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Elena Prikhodko is not only a teacher of MADI - one of the leading Russian universities for the preparation of professional logistics managers, but also the head of Petite Logist. Elena has more than 10 years of experience in managing transportation companies in Russia and China and is the author of a number of articles devoted to training in logistics, the prospects for the development of Russian-Chinese relations. These topics are being actively discussed and worried not only by people involved directly in the field of supply chain management, but also by representatives of other business sectors, such as warehouse real estate, retail, and e-commerce.    The focus of our conversation is the situation with the training of specialists, accessibility, quality and relevance of education, as well as a look at the general trends of logistics in Russia and abroad. - How do you assess the preparedness of specialists in logistics companies? Answer this question both as a teacher and as a potential employer.  As a teacher, I highly appreciate her training of young specialists in the university. But as an employer, I understand that more is required of graduates, and universities do not teach this. The employer always wants a graduate to come to a low salary, be able to do everything and have five years of work experience. But each company has its own specifics, its own nuances, which need to be trained in the process, so it’s impossible to prepare an ideal employee for all. In this situation, the university can only reformulate the program to give more practice, focus on transportation or warehousing, but it will still be common practices that are not suitable for every company. At the institute, students receive only the necessary baggage.  - And if in shares, how much percent of knowledge does a specialist receive at the institute, and how much should he get at the workplace? Unfortunately, the ratio here is about 20/80. That is, 20% - the knowledge gained at the university, and the remaining 80% - learning in the process. This is due to the complexity of the subject. Logistics is so extensive that in any case, the company will teach the employee, nowhere to go. - How do you rate the existing level of competence of people working in the field of logistics? Let's compare. There is a question to compare with what? If you recall 2008, when I started working in this area, now the level of qualification, of course, has improved. First, universities began to give more logistics, in many institutions this discipline appeared. And secondly, in 10 years, transport, warehousing and other sectors related to supply chains have received strong development. In addition, people now have the opportunity to study abroad, including through online courses, that is, without leaving the country. Therefore, we can say that the level of specialists rises year by year. If to compare with other countries, then in Europe, supply chain management is more structured, systemicity is developed. Our market is younger, and in my opinion the system has not yet been developed. Perhaps my colleagues think differently, but I believe that we need to grow up to consistency. - And in the East, how is this in China? In China it is a very interesting situation. The warehouses related to Russian-Chinese cooperation, which I saw in China, are less qualitative than in Russia. However, the international companies that are represented there build warehouse facilities of a high technological level, and here you can compare China with Europe.   As for education, in China it is no better than ours. Russian education wins in many moments. Communicating with specialists studying in the east, I often get feedback on the level of training. - How widespread is logistic education in the regions of Russia now and how much is it available? Large universities throughout Russia, with the exception of Sakhalin and Kamchatka, are taught logistics. Logistics education is provided by transport universities (railway, mostly) that exist not only in Moscow, but in the Far East and Kaliningrad, ensuring normal coverage and geographical accessibility. As for material affordability, this is a question rather to applicants, whether they have the ability to pay or the ability to get into a budget place, and there are such places in large universities. The cost of training is now an average of 200 thousand rubles per semester. - What trends could you note now in the global and Russian logistics? In Russia, I see a trend towards the consolidation of companies. But this is the impact of the crisis; small companies find it difficult to withstand competition in a tense economic situation. Unfortunately, the crisis of 2014 affected our industry, although it was considered the most stable. There is still an interesting trend in education. Companies are ready to enter the market not only as logisticians, but also as educational projects. I see that many companies launch their own educational programs for both their employees and outside listeners. There is a trend towards digitalization and robotization, but this is a trend of very large companies. Average companies won’t stand such innovations financially. Because robots, drones, automation are expensive. These trends sound very beautiful, and for advertising you can, for example, make a video where the drone flies through the warehouse, but it is very difficult to launch in large quantities. At the same time, robotization exists among large international companies present in our market, but even in this case examples of the introduction of technology in foreign affiliates are more well known. - What about digitalization of information flows? By the way, informational flows are what we have digitized to the maximum, because in large warehouses, WMS is already installed almost everywhere. Almost every company has tracking of deliveries, that is, the level of software is quite high, but so far nothing has gone further. The companies have tracking on the cars, if it is freight, sea and rail transport are also monitored. For example, Russian Railways has its own special program to which you need to connect. Monitoring, WM- and TM- systems software, electronic document management, planning programs are no longer trends; their use has become the rule. - Not only among large companies. Yes, not only. Now it is widespread among small companies, so it’s not entirely relevant to talk about automating information flows as a trend. This is not a wow effect, but something that just should be. In modern conditions, it will be difficult for companies to compete without well-functioning automated work with data. People get tired, make mistakes, and the program with a correctly written algorithm does not get tired and does not make mistakes. In addition, it is cheaper to buy a program once, than to keep staff in an office. - How did the requirements for the employees of logistics companies change over the past 10 years? 