Different seasons require different types of Exterior Maintenance considerations. With summer just around the corner, what should facility and operations managers be thinking about? We posed that question and others to KBS Exterior Services Expert Ray Smith. Watch the video or read the transcript to hear what he had to say.
KBS Expert: Ray Smith, VP, Exterior & Trade Services, KBS
Tell us about KBS and your Exterior Service solutions.
Ray Smith: KBS has an Exterior Services division that provides landscape maintenance, snow removal, and parking lot maintenance. We do this for thousands of properties throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, we have grown over the last few years to become one of the largest service providers in the Exterior Services industry.
With summer almost here, what should facility leaders be thinking about when it comes to Exterior Maintenance?
Ray Smith: Well, I for one, am glad that winter is finally over. It was a long one here in the Western half of the country. If I was a facility maintenance leader, I'd be looking at my landscaping and make sure it looks up to par, maybe considering some enhancement work to freshen up the landscaping so it's more inviting for my guests who are coming to visit and my employees who work there. Also looking at the cleanliness of the outside of the building, the sidewalks, the parking lot, getting those clean, maybe repairs are needed, getting those things taken care of, so the property is in good shape for the coming summer. Finally, even though many parts of the country just got out of winter, I would start thinking about locking down a snow removal contract for next winter to ensure the best pricing.
What are the advantages of combining snow and ice removal, landscaping, and parking lot maintenance with one vendor?
Ray Smith: So, I speak to our clients about this. They really appreciate having one vendor to do all their Exterior Maintenance work, including snow removal, landscaping, and parking lot maintenance. They don't have to worry about who to chase down, who took care of what, who damaged what. They can really focus on their core competency because KBS is managing all their Exterior Services for them.
How can technology be used to improve Exterior Services for clients?
Ray Smith: We have a technology platform called KBSForce that we use to manage all of our clients’ properties and make sure we're providing a high level of Exterior Services to their properties. Part of that is our crew is checking in on the mobile app. Part of that is our KBS field managers, we call them zone managers, that go out and audit the properties, making sure their crews are doing what they're supposed to be doing. All of that's available in our customer portal. So, our customers can access that information in real time. Outside of KBS' technology, which there's much more to talk about, there are specific industry technologies such as smart irrigation controllers that help us to control the amount of water being put out into a property. And by saving water, we also help them reduce costs.
How can Exterior Services help organizations improve their brand image? What about reducing risk?
Ray Smith: So, the exterior of your property is the first thing a customer sees or your employees see, or potential employees who are coming to interview. And so we want to make sure they look like they're in good shape, right? The landscaping is well-maintained and the parking lot is in good condition. Everything is well maintained and groomed so that your brand standard is there. If it's not like that, it takes away from that experience. So we hire KBS. We help you come up with a program that will help you standardize a scope of work across all your properties so there's a consistency there across the country. And then on the risk side, we can help you put together programs that will mitigate risks and remove all liability from you the client. So some really important things there for your company to consider.
