When running a campus, you should consider whether or not the image you present is well put together and appealing. Being in charge of that image can be challenging, especially when you outsource to multiple vendors to make it happen.
It is hard to do great things for your campus with less in today's changing landscape. Budgets are diminishing because of the current economic climate, but the work remains the same, leaving academic leadership with a difficult question.
How do we keep our campus’s aesthetic within budget?
When you outsource to multiple vendors, some elements move beyond your control. You may find yourself needing more communication, consistency in quality, and vetting of personnel.
So, how do you approach this issue? By bundling your services.
Why Bundling?
We have discussed how bundling your services can help with overall costs. We have even touched briefly on how this affects the aesthetics of your campus.
In our previous blog about bundling, we explained that you use one company to outsource multiple services. This allows you to take care of all the elements of your campus under one roof.
Communication:
Using a bundled service provider means you have complete control over the image you want to present to the public. The bundled services may comprise multiple industries, but these services are provided by one full-service company that responds to you. There are fewer opportunities for communication to get muddled or confused.
Would you rather have control of multiple people for each little job needed to keep your campus functional, or would you rather have a conversation with one person about everything? Most would choose to talk to one person.
That’s because a message is heard loud and clear the first time it is conveyed but becomes more convoluted the more times it has to pass through someone. Think of it like the game telephone. The first person you speak to likely has the correct information, but then they convey it to the next person, the message is slightly different, and so on.
Taking control of your aesthetic through bundling means that communication will be at its most substantial level. The fewer people have to be told your standards, the more uniform those standards are going to look at the finish.
Consistency in Quality:
To better understand how bundling can help you control your aesthetic, you need to look at it like a group project. When you have a group project due, and everyone in the group is doing their part without communicating with the other members until the end, there is not likely to be a cohesive result. However, if your group is the one that works on each part of the project together, you know that by the end, your finished product will be uniform and beautiful.
Campuses are the same way. If you trust your landscaping and your janitorial services to the same company, you can bet that they will both be to the standard you’ve created when everything is done.
A bundled service provider will have trained all employees to serve your campus best. This means you are guaranteed the same quality of service every time with the same standards of care met.
Companies like Berman make it their mission to know your company in and out. This way, we can provide the best quality every time.
Vetting of Personnel:
When you choose a bundling service, you will likely see the same people repeatedly as they help you with your campus. This gives you peace of mind because you will come to know what you can expect from your personnel each time.
In our blog about self-performing vs. subcontracting, we talk about how bundling allows you consistency and trust with the people doing these tasks for you. When you hire out from different companies for each facility service, you run the risk of seeing different people each time they perform work for you, which could affect trust and loyalty.
Labor shortages are less likely to affect your campus if you are using a self-performing bundled service provider because they perform all their own work instead of contracting it out. This means when you request work from them, you are guaranteed to have a professional at your door faster and who has knowledge of your company's aesthetic and standards.
Take Back Control
As time goes on and budgets become even tighter, know that you don’t have to handle everything yourself. You can save time, hassle, and money by switching to a bundled service provider. They will handle the everyday facility services so you can focus more on your other management duties.
Just because you are putting the control of services into someone else's hands doesn’t mean you have to skimp on your aesthetic quality. Bundling will allow you more control over that aesthetic than when you were trying to contract out all the work yourself.
Don’t let the unknown frighten you. You can control the outcome in many ways, even when you give your services to a bundled service provider.
The bridge of communication and control is still within your hands – we just want to help ease the load. Bundling your facility services will only do as much or as little as you need. The quality of work will remain consistently high based on your standards.
The other great aspect of choosing to bundle is the relationship that forms between you and the service provider. By bundling, you can ensure that your needs are being met while also looking ahead to the future.
Bundled service providers are not just in response mode all of the time. They are preventing issues and developing long-term strategies to ensure better-looking properties and a better experience for people who see and use these facilities.
Building this relationship between you and them ensures that you are doing your job to the best of your ability. You are putting your campus first and foremost, which is a fantastic path to be on.
Trust the Berman Quality
Still unsure about how bundling can help ease your stress and maintain your aesthetic? Contact Berman and allow our team to walk you through the process step-by-step.
Berman has been a top bundled service provider for two decades. You can trust our name, but more importantly, you can trust our quality.