10 years ago, logistic education was not a prerequisite. Only the largest companies paid attention to this point in the summary. Now higher education in the field of logistics is found among the requirements more and more often. It was easier to move into logistics from the related field. For example, from the economy and the sphere of translation, because the priority was knowledge of English. Now this is not a priority, because it is self-evident. But the advantage of the applicant is either experience, established bases, or special education. In general, the requirements have become tougher, because the market is developing, and there are already specialists with extensive experience, language skills, and education. This is a good trend! - Will the requirements change in the foreseeable future? First of all, the changes will be in the direction of improving quality. If higher education is now required, then in addition to this, special courses may be required. But there will be no fundamental changes. It is not worth waiting for the next ten years that the skills of building robots will become mandatory for work in the field of logistics. Although, I would like to be wrong. If we talk about knowledge of languages, then certificates will be required, that is, not an elementary school level, but spoken or working English. May require programming skills. In any case, the requirements for using a computer will grow exactly. - While you were speaking, I was still waiting for one of the new requirements to become knowledge of the Chinese language. No, I won't say that. Do you know why? Because Chinese had to be taught five years ago! It is too late now, because China is at such a level of development that we no longer need it. Alexander Perfilyev, Skladium managing partner: “In the logistics industry, most of the current leaders are those who have come to the logistics from various fields and many of them do not have a university education logistics.   Just 10-15 years ago, the institutes were not taught logistics and supply chain management. Therefore, most of the logistics directors have graduated from technical colleges, and have received logistical specialization from practice, as well as attending various courses and studying literature.Many of them subsequently completed the MBA program both in logistics and in other areas.  At the same time, logistics develops and enters our life more and more. Over the years, many universities have introduced the direction of logistics into their program and more and more graduate graduate logistics specialists. Therefore, employers, even to the initial position, prefer specialists with diplomas from leading universities. I think that when applying for a job in a logistics company, a graduate of a specialized university or faculty clearly has advantages over other applicants.” 

Get in touch! In one of our previous articles, we talked about the importance of implementing software in a business center. Through this approach, tenants will be able to promptly report problems and problems in the offices, and the management company will be able to respond to these messages. but   It is equally important to get feedback from the tenant. Has the problem been solved in time and in good quality? Does the company have any other wishes or tasks? If there is no such feedback, this story may come out. BC VSEKLASSNO loved tenants. Especially in the days of payment. The rest of the tenants did not greatly interfere with the life of the building. But once the time has come X - just three large companies have announced that they want to leave the premises. It was at least unexpected. - And what happened? - The administrator asked uncomprehendingly. Head of Company A grinned: - Over the past three months, our staff has been complaining about the unpleasant smell in the room. Do you know how many times we asked to check the ventilation? - But we figured out this question, - the administrator was surprised, - Here, literally last week, we found the reason. “We sent the application 10 times,” the director of company “A” informed, and each time we were informed that the problem was in a different place, so specifically our office did not even need to visit and smell. My employees run up, they do not want to work in such an environment. And where is the guarantee that our office will not smell again? Director of company "B" joined the conversation: - And how does your plumber, you know? The administrator frantically pressed the computer keys: - You left a request that on the 2nd floor the toilet in the women's toilet broke. He was repaired. - Fix it! - Answered the director of the "B" - just three days repaired! All this time, there was a real traffic jam in the toilet, and the cleaning lady informed the staff that little work was needed to go up to the third floor. At the director of the company "B" the administrator was already afraid to raise his eyes. But it did not help him. - We regularly burn out light bulbs, and the lighting is very dim. Employees complain. When the secretary called to find out when they would replace the lamps, they answered us: “What can you not screw the light bulb”? The tenants were unmoved and moved out. But much worse, new companies did not line up to occupy the vacated areas. Even when the rate significantly reduced. Even when she was dropped again. Rumors about indifferently BC spread very quickly. After that, the VSE KLASSNO administration had to change its easy approach to communicating with tenants, conduct a survey of them, identify shortcomings and dismiss some of its employees. The new approach "VSE KLASSNO": "Feedback - the main driver for growth and improvement." It is a pity that for this understanding the owner had to incur considerable losses. Go to visit To avoid such incidents in your BC, keep abreast of events. First, ask tenants to fill out a questionnaire in which they can evaluate the building: · Its location;  · External and internal furnish;  · Quality engineering systems;  · Parking;  · Cafe and other infrastructure;  · The work of the management company, cleaning, security and so on.  Such surveys will help identify weak or vulnerable spots in the BC system. And the wishes and suggestions of tenants - to improve the quality of service and the work of the management company. Secondly, organize a system for monitoring the implementation of applications. The administrator or another responsible person must call or visit the office and check if the problem is resolved and whether the tenant has any remarks left. Thirdly, problems need to be warned: at least once every couple of months, visit each office in person and ask if the company has any questions or suggestions. It's simple: even the most competent marketing strategy will not help with the work of word of mouth, if your business center is not satisfied.

