How to Reduce the Stress of Managing Multiple Service Providers

Being in charge of organizing your facility’s cleaning services can be stressful, especially in the wake of Covid. This challenge gets even harder when businesses rely on several outside vendors simultaneously, especially because this can unnecessarily add to employees’ workloads. Don’t worry, though – there are ways to handle this situation so things go smoothly. In this article, we’ll go over exactly how to do it.

Comparing Cost vs. Value of Service Providers

First things first: Get a clear understanding of what service providers and vendors offer for a particular price before committing. Sometimes, businesses don’t look at the contract details and accept a given price without question. To get the best deal, though, always get to the bottom of what your contract includes. You might discover that you’re paying for things your facility doesn’t need, which is something that often happens to businesses that are busy handling several vendors simultaneously.

So, before agreeing to partner with any service provider, make sure you understand the contract conditions. For example, are there any hidden fees in the fine print that would allow the vendor to overcharge you? If you have concerns or doubts, the best thing to do is to contact the service provider directly. Ideally, talking with them will resolve any questions you may have. But if you still have concerns, consider doing business with a different service provider you trust.

Though it may seem like a hassle, asking about terms and conditions before making a decision can help you avoid a lot of stress and problems down the road.

If the thought of having to vet new vendors every time you require their services gives you a headache, though, it may be time to hire a company to manage it all for you.

The Key to Managing Several Service Providers at Once

When you’re in charge of managing different service providers simultaneously, great communication can make everything go much smoother. So how do you improve communication? A good first step is to work on building a good relationship with your service providers. It’s usually easier to communicate with individuals or teams when you’ve taken the time to meet them and get to know them a little, and service providers are no different.

Once you have a good working relationship, you can start setting expectations and determining how best to communicate together moving forward. Making sure everyone is on the same page will help reduce misunderstandings that can lead to stressful situations and wasted time.

Defining Your Company’s Priorities

Whenever you are in the process of hiring vendors or service providers, it’s important to make sure they get informed about what your business’s needs are. Be open about your priorities so things are clear and no one is left wondering.

For instance, are you planning a facility remodel? Make sure your cleaning service provider knows about it so they can plan accordingly. Maybe their regular cleaning team won’t be enough to handle a bigger job, so giving them time to organize can help the whole process go smoothly.

As obvious as details like this might sound, it’s sometimes these very details done right that make the difference between a job that runs smoothly and a job that doesn’t. Defining company priorities can be easy to overlook when you’re dealing with other, seemingly more important things. Nevertheless, you should still try to ensure that everyone is on the same page about what needs to get done.

Retaining Great Service Providers

What makes managing service providers easier? Retaining the ones you know are good at what they do. As with anything, if you’re constantly having to find new service providers to replace those who leave, you’ll end up wasting a lot of money and time. It’s much more efficient (and less stressful) to keep the ones your business already employs.

Also, keep in mind that there are no guarantees that new service providers will be as good as the ones you currently have. Let’s say you are currently partnering with someone who does a great job cleaning your business. But, after looking at the market, you think they’re charging more than the competition. Should you replace them and find someone else who charges less?

No. Because even if someone else charges less, the cost in time and money of having to vet a replacement is not worth it. You may very well end up with a new company that charges less because they’re not as reliable. Keep in mind that your current service provider offers a lot of value if they can be depended on to do a great job when you need it. Don’t risk jeopardizing your business relationship with a trustworthy company for supposed savings you might never see.

On the other hand, if you’re not completely satisfied with your current provider and want help finding a new one, contact a facility management company to do the heavy lifting for you. The benefit of going this route is that these facility management companies already know what providers exist in your area and what kind of reputation they have. By partnering with a facility management company, you can let them find a great provider for your business while you focus on more important things.

Organizing Invoices to Successfully Manage Multiple Service Providers

All too often, the main challenge of having several service providers comes from a lack of organization, which makes it difficult to keep track of important documents. A great way to stay organized is to simply consolidate invoicing so that everything is in one place.

Again, facility management companies can take this off your plate, so if it seems too overwhelming, consider going that route to avoid the hassle of doing it yourself. Contact us to learn more about outsourcing facility services.