Poor Facilities Management Linked to Customer Dissatisfaction.
In a U.S. Department of Labor study, poor facility cleanliness and quality were associated with an increased dissatisfaction rate among customers. Even minor problems, like variations in custodial services, had a serious impact on customer retention and satisfaction. The results highlight the potential impact poor facilities management, even when it does not cause immediate harm or injury, can have on customer experience. Let us take a closer look at some of the key ways poor facilities management may affect the customer experience.
1. Poor Facilities Management Can Increase Risk to Customers
Consider poor facilities management in a restaurant. Refrigerators may be warmer than required. Hot food may begin to cool while waiting to be served, and other factors may contribute to the growth of harmful bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses. While a customer may not complain initially, an illness could result in the filing of civil suits against the restaurant, as well as a backlash on social media and by governing bodies, like the Health Department.
2. Increased Stress on Employees
When the facilities are not in tip-top shape, employees may be unable to provide the best service possible. As stress increases, employees may release stress in the form of hostility toward customers. This can have a lasting adverse effect on your brand’s reputation, explains Dan Hounsell of FacilitiesNet.
3. Poor Facilities Management Increases Product Costs
Regardless of your industry, poor facilities management increases total cost ownership of your facility and assets. This leads to decreased profit margins, which spur increases in per-product pricing to make up for missing revenue. Although this may seem unrelated to the customer experience, customers that leave your company for a competitor make up a portion of the negative experience. After all, how can they have a good experience when they do not have any experience at all?
4. Poor Standards May Lead to Injury While on the Premises
Your company must keep customers and team members safe when they enter your facility. If problems exist, like a running toilet, they increase the risk of injury due to accidents. A slip and fall can quickly become a costly legal battle.
5. Customers Expect to Be Comfortable!
This is the most important way poor facilities management impacts customer experiences. If facility assets fail, like the plumbing, HVAC system, lighting system or electrical systems, customers are not going to be pleased. Comfort is everything to customers. Your facility should make customers want to stick around longer, encouraging them to spend more money on your products or services. Poor facilities management may lead to malfunctioning systems, pushing your customers out the door and into the arms of your competitor.
Boost Customer Loyalty by Preventing Poor Facilities Management Now
Brand reputation and value is everything, and inadequate facilities management can make the best customer experience become a hellish nightmare. Stop letting poor facilities management practices ruin your brand’s longevity and value, and create a comfortable, inviting and above-expectation customer experience with better facilities management controls and practices. Learn more about how your organization can increase the customer experience by enhancing facilities management with smart building solutions by visiting ENTOUCH online or calling 1 (800) 820-3511.