Regardless of the nature of your service requirement, it is always recommended to stay close to the service levels of your suppliers. It is unfortunately common practice for certain suppliers to start slacking off in their service delivery over time. Yes, they may have impressed you initially when they were hungry for your business, but this could soon change and give way to complacency and compromise. So, regularly evaluate the service levels and develop a close relationship with your suppliers.

Once you have identified a supplier that delivers quality and service on a consistent basis, hold on to that relationship and possibly even look for opportunities to expand it. Why?

A dedicated service provider is:

• On-site and has a vested interest in the ongoing service delivery. This means that they will check for problems – not just for the immediate assignment, but in other areas of their service offering.
• Pro-active in identifying problems, opportunities and upcoming maintenance, whereas a casual contractor is only interested in the immediate task at hand.
• Conscious of the value of early detection and treatment of problems.
• Not in a position to pass the buck or blame others, as all aspects of the service is handled by themselves.
• Able to provide a consistent service level across the different service areas, because the management team is tied to the same objectives and rewards.
• A security partner in so far as their staff are known to you and fewer ‘outsiders’ need access to your premises. This is in fact a bigger advantage than it may seem at first in our society that is badly affected by crime.
• Your outsourced accountability partner. Trusting a service provider with a range of different services makes you a more important client due to the volume of work you provide. It is in your service provider’s own interest to take responsibility and accountability.
• Your long term partner. There are many benefits in having an ongoing relationship with a supplier you can work with. You have more negotiating power and are able to secure better terms.
• Your industry expert. You do not need to concern yourself with the hiring of specialised staff to fulfil duties on a regular or ad hoc basis.

The key to realising the many advantages described above is to identify someone you can work with and who shares your passion for your business. Then, include them in as many diverse aspects of your business services as you possibly can.

Cristal Solutions fulfil this service for many of our clients, and because of our 5 independent divisions can get involved in a range of solutions at a consistent service level.

There are many things to consider when it comes to the best implementation of cleaning, hygiene, pest management, green solutions and staffing in your business. We are experts in these.