We have already touched on the topic of competent management and cost reduction in the business center. Today we will talk about the opposite of things: what is definitely not worth saving. If you structure these things into categories, you get 4 main points: finishing, engineering, cleaning and staff. Staff The topic of staff qualification is extensive, but we wanted to say something else. Miracles do not happen, and qualified employees do not stand in line for a salary 50% below the market. Only one illiterate or inattentive engineer is able not only to destroy the ventilation system of your business center, but also to spoil relations with all tenants. Therefore, carefully select personnel and enter a multi-level control system to prevent material and moral damage. An equally important aspect is the “cultivation” of the internal personnel reserve, in case you, as an owner, follow the path of forming your own state of exploitation. Or the presence of an external company training center and programs for the involvement of personnel in the formation and implementation of quality standards of services. Stephen King is a writer, not a businessman. But his phrase “When you save on trifles, it usually goes sideways” corresponds to most business concepts.  Engineering systems Burnt light bulbs, unlit staircases, stuffiness or bad smell in the room will cause a lot of complaints from tenants, and a broken toilet or clogged sink paralyzes the work of the company. Such a “service” on an ongoing basis will force tenants to leave your inhospitable business center. Therefore, it is dangerous to save on sanitary equipment, light bulbs and consumables for life support systems and safety. Through specialized software applications, enable residents of your business center not only to talk about the problem (for example, by sending a photo of the problem area), but also to play the role of not only critics, but allies with an indifferent attitude. If you are at a loss with a choice of similar soft - maintenance, we are always ready to consult you. Cleaning Tenants rent offices based on the cleanliness and order in the premises. Therefore, the cleaning schedules should be strictly observed, and the funds for cleaning should not end. You cannot look at 5+ if the toilet paper, garbage bags are out of the bathroom, and the dispenser does not give out liquid soap (Imagine if this happened in a 5-star hotel?). You should not save on high-quality cleaning products: cheap counterparts may eventually ruin the presentable appearance of metal, ceramics and glass. Update repair will cost much more. If internal and external landscaping is provided in the BC, consider the cost of caring for the plants - without additional dressing and watering, they will quickly lose their decorative effect. Finish The temptation to save on the stage of finishing the premises arises from each owner: does it really make a difference for the tenant how much paint for the walls in the office cost? But uneconomical savings is the case when the costs for the further maintenance of the object far exceed the planned ones. In the paint example, this means that the walls cannot be rubbed during cleaning, or literally in a year they will have to be repainted.  Things that can not be saved in the repair: Windows - they provide the correct noise and heat insulation; Doors and fittings - in office space they carry increased load; Tiled carpet: this coating has a high degree of maintainability. The same applies to other floor coverings: modular floors are always more expensive, but easier to use and repair than roll; Coloring the walls. The walls in the office are subject to temperature changes and drafts, so the classic paint on the putty is rarely used. Wallpapers for painting or wall panels are more practical.

How wonderful it would be if all the premises of the business center were magically filled with tenants. However, empty spaces are not a reason for panic. We bring to your attention life hacking, which will help bring additional profits to your complex. Directly or indirectly. "Money to the cashier" 1. Organize coworking . A mini-office or an individual workplace is a western trend that has taken on well in Russia. Its advantages for customers - budget, comfort, work not in the standard mode, but at a convenient time. There is a stereotype that co-working is certainly a creative and underground place for young and energetic people. In practice, mini-offices are an excellent option for people of all age and professional categories. Therefore, equipped coworking in a BC with good location and infrastructure will attract the attention of visitors. The organization of space will require jobs, a recreation area with a kitchenette, a reception area with a secretary. The minimum staff includes the administrators of the hall, the sysadmin, secretaries, and the kliner. 2. Refit vacant space in common areas and enter into an agreement with the tenants on the maintenance of the MOP. 3. Equip a retail outlet in a free space. It should be noted that the main customers of such a mini-market will be tenants and visitors of the business center - there will not be people from the street. The range of products - food and beverages, coffee, newspapers, stationery, small household items, flowers and souvenirs. 4. Rent the room under the showroom . The advantages of this solution for tenants are the access system in the BC and a high level of security: customers come to the showroom by appointment. For decoration of the room does not require special investments: furniture, hung, mirrors, fitting room cabin. But the office itself must have a high-quality finish and good insolation.  5. Advertise BC to PR agencies as an excellent venue for events . In this case, you can use not only free offices, but also the surrounding area. The obvious advantages are security, chamber, technical possibilities for connecting the equipment. 6. Rent space in the short-term rental for video or photography . This option is suitable for presentable rooms with expensive furniture and good lighting. This is a fairly narrow market segment, but the demand for such services is high: there are not enough offers. 7. Arrange an exhibition gallery . This is another option for a short-term lease or event for tenants and residents. At such an exhibition can be exhibited not only paintings or photographs, but also any author's works intended for sale (the so-called "crafts fairs").Positive experience in organizing such an exhibition space is in BC CITIDEL and BT Domnikov. 8. Rent rooms for master classes or seminars . This is a very popular option. Good location near the metro, convenient room, the ability to organize a coffee break - office space is more comfortable for small events than the strict conference rooms. Increase tenant loyalty These two solutions do not bring direct benefits to the owner of a business center, but they seriously improve the loyalty of its tenants, which means that new customers will also receive attention. 9. Create a comfortable recreation area for employees . It is clear that they come to work to work, not to rest, but a relaxation zone in the BC is necessary. 10. Equip a sports area - area for unloading and fitness. Here you can periodically organize team building and other interesting events for tenants. Any free space is your potential income. Therefore, consider all the possibilities of its use - not even the most standard.

