Lessen

Optimizing facilities performance and spend for one of the nation’s largest retail banks

Lessen transformed a major retail bank’s nationwide facilities management by replacing unqualified providers with a data-driven, consultative approach that eliminated operational inefficiencies, ensured comprehensive service coverage, optimized third-party spending, and delivered significant performance improvements and cost savings, even amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a Glance

The backstory: Hiring sub-optimal FM providers left a major financial institution seeking a better solution, one that was more suited to their needs. Unqualified service providers and a consistent lack of expert support led to patterns of poor performance and uncontrolled spending. Lessen took over their facilities operations, bringing a consultative and data-first approach to maintenance. This led to sizable improvements for performance and spend.

Background and Pain Points

Suffering for years with patterns of subpar facilities performance, a retail bank with thousands of nationwide locations approached Lessen for a better solution. The bank was working with real estate management vendors—but service performed by unqualified full-time technicians left them with poor performance and an expanding bottom line. After clearing the way for a seamless transition from the bank’s incumbent partners, Lessen revamped their facilities operations and created large-scale savings opportunities.

Creating New Efficiencies

Lessen's team of facilities experts, with decades of deep experience optimizing processes and the entire work order lifecycle, analyzed the bank’s data and workflows to achieve ambitious outcomes:

  • Removed operational bloat: Studied the bank’s facilities workflows and work order history to identify performance gaps and the unique needs of their organization. The program eliminated performance issues down to the individual asset.
  • Ensured provider coverage: Brought guaranteed provider coverage to every region in which the bank has a presence—even in times of peak demand and sudden emergency.
  • Optimized spend with third-party service providers: The bank was only billed for services it needed at the time it needed them, freeing them from expensive full-time annual contracts with ineffective providers while removing inefficiency and waste.

Rising to the Occasion in a Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic affected nearly every aspect of retail bank operations. Lessen relieved some of the risks of in-person interactions in 2020 by:

  • Nightly deep cleanings: Completed nightly enhanced disinfectant cleanings at nearly 1,400 of the bank’s locations.
  • Electrostatic disinfection: Performed nightly electrostatic spraying services at 1,700 of the bank’s locations.

Key Takeaways

  • 8% in annual savings
  • 99% satisfaction with recurring services
  • 14 capital projects completed
  • Doubled spend with local Disadvantaged Business Entities (DBEs)