Skip to main content

Extend your core services


Our job as service organizations is to provide the greatest value possible to our clients, this includes services outside of our core capabilities.  These scenarios may shed some perspective:



  • Building owner, or manager and need a subcontractor | you may pride yourself on a fantastic relationship with the subcontractor owner, how do you know the qualification levels of the actual subcontractor workers?  Sure you'd like to always say "make sure you send only Bob".  This seems like a good strategy, especially considering the current velocity of change.  What you may consider is requesting the person with the highest qualifications for the work that needs to be performed.
  • Multi location contract which needs assistance in tertiary markets | there are no golden eggs. When service organizations procure multi location contracts often times the majority of locations are within our service territories. Yet, and this varies, a certain percent are way outside and require us to engage subcontractors. While vetting subcontractor workers may not be practical, consider facilitating a "before and after" practice.  Regardless of service call type requested, photographs when they arrive and leave are very powerful (create a posting site to make it easy for the sub workers). While on some calls this may seem ridiculous it will keep everybody honest.
  • Extension of core services | fundamentally I believe many service organizations would like to, or are already, extending the scope of their services to clients. Of course we need to be careful that the subcontractor will not steal our customers. In addition if you believe electrical is a good subcontract service to complement your mechanical work make sure that you qualify a few electrical subcontractors. Often, because of relationships, challenges with getting subcontractors paid, familiarity with workforce we choose to find one good subcontractor and stick with them only. Relationships are fantastic yet competition keeps you competitive.



As mentioned in a previous post; if you are still against subcontractors you need to pull your head out of the sand.



-----

Next post:  do rates really matter?

-----
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more

expert at everything...not a problem

Well... I would say sometimes there certainly is a perceived notion that one person is an expert at everything. For the worker "everything" may be defined as the specific area in which you were hired or are constantly scheduled. Our opinions are frequently influenced off of past experience, or information we've received from their coworkers. Unfortunately this only gives us partial insight to that workers expertise and often is limited to their most recent history. Narrowly focused accounting is made of the skills that this individual possess. Come on, can't we figure out a way to leverage all of the skills of a particular worker? One of the challenges has always been that relationship between the activities which need to be accomplished and the myriad skills of individuals within your workforce. In addition, even if you could inventory and get a pretty good handle on the skill sets, they are constantly changing (with any luck) and thus the ineffective process of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Who owns the data?

Finally the capital budget allows you to replace some very old equipment.    You can't open a trade magazine without seeing the latest news regarding the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).   Lucky for you the equipment manufacturers are offering an IIoT ready solution packaged with your equipment.   Suddenly your enthusiasm turns to confusion as you review the details of the quote.   What the hell is that subscription fee?   Isn't this equipment mine; lock, stock and barrel?   You mean to tell me that I need to pay the manufacturer, every month,   to give me the luxury of accessing data produced by the equipment I just purchased?   The only explanation has to be new math, at least as a child this is what my parents told me when I asked hard to answer questions. It's amazing how history repeats itself, we are starting to see manufacturer specific data languages appearing in their "smart" equipment.   Didn't we learn our lesson ...
Post a Comment
Read more