Keep your face! Who do you think is the face of your business center? No, this is not a director or manager. These are the people that visitors first see at the entrance to the building - representatives of the security service and reception service. And if they have committed rudeness or inattention to the visitor, be sure: this is exactly what will be remembered by a person in the first place, fairly smearing all the other advantages. Therefore, the work of these two services should be regularly checked and tried to explain to employees what client orientation is. Unless, of course, you have dealt with this concept yourself. Correct orientation What is easier - guess the desires of customers, make them come back again, bring friends and acquaintances and make a profit. In fact, customer-oriented service often turns into obsession. Fortunately, this is more typical for retail, and not administrative service. However, the opposite approach is encountered here: complete inattention to the visitor, when the question of how to get to the office of company X silently indicates the light panel. A polite and friendly attitude to visitors requires some training - this is not an innate quality. If you manage to find such an administrator or guard the first time - this is good luck. Rather, you will encounter the fact that in difficult situations an employee will become confused or start to snap, or even be rude to a visitor. How to avoid it: • Conduct a personal interview with the candidate; • Use provocative questions and simulations during the interview. The client-oriented employee differs from the usual ability to work with objections; • Prepare conversation scripts; • Introduce penalties. But the main thing - do not waste time trying to make Galatea of ​​the statue. During this time, your customer flow will decrease significantly. Guard or guide? There are two types of guards: those who are allowed into the room, and those who are not allowed into it. The second option is the protection of banks, warehouses, closed enterprises. In business centers, we work with the first type, which combines the functions of a checkpoint and a guide at the facility. Of course, from the point of view of the guard himself, the second part of the task is superfluous. The guard is the first person seen by the visitor. Therefore, it is the security guard who is most often asked questions about how to get to this or that room, how to get to the metro station, where the nearest cafe or store is located. Accordingly, the security guard of the business center should be well aware of internal navigation and the nearest infrastructure facilities. And do not forget to follow the procedure. Checking the work of the security service, make sure that the staff correctly understood the tasks assigned to them. How can I help you? The main task of the reception staff is to know all the tenants of the building, their trademarks and legal entities, and their fields of activity. A client’s request may sound not only “How to get to company X”, but also “Somewhere you have an office here”. After issuing the pass, administrators must correctly explain exactly where to go to the client, where there are stairs, elevators and escalators. The important point: the tasks need to be solved promptly and to prevent the occurrence of “traffic jams” - crowds of visitors waiting to solve their problem. All current work should also be hidden from prying eyes: there should not be a pile of unparsed correspondence and so on at the front.  Typical little things that spoil the picture According to customer surveys of BCs, the following situations most often annoy them: • The staff has an unfriendly facial expression; • Employees talk on a mobile phone or with each other and do not pay attention to visitors; • During the lunch break there is no administrator behind the counter; • The staff has lunch at the workplace. The expression “hold face” applies to the business center. In this case, it means that all uncommon or conflict situations in the lobby will be resolved immaculately and politely.

