Page 34 - Clean India Journal - Sept 2023 Digital Edition
P. 34
Industry talk
A practical guide to
building long-term client relationships
Long-term contracts, contract Measuring loyalty
Any relationship that is not built on commitment,
extensions and easy contract trust and loyalty cannot be a win-win proposition.
renewals are every service Businesses that are built on loyalty last longer
provider’s dream. Instead of and are more fruitful for all stakeholders. As
facility management services are typically an
relying on the whims of a annuity business, separation of engagement is
client, there are many proactive very minimal during the tenure of the engagement.
Thus, in facility management, customer loyalty
steps that a service provider would be a measure of a customer’s likelihood to
do repeat business, increase scope of business or
can implement to bolster the do additional business.
likelihood of a client remaining The right start
with them for years at a stretch. Having been part of many such facility
In this incisive piece, Saji C contracting engagements, I have witnessed the
entire gamut of the contracting journey, from
Sebastian, Principal Consultant, RFP and service execution to periodic review and
FM Future Labs examines contract closure. The foundation of an engaging
relationship is laid even prior to the preparation
the various factors that foster of the RFP i.e. when the scope and expected
deliveries are spelled out. If the scoping is right,
customer loyalty, and suggests the right fit of vendor partners can be identified.
several ways in which FM Longer is better
partners can engage with How the RFP is drafted plays a crucial role in
a client to strengthen their ensuring that the relationship survives the complete
relationship. tenure of the contract. Currently, most contracts are
for a one-year tenure, extendable by another year.
However, to have more mature relationships, the
engagement should ideally be for a period of
3-5 years.
SEPTEMBER 2023•Clean India Journal
34 www.cleanindiajournal.com
