return on investment (ROI). Managers may opt to add services to satisfy customers, such as venetian blind cleaning and recycling. The pri-mary driver behind this strategy is to meet customersʼ expectations without increasing costs and to be responsive to customersʼ requests in a timely manner. Gone are the days when a custodial department could say, “We donʼt do windows” or at least that attitude; todayʼs consumer environ-ment requires that we have a can-do attitude. Managers may opt to outsource cer-tain functions that are not their core expertise, such as duct cleaning. However, some institutions do clean their ducts in house. Sometimes the reasoning to decrease outsourcing is a fear that if one element is out-sourced, another service or all servic-es will be outsourced over time. In-house customers may wish to have one-stop shopping within their facili-ties and may not wish to have one company perform one task and anoth-er company do something else. It is a lot easier for a person on a campus to contact one central point for services. With the increasing expectations of con-sumers for cost-effective and efficient serv-ices, incredible pressures are being brought to bear on the managers of in-house operations as the need for these services will: Increase the need for training Increase learning for the manager Invest more in equipment and person-nel Invest more time in managing people. much with too little? Risks of spreading your department too thin include: Increased injuries; increased complaints and decrease in quality; doing too many tasks and not doing any of those tasks well because there are too many for a human to perform on a regular shift; increased absenteeism; increased turnover; and lower morale. Can one be “all things to all people?” I doubt it. The prudent organization will provide services that align with their core compe-tencies. CM Alan Bigger is currently the director of facilities at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. Bigger has a B.S., M.A., is a Registered Executive Housekeeper and has over 20 years of manage-ment experience in facilities operations. Bigger and his wife Linda are co-authors of Frugalisms; Creative Ideas on Leadership in Facilities and Housekeeping Operations. The Biggers have published over 350 articles in industry journals such as Cleaning & Maintenance Management. They can be reached at [email protected]. The Impact On Cleaning Regardless of the increasing expectations of the consumer, service personnel can only do so much in the allotted time. Service work is incredibly labor-intensive and has an immediate and long-term impact on humans. What could be the result of doing too • Search by product category to get an overview of available options • Search by brand or company name to locate your favorite product or vendor The most comprehensive database of cleaning and maintenance manufacturers and suppliers on the web. Let us guide you to the resources you want. Click on SUPPLIER SEARCH at w w w . c m m o n l i n e . c o m Convenient and reliable information for the cleaning and maintenance industry. www.cmmonline.com 39
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