In conditions of high competition in the commercial real estate market, it is extremely important to adhere to two rules: to ensure maximum comfort for tenants and visitors and to reduce operating costs. In both cases, modern software comes to the rescue. The range of tasks that the software solves is very wide: from control over engineering systems and building design to infrastructure management. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups:  Software for control and management of engineering systems - BMS, Building Management System. Another name ASUZ is an automated building management system.  Software for Fasility Management , designed to manage operational services and infrastructures. This includes the reception, cleaning, security, engineering services. In a separate subcategory we make the software to control access mode. Benefits of using software The introduction of a specialized information system facilitates the compilation of a list of planning and preventive works (CPD), accounting for tenant applications, analysis and monitoring of CPD. This is a kind of audit of all infrastructures online. The more applications for work come from tenants - the worse the quality of the outage. The software system for Fasility Management can be integrated with BMS: in this case, the system automatically creates a ticket in case of a failure. Optimized processes for the purchase of consumables and stock replenishment: savings of 25-30%. But in general, equipment maintenance costs are reduced by a third. "Cloud" or "box" Disputes about the benefits of each type of software do not diminish, but when choosing, it is better to be guided personally by your tasks. Standalone is software that is maintained by regular developers. SaaS (software as a service) is software with remote access. His support is made by the supplier. The first version of the service works autonomously, for the second, respectively, Internet access is required.  Pros and cons of the “boxed” solution: 1. High initial cost, with a monthly surcharge usually absent; 2. Own control over data security; 3. The possibility of conflict with the already installed programs; 4. The need to have its own staff of developers; 5. The ability to adjust and supplement the software for their tasks. Pros and cons of "cloud" services: 1. Payment for software rental; 2. With the right choice at the stage of negotiations on the acquisition of an opportunity to avoid conflict with operating systems; 3. There is no need to buy servers and maintain a staff of developers; Access via mobile devices; 4. Unlimited memory. Quick Selection Guide Service solutions should be convenient not only for the management company, but also for tenants, therefore a feedback module is needed in the software. When buying, specify the time frame for the software to be integrated, and also create a project team. The simpler the interface of the program, the better, it will save you from the need for long-term staff training. Pay attention to the following details: 1. Availability of main modules schedules and schedules. 2. Convenience of making preventive maintenance. 3. Clear application log. Key performance indicators of the engineering service are speed, quality and feedback. 4. The presence of a mobile application and its adaptation to all models of smartphones, especially the unit of work with PPC, reception and tenant requests. 5. The functional unit of inventory accounting (their receipt and write-off). Examples of existing services 1. Claris “Automation of business center management” http://www.claris.su/industry/managercompany.html 2. Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) - Dispatch Control and Data Acquisition  http://sunline-automation.ru/products/29-nashascada.html 3. Automation of servicing of FM Commander objects http://fmcommander.com/

The most modern, architecturally and technically perfect business center is not a viable unit without tenants. In order for it to work in full force, competent management is required. The choice here consists of only two options: organize your own management company, or rely on professionals from the outside. Let's try to weigh the pros and cons of each of these decisions. To begin with, we will define the terminology. UA deals not only with the maintenance of the building, but above all with the increase of profitability. In the Russian market, not everyone agrees with this interpretation. You can meet the sites of "management companies", where cleaning services are perfectly described, but there are no case studies confirming the actual management of facilities. In commercial real estate has its own terminology of management (management) triad: Asset management  - asset management or trust management; Property management  - property management (income minus expenses); Facility Management  - building infrastructure management (optimization of operating costs). The last option, Facility, solves a limited amount of tasks in the BC, so in the "solo" version it cannot replace the work of the management company, but is only one of its directions. So, object management is Property management. External management The main advantage of the external M is the ease of interaction between the parties. The owner of the business center does not buy people, but a certain service (or rather, a set of services, competencies, knowledge and reputation of not one person, but the whole range of services offered by the external management company). Accordingly, the result of the work of the MC is assessed very simply - she managed to increase the profitability of the business center or not. This significantly saves the time of the owner and allows you to get the predicted result, which can be fixed in the contract. Other advantages of this solution: 1. The staff of a professional management company consists of employees with relevant experience - no need to spend time and money on retraining your own staff; 2. To resolve issues and interact with the MC, one full-time specialist is sufficient; 3. Service takes place in accordance with the agreed quality standards; 4. The owner removes the risks of working with employees who are not residents of the Russian Federation; 5. The Criminal Code sets the ideology of service standards, as it understands and feels the end user of services - the tenant. Cons for the owner of only two. The first is the cost. Attracting an external management company is likely to be more expensive than creating your own, but this point is offset by professionalism and the ability to provide a higher level of profitability of the object. The second and main disadvantage is trust: it’s not so easy to open up and share the “pain” to a stranger, and even more so, to entrust the management of your “brainchild” of a third-party Criminal Code.  Self management To the obvious advantages of creating your own management service is the ability to control the situation and operational priority setting. In practice, this requires a certain professionalism (retraining of personnel or a new staff). Own operation service, perhaps gives a chance to reduce the cost of Facility Management, but there is a risk of duplication of roles and functions. Without a look at the Criminal Code, as an independent business unit, even if it’s your own, but without relevant experience in the external market, you can easily lose in the speed of reaction to the expectations and requirements of tenant customers.  Significant deficiencies that the owner will face: 1. Double commission for attracting tenants (both the staff member and the third-party broker must pay); 2. Lack of free time: the need to control the work of departments and solve problems of employees; 3. It will be necessary to independently search for personnel and build a personnel management scheme from scratch. At the same time, professionals will prefer to work not with the owner, but in the external management companies; 4. Most likely, some of the functions will double, and the state will be inflated; 5. The human factor: absenteeism, illness, not going to work for employees, in some cases - theft of staff. Fast or forgotten? We must not forget what David Weiss said at that time, the head of NorthernTelecom, “in the future there will be two types of companies - quick or dead.”  In fact, an external company that is accustomed to give all the best in the competitive real estate management market takes not price, but speed. For the current real estate market, the speed of response to the needs of tenants, the speed in proposing the best management practices, the speed in search of new services, the speed with which the MC enables its customers to be heard is “more than money can buy”. Agility and efficiency today rule even in such a conservative business as PropertyManagement. Are we ready to take on Craig Barrett's challenge from Intel “to move at maximum speed, blasting the road behind us? So, "Responsibility is a consequence of certainty." Define your tasks and priorities and weigh your own possibilities: this will help you make the right choice.

