
technician, so a big chunk of support is
supplied through that engineer, supported
by specialists such as li providers, all
of which is auditable through the portal.
People on all the sites know and see their
static building maintenance technician
every day, and they work closely alongside
the customer services team.”
The same care and attention is paid to
the delivery of so services. As Iles puts it,
“we wanted our workplace managers to
approach the building as an extension of
their own house.”
The contract looks set to be extended for
another three years. All the property team,
from whichever background, take pride in
their contribution to their success, which
has led to an industry-leading 91 per cent
average customer satisfaction score across
the estate. Concludes Lennon: “Although
both the hard and so services people get
their wage packet from di erent firms, they
all pull together every day for the good of
the clients to make sure all of our services
are delivered in a timely fashion.”
BRISTOL AND BEYOND
The showcase building at Bristol is emulated
where possible throughout the DLG estate.
Features include concierge-managed
welcome areas with digital displays;
workspaces that include elements unique
to the di erent brands; individual lockers;
and open-plan work areas complemented
by chat pods and non-bookable ‘huddle
spaces’ for quick team meetings.
A variety of more formal meeting spaces
feature large interactive screens and reflect
individual brands, such as the one designed
as a departure lounge for a travel insurance
brand. Breakout areas are equipped with
diverse furniture styles, all ordered and
managed by Ascot. Sensors provide data on
space occupancy and utilisation, helping to
ensure the best use of space.
All work areas provide free tea and co ee,
hot taps, microwaves and dishwashers, and
are kept pristine and well-stocked by the
cleaning teams.
importance of data and how it can be used
to drive improvements to the workplace
experience for their clients. There are plenty
of academic studies that demonstrate
a correlation between the workplace
experience, employee engagement and
increased worker productivity. The FM
industry is well placed to make a significant
contribution here, but the industry has been
slow to adapt.”