The school run
That’s it folks – the good times are over. Anyone with a commute to work has had to wind back the alarm clock, fight their way out of the junction at end of the road, and retrain their extraocular muscles to roll back their eye balls as the glare of brake lights confronts them when they attempt to get on to the motorway. Schools have gone back…
The only comfort I have taken from the fact the new school year has started is that cyclists who have been whimsically gliding through the empty streets for the past six weeks have had a change in attitude – the majority now look like nervous 11 year olds taking their cycling proficiency test. At least that should keep them safer.
In saying all of this, for many parents this week sending their children back to school is merely the finishing stage of the Tour De France – identifying the best schools to send them to. It starts with predicting their 11+ results, to see if it’s worth visiting the grammar schools. Next up – visiting the schools themselves and judging by the look of the poor child showing them round as to whether this is the type of school for them. Next comes the discussion with junior to see what he (or she) thinks. and then finally three names are listed in preferential order and sent into the abyss.
Selecting a school for your children is rightly given the utmost attention by parents across the country as the way in which they are educated will play a part in sculpting the path they take in life and ultimately the young adults they become.
Businesses also find themselves at these cross roads of development and without taking the correct care and attention at these junctures all the hard work leading up to that point can be slowly unwound. As the director of a property management helpdesk and procurement business, I am not going to claim that selecting the right helpdesk and procurement method will make or break your business. But, it would be fair to say that these decisions can have a huge effect on the day-to-day lives of both your property management staff and your valued tenants.
In our experience too many organisations make snap decisions when taking this route and don’t take the time to seek out the best fit for them and their portfolio.
At Propertyserve, we dedicate ourselves purely to property and have shaped our team to understand building systems and maintenance issues in an effort to add value and be as proactive as possible. To our clients this means more pro-active time for their FM’s, a 24/7 professional service to their tenants and a transparent procurement method that represents value for money and risk aversion for themselves and their valued clients. Education is vital.
Ian Robertson, Director at Propertyserve UK