Do you have a service plan, Mr. Fix? Everyone knows that a baker should bake pies, a shoemaker should sews boots, and a professional cleaning company should clean the business center. We abstract a little from a situation: we will present the house in which the big family lives. She hired staff to maintain cleanliness. The range of work is obvious: the house should be clean, the result should remain visible, and the service personnel, as inconspicuous as possible. At first glance, it is. But the cleaning in the office is carried out during the working hours of the head of the family, the dishes are not cleaned on time, and the lawn is not cut and weeds at all. At the same time, the cost of staff work is decent, and none of the staff seems to be relaxed. And now let's scale up: the house is a business center, and the family is dozens of tenant companies. The problem in both situations is the same: the lack of a service plan. The principle of optimal and sufficient So that the cost of cleaning does not become exorbitant, use this principle when developing a service plan. Light devices located at a decent height do not need daily wiping, and technical rooms do not need daily floor cleaning. But the bathrooms and elevators should be in perfect order throughout the day. The wider your list of required services, the more expensive the cleaning will be. To create a service plan, it’s not enough to know the building like the back of your hand. You need to repeatedly go through it and look at the premises through the eyes of the tenant. What does the central hall and reception look like, is there dirt in the elevators, are there no bags of garbage at the doors of the offices? How clean is the bathroom and how long does it take to clean them? Write down the stages of your path on a piece of paper and proceed to the formation of tasks. Cleaning frequency Conditionally cleaning of the premises is divided into daily, supporting and general: The height of the daily cleaning is not higher than 2 meters. The complex includes cleaning dust and debris, washing floors; General cleaning is usually carried out once a week, with the sequence of premises recorded in a special schedule; The supporting cleaning of bathrooms and elevators is made every hour; It should be noted those premises, the cleaning of which is carried out as needed several times a day - for example, meeting rooms. Separate items are rendered services for the improvement of the territory: in the service plan it is necessary to prescribe how often they should be carried out. Do not forget about watering lawns (otherwise they will have to be re-built) and snow removal. The last point is more profitable to consider in fact, per unit. There are no trifles in the household Cleanliness is a relative concept even for cleaning companies. Therefore, the service plan should list what is included in the concept of cleaning. For example, carpets and upholstered furniture should not only be vacuumed but also promptly cleaned. Ceiling and wall lights are cleaned in the presence of an engineer who will de-energize and remove them. Blinds require daily refreshing cleaning and periodic chemical - for this they are removed. In addition to walls and floors, it is necessary to wipe the doors and handles. It makes no sense to include in the contract services that may require one-time: it is easier to pay for them in fact. Cleaning should not interfere with tenants The arsenal of modern clinics is impressive - equipment, inventory and cleaning products need to be stored somewhere. Owners often allocate the smallest premises for this, located far from the entrances. In fact, this will lead to higher prices for services - staff will be forced to repeatedly return for one or another inventory, and will spend more time cleaning. Obligatory point of the service plan is zoning of premises and a clear sequence of cleaning, so that it occurs without cross-contamination (if you first clean the floor and then the surface, the floor will become dirty again). Who gets the "chemistry"? This is one of the fundamental issues. Of course, all chemicals used must have safety certificates. But the moment that is often ignored is the material of the surfaces. The abundance of glass, mirrors, and stainless steel elements in the interior is an increase in costs, since removing dirt and fingerprints from such surfaces requires certain resources and takes a lot of time. Clean - where there's no litter Trite, but true: optimization of the cost of cleaning is possible if tenants maintain cleanliness in workplaces and public spaces. In this case, the savings on payroll reaches 30-50%!

