Common Communication Challenges

Facilities management, while historically a trade-based profession, has in recent years moved towards being more service centric. Organisations today have a better understanding of the impact the work environment has on factors like productivity, employee happiness and retention.

The role facilities management teams play in maintaining the built environment has led many teams to set a goal of improving service delivery. This means improving the overall experience for stakeholders, including facility users, contractors, and management teams.  

An important part of improving service delivery is improving the communications these groups receive. Think of communications as information flow between the facilities team and stakeholder groups, such as facilities users, contractors and management.

Effective communications mean stakeholders receive the right information, at the right time. Achieving this requires the right processes to support information collection, collation distribution.

For facilities teams, communication challenges usually stem from one of four principals.

Information isn't accurate

Your information can only be as good as the data you’re working with. It’s impossible to provide stakeholders with the right information if you don’t have access to accurate information yourself.

Data should be collected and updated in the one place regularly. Challenges to information accuracy usually result from unclear processes around data management.

Information isn’t timely

Information holds much more value when it is received at the right time. Technology puts infinite information at our fingertips, which creates an expectation from stakeholders that information can be delivered quickly.

If information updates are delayed or out of date, these expectations can’t be met, which can leave stakeholders frustrated.

Often, these challenges arise from a lack of visibility within the facilities team. Without visibility over current works, it is difficult and time consuming for facilities team members to attain relevant information.

Wrong level of information

Delivering the right level of information is important to getting the intended message through. Too much information can overwhelm, while too little can result in avoidable back and forth; either can leave the recipient scratching their head.

The relevancy of information will depend on the stakeholder you need to communicate with; the information they need, and why that information is important for them.

Challenges here stem from a disconnect between what the facilities team is saying, and what the stakeholder hears. This can arise because of a number of reasons, but typically is a challenge of context for the stakeholder.  

Accessibility of information

Accessibility of information refers to how well stakeholders can absorb and interpret the information in front of them. 

Even if information is accurate, timely, and at the right level, it may not be accessible. Challenges around accessibility are typically due to the format used to communicate the information.

Sometimes words are the best way to provide important information and context. However, sometimes visual aids, such as dashboards and charts are the most effective way to communicate complex information.