Christian Coenen

In search for the added value of FM : What we know and what we need to learn

Purpose – This article aims to present and compare research perspectives and theoretical reflections from a variety of academic fields on the concept of added value of facilities management.Design/methodology/approach – The starting point is the so‐called FM Value Map, which was presented in a recent article in Facilities by Per Anker Jensen in 2010. The article is a first result of the work in the EuroFM research collaboration group and is based on literature reviews of the most influential journals within the academic fields of facilities management (FM), corporate real estate management and business‐to‐business marketing.Findings – Good relationship management and building on trust is shown to be equally important as delivering the agreed services.Originality/value – Usually the concept of added value is discussed from a monodisciplinary point‐of‐view. The different backgrounds of the authors add value to an increased understanding of the added value of FM by comparing and testing different ways of con...

Facility management value dimensions from a demand perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce and describe the concept of the facility management (FM) value network which takes a subjective perspective and reflects upon the relationships amongst key FM stakeholders. The FM value network focuses on demand by considering client, customer and end-user perceptions of value, providing a conceptual foundation for considering a demand driven, service-oriented and user focused approach to FM. It introduces concepts drawn from related fields such as services marketing, business economics and management and identifies an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on results of an extensive literature review, research workshops and a pilot case study, to explore stakeholders perceptions of value within FM relationships. Findings – This paper proposes an alternative view of FM stakeholders and the outcomes they value in comparison to a conventional built environment perspective. It provides examples of value dimensions relevant to the ...

Serviceorientierung und Servicekompetenz von Kundenkontakt-Mitarbeitern

Das allgemein vorgebrachte Klischee von der „Servicewuste Deutschland“, was sich meist auf mangelhaftes Personalverhalten im Kundenkontakt bezieht, wird durch empirische Untersuchungen immer wieder bestatigt. So sind 72% der deutschen Kunden aufgrund von unfreundlichem Personal und mangelnder Hilfsbereitschaft unzufrieden mit der Dienstleistung (o.V. 1994, S. 69). Auch die Mehrheit illoyaler amerikanischer Kunden gibt mangelhaftes Personalverhalten in Form von Unfreundlichkeit und unpersonlicher Abfertigung als Hauptgrund fur ihre Abwanderung an (Bowers et al. 1990, S. 58). Besonders im Hinblick auf die Intangibilitat von Dienstleistungen scheint es einleuchtend, dass dem Kunden gerade unkooperatives Verhalten oder unfreundliches Benehmen der Mitarbeiter als Anhaltspunkt fur eine schlechte Qualitat der Dienstleistung dient und er aufgrund dieser Eindrucke auf die Beschaffenheit des gesamten Unternehmens schliest. Dem Mitarbeiter kommt somit fur die subjektive Wahrnehmung des Kunden hinsichtlich der Dienstleistungsqualitat eine entscheidende Rolle zu, die Crosby et al. (1990, S. 69) pragnant zusammenfassen, indem sie behaupten: „(...) to the customer, the salesperson is the firm“. Auch bei anderen Wissenschaftlern im Dienstleistungsbereich herrscht weitgehend Einigkeit daruber, dass die wahrgenommene Dienstleistungsqualitat und somit u.a. auch die Kundenzufriedenheit und -loyalitat masgeblich vom Verhalten und von der Einstellung des Kundenkontakt-Mitarbeiters beeinflusst werden konnen (Schneider/Bowen 1985; Parasuraman et al. 1988; Bitner et al. 1990; Stauss 1992; Fisk et al. 1993; Bitner 1995; Stauss 2000).

Reflecting on future research concerning the added value of FM

Purpose – This paper aims to summarize recent research findings and reflections on The Added Value of Facilities Management (FM) and to outline perspectives for future research and development of the added value of FM. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on reflections on contributions to the recently published book “The Added Value of Facilities Management” and related future studies, as well as further exploration of five main themes. Findings – Added value is expected to be central in the future development of FM, which is confirmed by recent foresight studies. There is a need for a better understanding of alignment between FM and core business, performance measurement methods and how models such as the FM Value Map can be of value to the involved stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and branding have great potential to add value and to elevate FM to become a strategic partner with corporate top management. Management of stakeholders’ perception of value an...

Reputation and public awareness of facilities management – a quantitative survey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically tested framework for public awareness and reputation of facilities management (FM) as a business sector.Design/methodology/approach – A national survey of representative sections of the population was designed and carried out to determine the level of public awareness and the reputation of FM. This survey was based on image/reputation categories from the international European Performance Satisfaction Index studies.Findings – The findings provide a highly differentiated picture and give an interesting insight into the varied understanding of FM. Only a small fraction of the population has a realistic understanding of what the term FM means. The additional information collected about selected features of the respondents (age, gender, occupation, education, household income, etc.) facilitates interesting cross‐references to the level of public awareness and reputation of FM thus allowing an illuminating analysis of the findings.Practical impli...