Do you still believe in the myths that only offices of A and B + class should have a quality infrastructure, while requirements for B and C are significantly reduced? In this case, do not be surprised if your cashflow does not yet meet expectations. It's simple: give tenants more than they expect, and make a profit! What do tenants want? We regularly conduct surveys of our clients and see that the requirements for the infrastructure of business centers have increased significantly over the past two or three years. Employees of offices spend a lot of time at work and want to solve personal tasks “on the spot” - whenever possible, in the same room where they work. The basic needs are food service, parking, pharmacy, bank or ATM, payment terminals. Additional pleasant bonuses will be the retail zone, dry cleaning, advertising agency, ticket offices, travel agency. In large centers, it is desirable to have a fitness or wellness club and even a swimming pool. Attention to detail The secret of success lies in the details. To understand the needs of a tenant, you should look at the infrastructure of the building through the eyes of an ordinary employee and go his way step by step: 1. How do people get to work? Is there enough space for parking a car, a motorcycle? Does the car wash work during parking? Is there a bicycle parking? Is the movement of corporate shuttle bass organized if the BC is located at a distance from the metro? 2. Where do employees eat? Does the food supply offer a varied (including vegetarian) and at the same time budget menu? Is there a cafe or restaurant in the BC where you can have lunch with customers or business partners? 3. What services may be required by tenant companies at any time - legal, printing, courier, booking tickets, taxi call, dry cleaning? 4. Where can people make the necessary purchases - buy groceries, gifts, flowers? 5. Where should a person go, if he feels unwell at work - is there a medical office and a pharmacy in the building? 6. Where can employees walk at lunchtime? Is there a recreational area with a landscape design and benches? And a small playground? 7. Where do tenants negotiate with clients, conferences and seminars? If they occupy a small office in which there are no similar options, can they rent a conference room or a meeting room for a fee? “Correct” infrastructure is the key to tenant loyalty Absolute fact: even in class C business centers, it is really possible to create an extensive and thoughtful infrastructure that will be in demand from office tenants, which means it will bring you additional profit. In this case, the place of work becomes a functional and atmospheric space, and the loyalty of employees and companies increases. Add to this periodic events for tenants - seminars, workshops, sports tournaments, team building - and get grateful paying customers. And your cashflow. How to start a change for the better? It's simple: call or write to ILM specialists. For each project we develop new ideas and concepts.

Expense management is the most important task for the owner of a business center. The desire to comply with the declared class and level, of course, generates a number of significant costs. How to determine if they are all necessary? Start with a performance audit. 1. Examine the contract with the management company. As a rule, a rather large volume of services is prescribed in it, but some of them remain on paper - in reality there is no need for them. If the building is functioning without these services, which may be required once and purely hypothetically, you can exclude them from the list, reducing up to 15% of the costs. An audit will also help ensure that the costs incurred for equipment or consumables are appropriate. 2. Optimize payroll. Did you have a situation with the “duplication” of functions, when a number of specialists are present not only in your staff, but also in the staff of the management company? The redistribution of responsibilities and a clear distribution of functions can be reduced to 30% of costs. Competent operation = reasonable savings 3. Proper operation of the systems (for example, timely execution of the schedules of the outage and recommendations of the manufacturer of equipment for expensive refrigerating machines (chillers)) prolongs their service life and reduces repair costs. 4. Examine whether energy and waste costs can be optimized. In the first case, the result is achieved by replacing the bulbs with LED lighting, installing motion sensors, and using frequency-controlled drives. The result is up to 30-40% savings. In the second case, it is advisable to use compactors (waste compactors). They reduce the cost of garbage collection by 2-4 times. Professional software - ASUO Of course, an automated object management system is not a cheap pleasure. However, this is a justified investment: its implementation will reduce operating costs by $ 5-6 per square meter / year (data for class A business centers). 5. ASUO automates a number of operations, reducing staff costs; allows you to develop a budget, automatically generating documentation; timely recognizes technical faults. 6. Fast processing of customer requests and prompt troubleshooting helps to establish a trusting relationship with tenants. Tax minimization 7. Independent assessment of the object and challenging its cadastral value will significantly save on taxes. There is no risk 8. It is necessary to carefully calculate the risks of marketed objects. For illegal banners you, as the owner, will pay a considerable fine. Want to know more? Ask your question to ILM.

