Simon Burlison is business manager at outsourced communications provider Moneypenny
The outbreak of coronavirus has been an unwelcome yet hugely valuable wake-up call for facilities managers. FMs are desperately putting measures in place to minimise interruption as workplace occupiers shift to remote working. They’re faced with concerns about the management of inbound communications and are under pressure to act fast.
The technologies that can help them during the crisis are solutions they’ve researched and considered. They knew the benefits and were keen to implement them, yet it didn’t happen. So why has it taken a global pandemic for FM to finally give new technologies the green light?
Perhaps it is because, until recently, they’ve been juggling conflicting requirements: managing budgets and finding efficiencies, while striving to improve the user experience.
Time to source quotes and trial technology is no longer a luxury; it’s about rapid decision-making. FMs may feel some key technology decisions have been taken from them as necessity sees users choose their own tools.
Another issue is fear of change. The knowledge that something may cause disruption before it starts generating improvements has been a red flag for FMs traditionally. But the speed of change required to adapt to the pandemic has removed this obstacle. Change, business transformation and agility are now key to survival.
These are unnerving times, but FMs can rest assured that many decisions and investments made now will deliver benefits for years to come. The world will be a different place post-Covid-19. Businesses will embrace remote working more fully because they will have seen the value it offers and quite simply, will be able to credit it with their survival.
The outsourced model has proved to be one that the industry can turn to for support. By putting agile solutions in place, FMs will be able to improve organisational efficiency, agility and resilience in unprecedented times.
Simon Burlison is business manager at outsourced communications provider Moneypenny
