Trends in facility management: it is always interesting at the turn of the year to take a peek to what lies ahead. Especially now. The energy crisis, huge inflation as well as the (persistent) staff shortage in the employment market: even after some tough corona years, it remains a challenging period in facilities management. But what can we expect in the new year? Discover all facility management trends for 2023 here.
Sustainability: a keeper among FM trends
A trend that has been on all end-of-year lists for a while now, but may become more important than ever in 2023: sustainability. Not immediately a trend coming from FM itself, but more a consequence of increasingly stringent regulations. A good and well thought-out CSR policy will therefore become a priority.
Just think of the new, sustainable office buildings of Multi Masters Group or the electric cars at Mobility Masters. But sustainability is also becoming a key word in the cooperation with customers. “By 2026, we want to be CO2 neutral as an organization. The necessary steps to that end have already been taken,” says managing director Philip Paelinck.
Facility service providers will not only make the necessary efforts in their own buildings and for their own staff. Collaborations with customers will also become more sustainable. Facility service providers will take more and more initiatives to ensure an environmentally responsible service, from mobility to waste disposal and innovations.
Digital first: one of the indispensable trends in facility management
From ‘increasingly important’ to ‘an absolute must’: digitization is here to stay. With the keywords ‘affordable’, ‘data-driven’, ‘sensors’ ‘apps’ and ‘robotization’ as common threads.
More and more organizations will be open to digital opportunities in the future; in fact, in a few years’ time, digital is expected to become the norm. This comes with a positive consequence: digital innovations are therefore becoming increasingly affordable, which is of course very beneficial for payback.
But which digital applications will we increasingly see in facility management? It is happening in several ways:
- In customer communication: e.g. Multidesk.
- For monitoring and follow-up of services by the customer himself: e.g. Optimus app.
- During the use of digital applications by customer employees: e.g. cleaning robots.
Apps such as Multidesk and the Optimus app, a CO2 meter or digital mousetrap, sensors, but also (cleaning) robots will take another step forward in 2023. It is therefore important as a facilities service provider to make a resolute commitment to the digital possibilities and as a customer to dare to take the plunge.
Easier said than done, of course. The step to using robots, for example, is still a difficult one for many organizations. Like so many other innovations, robotization needs time, but it is a trend that is bound to come through.
Shift to IFM: the FM trend of the coming years
A partnership in mutual trust with a facilities management provider can provide the necessary stability to your organization in a sustainable way. A trend that has gained increasing importance in recent years is the shift to IFM, Integrated Facility Management. Becoming a total partner for the customer. Not only is this trend expected to continue strongly in 2023, Multi Masters Group is actually making it a goal. “Becoming a partner in life for our customers”: our ambition by 2026 is clear. To put all suppliers, services, processes and systems under one roof and thus completely unburden the customer. This is how we make the shift from different, separate systems to one uniform and strategic service for the entire facility management: an IFM approach.
The office as a meeting place
Working from home got a serious boost since the corona crisis and in the past year we have all started working more hybridly again, although homeworking will never completely disappear. It’s becoming an and-and story: both working from home and in the office. A successful partnership with a facilities management provider, ideally with an IFM approach, means that working in the office becomes a whole lot more interesting again.
Why? Buildings and offices that are clean and where everything is well maintained thus become much more attractive for employees to come to. From there, it is a self-stimulating process: the more people come back to the office to work, the more interaction with colleagues and the more the office is seen as a kind of meeting place. Consultations become easier again, as do meetings or presentations. There is also more time to relax together. The office becomes a place of connection, which makes everyone feel more involved in the organization than before.
Hospitality: the common thread through all facility management trends
We close with the magic word in facility management trends these days: hospitality. Thinking along with the customer, friendliness, politeness, … The customer not only expects to receive a high-quality service, there must also be a good and human connection with the facility employees. This trend will continue and even accelerate in 2023.
An excellent trend, but it does not just stop at this ‘external hospitality’. Not only should you adopt a people-centered approach with your customers or visitors to your buildings. ‘Internal hospitality’ is also at least as important and has been gaining attention recently. Employees form the basis of a company and therefore also deserve a more people-oriented approach. Proper guidance and also unburden the staff themselves is therefore also a trend to keep an eye on.
Here, too, Multi Masters Group takes the matter in their own hands. With the MM-Academy, we focus both on our own employees and, with hospitality as the common thread, we strive to improve customer service.