First impression? One day, representatives of the business center turned to us for advice, which, while keeping the secret, we simply call it SUPER-PUPER. The problem was that the building fully corresponded to the class “A” - the location was practically on TTR, the corresponding engineering and infrastructure, but in the market it was persistently referred to as “B +” or even “B-”. Bad, insulting, and most importantly, a negative impact on rental rates. We did not have the task to conduct a complete survey of the BC, but the situation seemed interesting, and we decided to visit SUPER-PUPER. But first they asked the responsible persons: - How do you evaluate your brainchild? Representatives of "SUPER-PUPER" avidly praised: - The building is beautiful, with fashionable architecture! Covered and open parking, space enough for everyone! - Inside such a design! Glass, metal, stone, chandeliers author's, Italian furniture! - And the reception works, and there is a great cafe, next to two more restaurants, shops, what do people want? And the truth is that? "SUPER-PUPER" meets unknowingly We easily found a BC, and tried to park there, where “there is enough space for everyone” because they took care and ordered a guest place. Street parking was really spacious, except that the whole car was filled up with cars and littered with some kind of garbage and boxes. The barrier, having seen us, creaked and hung. I had to wait for the valet. We waited for him for 7 minutes, and during this time, some hurrying client decided to just leave the car on the pedestrian side. It was fascinating to watch the car owner and the passers-by. The parking man won them all, he appeared when the emotions of the participants in the quarrel begin to resemble the match "Russia - Spain". “Why does everyone put the car here, and not in the covered parking?” - We asked “The door doesn’t work there,” explained the employee, “and they don’t get directly into the building, so everyone bypass here.” That saves time. Quest "pass the gate" The stand shone with the royal brilliance of onyx and exuded an indescribable aroma of meatballs with onions. No less regal Aunt Glasha turned to us and said that she had lunch. Contact in 20 minutes. Our phrase “We have an appointment with CEO”, she put off dinner, looked out from behind the holders with advertising for dancing and yoga schools in the neighboring houses and issued us 2 passes.  To the question: - How do we get to the "..."? - Go there! For some reason, the beautiful glass turnstiles through which we tried to pass did not work. And for our attempts to overcome the obstacle indifferent watched the guard, chatting on the phone. He deigned to approach only when he finished his fascinating conversation: - The first time, perhaps, seems like you came from village. Where you all so dull are taken. Quick inspection We could tell a lot more about our fascinating journey to the BC SUPER-PUPER, but let us spare your nerves and let us know only what is available to the look (hearing and smell) of every visitor: A staff smoking area is arranged in front of the glass windows of the restaurant; Delicious, but little corresponding to the concept of the BC, barbecue flavors reaching even to the lobby, pointing to the neighborhood with a restaurant of Georgian cuisine; The Italian upholstered furniture was somehow shabby - apparently, it was worn out by the visitors of Aunt Glasha; A 5-year dirt bloom was visible on the lamps; On the reception desk and in the corridors lay a “respectable” black-and-white advertisement of a dancing school from a neighboring yard printed on a printer; Help yourself The owners of "SUPER-PUPER" watched our videos and photos silently. And with great interest thanked for out indifference. A month later we received a nice gift and a note: “Thank you for the saved money.” Instead of output How to upgrade the building class without significant costs? We will also be brief: The devil is often in the details.

Perhaps, lately, this is the most frequently asked question for our company consultants. Everyone is worried about the instability of the Russian economy and its dependence on the political situation, which has an impact on all spheres of life. Does the increase in the exchange rate affect the rental rate? Of course. Another question is how important it is. Today, the Moscow office real estate market is in short supply of high-quality “A” and “B +” class office premises, which have been in great demand in the last couple of years. This trend leads to an increase in rental rates in such premises. According to analysts, the rental rate in high-quality premises by the end of 2019 - early 2020 will increase by 15-20%. This trend leads to a return to the “owner’s market”. It is necessary to allocate a separate category of premium objects of class "A", owned by large, often foreign owners, they still have foreign currency rental rates. Of course, such objects are subject to the influence of foreign exchange rates. But for the peace of both parties, lease agreements with these business centers imply fixing the exchange rate, usually with a currency corridor method (fixed minimum threshold of currency value and maximum) with a validity period for the entire contract period, which gives a guarantee to the tenant that is more than a certain amount he will not spend on rent. An important impact on the rental rate has a law. A couple of years ago, property taxes began to be charged not on the basis of the book value of the property, but on its cadastral price. This led to an increase in the tax burden in low-quality premises located in sought-after locations. The increased financial burden of the owner has led to an increase in the rental price in these premises. Let's sum up. At the moment, the change in the exchange rate that shook Russia a couple of weeks ago had no effect on the office real estate market, in which the rental rate is fixed in ruble terms. However, the cost of renting in quality premises of class “A” becomes higher due to the lack of vacancies in them. Tenants should hurry to find a new office, as high-quality areas leave the market every day, and new construction is expected to be at a record low in the last 4 years.