With the peak season rush looming large, and the increasing pressures of e-commerce shipping demands rising, the ability to locate and utilize local facilities service providers is more important than ever for facility managers who oversee large distributed portfolios. According to a report highlighted by Fortune Business Insights, “The global facility management market is projected to grow from $1,249.45 billion in 2021 to $1,759.25 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.0% between 2021-2028.” With this level of growth and expansion potential, the need for a renewed and continued focus on local vs national providers in facilities management becomes apparent. The benefits that come from tapping into an established partner who can leverage outsourced local service providers to manage repair and maintenance issues that arise offer facility managers an efficient and cost effective way to curb maintenance costs and reduce risk while maintaining their brand image .

Local Vs National Providers: The Challenges of Finding the Right Field Service Vendors

Saying that the market, in general, is growing is an understatement. The need for professional and reliable field service vendors  continues to grow, presenting management with a unique set of challenges. Finding the right partner means comparing the following between local and national providers:

• Embracing the need to vet and check them out ahead of time
• Having to set up payment terms and specifications
• Streamlining the process of establishing contractual terms
• Constant concern about availability and accessibility
• Struggle to meet best practices and trends in the market
• Collaboration with national and local facilities service providers

Finding the right provider continues to be a dominating aspect of facilities management and impacts many aspects of the local and national markets.

Local Field Service Vendors Also Help Facility Managers With Brand Reputation

Choosing local vendors and service providers over more national-based providers allows for more personalized services and customer interactions. This, in turn, improves overall brand reputation and enhances customer loyalty.  Local facility vendors and providers can help businesses stay focused on the following key points to track and monitor:

• Environmental Impact- local providers mean less accessorial miles driven to get to and from job locations and also allow for better route planning and adjusting.
• Sustainability- staying with local providers also means businesses can be more sustainable by reducing travel times, empty miles, and route backtracking.
• Governance- businesses wanting to attain ESG goals can benefit from local providers as it allows for faster, easier, and more appropriate management options.

Choosing local providers helps support local communities and can also help the company feel more relatable with a hometown feel that more and more consumers are gravitating towards. When it comes to choosing local vs national providers in facilities management, for many businesses today, local quickly emerges as the optimal choice.

Why Working With a National Expert Can Bridge the Divide With Local Providers

Businesses who want to focus on and support local providers and work with local facilities managers can still benefit from a partnership with a national provider. In many cases, large companies and national experts can serve as a ready-made access road to local providers. This is because it is ultimately the company’s existing partnerships and willingness to work with more companies on a local level that makes the partnership ideal for growing businesses. 

Not all companies can easily tap into local markets and find local facilities service providers. However, larger national companies can do so by partnering with a national expert, businesses can be matched with local providers quickly and easily. Many national facilities management providers work with an array of local field service vendors. 

This is because the locals know more about how local settings, climate, trends, and other factors can impact day-to-day operations. Examples of this include knowing how to manage dirt and dust out West and how to plan for Hurricane Season in Florida and how to handle ice and snowstorms in the New England area. Continued growth in any market is largely dependent on finding the right providers to partner with.

Choose the Right Facilities Management Service Provider With Local Networks

Making the right choice when it comes to finding facilities management service providers can have a tremendous impact on local businesses. Partnering with local facilities service providers can open doors to increased availability and service options that otherwise would be difficult to attain or well out of reach for many smaller businesses. 

When it comes to the choice between local vs national providers in facilities management, the importance of going local cannot be overstated. Choose a facilities management service provider that meets your specific goals for short-term and long-term growth by contacting SMG Facility Services today.