As a facility manager working in: retail spaces, warehouses, distribution centers, hospitals, and schools. It can be difficult to stay on top of the never-ending list of maintenance items that seem to come up on a daily and weekly basis. Inevitably somewhere in that ever-growing list is the need to service the lighting in your facility. Things like interior and exterior lighting, lamps, and ballast. These lighting items, unlike routine service, are more mission-critical. They need to be addressed quickly and efficiently. What I would like to talk about in today’s article is what to look for when searching for a National Lighting Service Company. Below I’ve put together some tangible items to look for when it comes to searching for a lighting partner. One who will complete the job both on-time, on budget and with a high degree of competency.
 

National Lighting Service Company Check List

1. Can They Complete the Service in a Timely Fashion: The first item to look for in a lighting partner is their ability to complete the service request in a timely manner. Does the potential partner have technicians near your facility so that they can respond in a timely fashion? Make sure to ask this critical question for any potential lighting partners.
2. Flexible Pricing: Does the lighting partner have a pricing plan that will fit your budget and cash-flow projections for the year. Many lighting partners have inflexible and rigid pricing models, make sure that any potential partners can build a pricing plan that works for your needs as a company.
3. Capacity to Complete The Work: Does the potential lighting partner have the capacity to complete the various types of lighting service requests that your organization is likely to have. Do they have the necessary knowledge base, network of technicians and electricians, and work vehicles to complete the task at hand?
4. Reporting and Post Implementation Analysis: Finally, the right lighting partner will have the key performance indicators that are being monitored throughout the process to ensure that the project stays on time and on task. Some common industry KPI’s are below (these vary by lighting service provider):
   • Scheduled vs. Completed visits per schedule (weekly/monthly)
   • Check-in and check out compliance
   • First-time completion percentage
   • Average time to complete
   • Number of warranty replacements
   • Number of escalations
   • Pass/Fail quality inspection
   • Customer (store level) satisfaction score

Making The Final Decision

Making the decision to hire a national lighting service company or keep this work in-house is a very big decision for any organization. Ensuring that you do your due diligence on the front end during the buying process is critical. I have seen many companies rush through this process and the end result has been disastrous. Use the blog post above as an overview of things to look for when evaluating the merits of a lighting partner. At the end of the day the goal is to ensure you get the service that you need and to keep your facility up and running at all times. For more information on this topic, contact Action Services Group by calling 610-558-9773 or email [email protected] or schedule a call.