The document discusses the importance of creating a service level agreement (SLA) between corporate real estate/facilities management departments and their customers to define expectations and measure satisfaction. It states that without an SLA to provide clear metrics, both sides lack an understanding of the other's needs and departments may be surprised by complaints about service quality. The document recommends including both quantitative and qualitative components in the SLA and measuring performance against the agreed upon standards to avoid misunderstandings and ensure satisfaction over time.

1. The Kelly commentary
I can’t get no….
internal compass to provide direction. It
is almost axiomatic that CRE/FM
departments will not have an accurate
view of their customers’ needs without
real-time external guidance. Not to
commit those needs to paper is a fault
shared equally by both sides of the table.
What are the components that can yield a
SLA contract and satisfaction? A wise
woman once said, ‘Everything can be reduced
to arithmetic; how much, how many and how
often’. Carefully applied, this approach
should yield a fair and fairly complete list
of services to measure. Quantitative and
qualitative issues should be included in the
same document and subjected to the same
measurement system.
A name, a definition and a measurement
of time, cost and performance are classic
SLA components. There is nothing exotic
about the formula. Just remember to use
precise terms and simple but
comprehensive measures when building
PROVEN PRACTICES, REAL RESULTS
EMAIL JIM: JIMKELLYAIA@COMCAST.NET CELL: 408.394.7898
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jimkellyaia/
ANALYSES OF PROCESSES, SPACES & PLACES JAN 2015
SATISFACTION. Mick Jagger is not
alone in the search. In corporations across
America, getting ‘satisfaction’ is a question
that seldom results in a satisfactory answer.
In terms of Corporate Real Estate, we’ll
use Webster’s definition stating that
satisfaction is proof of discharging a legal
requirement. The proof in our case is
obtained through a written Service Level
Agreement (SLA).
As a customer, if you accept day to day
performance without using a SLA, then by
default, you are satisfied. In other words,
whatever happens in the corporate real
estate and facilities management
departments needs only reflect whatever
standard of care the provider believes is
adequate.
You can imagine why many CRE providers
are stunned when they suddenly hear of
service dissatisfaction from an exasperated
customer. Lacking an agreement and
measures, they are left with only their
your SLA. Grading can be as simple as 1
through 5 or as nuanced as required.
When approved by both customer and
provider, there is a lasting map showing the
course of satisfaction over a specific period of
time. Along the way, alignment becomes
predictable; surprises few to none.
So we ask this question again,’ What is CRE
satisfaction and how is it achieved?’ Our
answer is that ‘It is meeting a set of measurable
expectations covering a scope of work and
time which is regularly reviewed for
acceptance’.
Don’t let a one-sided dashboard blind you or
assumptions mislead you. Treat the work
soberly as the contract it is and collaborate in
good faith. Do that and you’ll get
‘Satisfaction’ every time.