Innovation in Customer Service

About this award - entries CLOSED

The Innovation in Customer Service award recognises excellence from any FM organisation and or/their teams. All facilities managers have customers, normally the users of the environment and facilities which are provided and managed. The initiative entered into this award must clearly focus on their needs, demonstrating how they have created and delivered "innovative" and effective solutions which are sustainable, customer and business driven and the measurable impact these have made to the service delivery.

Submitting your entry

Entrants must demonstrate where their team or organisation, as the service provider, has delivered outstanding and innovative customer service. The judges will consider how the service provider has inspired its customers by delivering creative solutions which are over and above their contractual obligations. The judges require formal corroboration of entrant’s exceptional customer service activity, including its financial implications. Submissions must clearly show how the customer service activity is quantified and demonstrate the overall impact on the client’s core business and on the delivery of FM services. One of the main aspects the judging panel wish to focus on is the key word “innovation”. To assist the judging panel in selecting the ultimate winning organisation, we would like you to articulate exactly what you consider the innovation of your submission to be and why your organisation should win the award. This should be submitted separate to the main documentation on one A4 page maximum (minimum font size 12pt) in addition to any other documentation you care to include supporting your submission.

Submissions must include

• A full description of the entrant’s customer services initiative and the building(s) that relate to the initiative.
• The FM services delivered in these properties, and how the service delivery is managed.
• Why the innovation was needed or how it evolved.
• How the performance of the initiative is measured.
• How the scheme was initiated, who was involved in the process and how long the initiative took from conception to completion.
• Details of any professional advisory teams used in constructing or in the delivery of the initiative.

Judging criteria

Entrants must present their completed submission via email in the order that addresses the following judging criteria.

1. The initiative – clarity of objectives and outputs, relevance to FM services and the full scope of the innovation.
2. The requirements – recognition of need, business critical factors, budget limitations and fit with the overall business strategy.
3. Implementation – the project team (roles and responsibilities), timescales, programme and implementation of the change(s).
4. Measurement of success – including measurement from pre-implementation, measurement of outcomes, analysis of benefits and environmental benefits.
5. Business case – the parties involved, return on investment, funding and future initiatives.
6. Application of initiative in general FM – the scalability of the initiative and how it could be applicable as a best practice model.

From the lead judge: Simon Esner, BaxterStorey

“I am looking to discover innovation in customer service, which may not necessarily change the way in which FM is delivered, but will raise the standard from all sectors of the FM business community and companies of all sizes (not just large corporate organisations). A winning entry for me would see the innovation applied across the FM industry, indirectly improving the industry standard”.