Managing effectiveness and efficiency through FM blueprinting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the specifics of facilities management (FM) process modelling and the application of the service blueprinting technique within the field of FM. The paper aims to develop a visualisation method for optimised management of process interfaces to better integrate core and support processes and increase effectiveness and efficiency.Design/methodology/approach – Based on an extensive overview of general management literature about process management issues in FM, certain challenges and requirements of FM process modelling are presented and discussed. Service blueprinting, a technique known from services marketing, is introduced and characterised in detail. Subsequently, the application of blueprinting within the FM sector is discussed and the specifics of FM blueprinting are presented. A qualitative case‐based research in the health‐care sector was conducted to provide a practical insight into this technique.Findings – The paper argues that the implementatio...

FM Servicebarometer: monitoring customer perception of service performance

Purpose – In the past, FM performance was mostly monitored by technical and cost‐related KPIs, whereas the measurement of perceived internal service quality was widely neglected. Thus, the purpose of this paper is two‐fold: first, to develop an adequate model to capture the relationships between internal service quality, internal customer satisfaction and internal customer retention; and second, provide an instrument for the identification of areas of improvement for customer orientation in FM.Design/methodology/approach – This research gives an insight into the relevance of customer orientation in FM. Following this, it introduces the concept of a FM Servicebarometer, highlighting an application of this model by presenting the results of an extensive quantitative survey that was conducted within a healthcare setting. Based on this model, various indices are calculated for the internal service quality, customer satisfaction and customer retention, resulting in the FM Quality Index.Findings – Detailed anal...

A service-oriented perspective of facility management

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide a service-oriented understanding of the field of facility management (FM) and describe the role that services management plays in successful FM. Even though the definitions for FM by European Committee for Standardisation include the term “service” several times, there remains a need for an established management understanding that reflects the service character of FM, while also accounting for its multidimensional management challenges. Design/methodology/approach – This goal is achieved by applying the main characteristics of services management to FM, describing the service-specific perspectives of FM, analyzing the specific quality attributes of FM as a service management discipline and introducing important services management implications for FM. Findings – The article describes in detail how FM can benefit from taking a services management perspective and gives useful implications for managers in the following key fields of action: process managem...

FM dashboard: A facility management monitoring tool for planning, design and construction to optimize function and cost in operations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create a deeper understanding of the importance of monitoring key aspects of facility management (FM), right from the planning stage of a buildings lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on literature review and qualitative research. Empirical interviews were conducted with various executives and academics to identify FM‐related aspects that should be considered during the planning, design and construction of buildings. These insights are the foundation of a newly developed monitoring tool which can be applied to different settings. Findings – When analyzing relevant aspects of FM, ten main categories were identified, together with corresponding sub‐categories. These were used as input for a quality assurance tool designed to analyze the degree to which FM is taken into consideration in the early stages of planning. Respondents fill out an item battery, using a five‐point scale. The questions refer to the completeness and plausibility of the respective (sub‐)category. This newly developed monitoring‐tool has been applied to a construction project in the city center of Zurich/Switzerland. Research limitations/implications – The monitoring tool presented here is only a first attempt to structure and analyze important aspects of FM during the early stages of building construction. It will be further developed over time to include various building types and more project phases within the life cycle of buildings. Practical implications – FM dashboard can be used as an analytical tool to support the structured monitoring of FM relevant aspects during planning, design and construction. Originality/value – Corporate facility managers need better methods and tools for demonstrating the importance of early consideration of FM‐relevant aspects to various parties involved in construction (e.g. architectural and planning offices, owners, construction companies, etc.). This paper provides an insight into a tool designed for this purpose and offers practical assistance and guidance for its use.

Zufriedenheitsmanagement - Konzept und Realisierung

Uber die grundsatzliche Bedeutung der Kundenzufriedenheit fur die Erreichung der okonomischen Unternehmensziele besteht in unternehmerischer Praxis und Wissenschaft ein weitgehender Konsens. Viele Unternehmen haben seit Jahren aus dieser Einsicht Konsequenzen gezogen und fuhren regelmasig Kundenzufriedenheitsbefragungen durch. Auf wissenschaftlicher Seite spiegelt sich die Erkenntnis in einer anhaltend intensiven Beschaftigung mit verschiedenen Aspekten der Zufriedenheitsthematik wider. Inzwischen bietet die wissenschaftliche Forschung fundierte Einsichten in die theoretische Einordnung des Zufriedenheitskonstrukts, die Vor- und Nachteile verschiedener Messverfahren sowie die Intensitat der Bindungswirkung von Kundenzufriedenheit (Schutze 1992; Oliver 1997; Krafft 1999; Stauss 1999; Krafft 2002; Krafft/Gotz 2004; Hinterhuber/ Matzler 2006; Homburg 2006).