Case Study

London Metropolitan University (LMU) is ranked as one of the UK’s top 10 universities based on teaching quality and student experience, with student experience crucial to the university and its success. LMU is widely regarded for its approach to sustainability, featured in 2021’s People & Planet Sustainability League Table for making the largest reduction in carbon emissions out of all UK universities, with a massive 80% reduction since 2005-06.

Any service providers within the university must put the experience of the university students and visitors at the heart of their conduct. Trusted to be able to adhere to the values of LMU, Samsic mobilised a comprehensive, professional cleaning service for LMU in 2021, initiating a valued partnership based on a culture of service excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

The Challenge

For London Metropolitan University (LMU), all facilities management providers must align with the university’s values and dedication to enhancing the LMU experience. Ensuring that students and visitors enjoy a sense of prestige and comfort when accessing LMU’s buildings is crucial to the overall learning environment and the university’s success.

Before Samsic’s introduction in 2021, the cleaning team faced several challenges due to the age and condition of some of the university’s sites. With LMU’s origins dating back to the 1800s, many buildings are old and require frequent maintenance. On average, 95 maintenance reports are logged monthly, often requiring the cleaning team to provide emergency support for clean-up operations related to repairs. Additionally, periodic flooding in certain buildings demands quick action from the cleaning team to restore affected areas to a high standard of cleanliness.

Students, who are the primary users of these facilities, add another layer of complexity. Their unpredictable use of the spaces and high footfall often make cleaning more challenging, with frequent emergency cleans required. This level of high-impact cleaning demands modern processes and efficient workflows. Samsic can meet these needs through our in-house, BICSc-accredited Professional Skills Suite Academy which provides our teams with the skills to manage these facilities and has been recognised for excellence in training and assessment. However, implementing this training across such a large team requires careful planning and ongoing management, considering the team’s shift structures and working hours.

Service stagnation prior to Samsic meant that management support was required to revitalise the cleaning team, building engagement and energy within the team to support the proposed new processes and measures to raise site standards and change the culture of the team. Additionally, an investment in new technology was required to support the efforts of the cleaning team as the quality of cleanliness across the university’s sites was suffering. This prompted CBRE, the university’s facilities management partner, to seek a professional cleaning services provider capable of implementing a culture of continuous development and innovation.

Samsic was selected to elevate LMU’s cleaning standards. With a proven track record of delivering transformative services for other CBRE clients, Samsic brought the drive and dedication needed to achieve the level of service excellence LMU required.

The Solution

With its high footfall, ever-evolving requirements, and central London locations, London Metropolitan University (LMU) is a high-profile client for CBRE. Therefore, to ensure the successful implementation of services, Samsic developed an extensive mobilisation plan to support the contract launch, fully tailored to meet LMU’s unique requirements.

The mobilisation plan, created in collaboration with LMU management, covers all aspects of the cleaning service, including the daily duties of the operatives, issue resolution, and service development. This plan is communicated at every stage to both LMU and CBRE management and is continuously tracked through regular meetings and our ECAT quality auditing tool.

ECAT, our quality auditing platform, is accessible to Samsic teams, CBRE management, and LMU management. Through ECAT, cleaning teams log site standards, progress, and any incidents, uploading photographic evidence in real time. These entries are time-stamped and incorporated into client-specific reports, helping to provide LMU, Samsic management, and CBRE with a clear view of site standards and helping to drive continuous improvement initiatives.

In addition to using ECAT, Samsic utilises CBRE’s SI portal which allows the cleaning operatives access to LMU’s emergency specialist support requests, this streamlines operations and ensures efficient service delivery across LMU’s sites. Samsic provides all team supervisors with tablets so they can access support requests quickly and turn around any student complaints.

To ensure quality assurance and management of each of the 6 sites, Samsic’s dedicated SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality) team conducts bespoke health and safety audits of each university building every quarter, while on-site team leaders perform monthly checks to ensure the welfare of students, staff, and visitors.

To enhance the service provided by our dedicated cleaning team, Samsic has introduced several innovations, including Phantas co-botics, our cost-saving Toucan EcoActive system, and Samsic Ssensor Ttechnology. Each month, Samsic recommends two innovations to LMU to drive progress in the contract and continuously improve site standards and processes.

Phantas has greatly improved cleaning efficiency in high-traffic areas, operating autonomously to vacuum, sweep, dust mop, and scrub floors. With Phantas units, the cleaning teams can focus on other essential tasks, such as deep periodic cleaning. Due to its effectiveness, a second Phantas unit is set to be introduced in the reception area of LMU’s newly opened Science Centre.

Samsic’s Toucan EcoActive system offers a chemical-free solution for disinfecting and cleaning. This powerful system, capable of killing 99.99% of viruses and contaminants, can be quickly produced on-site by cleaning operatives. Toucan EcoActive not only serves as a comprehensive cleaning solution but also significantly reduces inventory costs and minimises plastic waste by eliminating the need for traditional cleaning products.

Software such as Samsic Ssensor Ttechnology is additionally in use across LMU. Sensors, placed throughout the facilities ensure that cleaning operatives are devoting their attentions to areas in need of cleaning, ensuring they are cleaning where needed and optimiszing their time on site. Sensor technology minimises materials wastage and ensures that operatives are maximiszing their time and resources.

Alongside traditional cleaning resources and equipment, Samsic has introduced steamers, extraction machines, and specialist vacuum technology to dispel the occasional flooding. Janitorial trollies, sustainable cleaning materials, and touchless female hygiene bins have also been introduced for the enhancement of the onsite experience.

To support our people and enhance their experience within Samsic and their work-life balance, each team member has access to a comprehensive staff awards package. This includes financial support schemes such as WageStream, which provides optional access to accrued wages, vouchers and discounts at high-street and online retailers, and access to reduced-price technology and cycling equipment. By supporting our teams financially beyond their salary, we are promoting their wellbeing and valuing their ongoing commitment to our clients. We also provide our people with mental health support through our valued Mental Health First Aider program and private counselling service should they need emotional support.

The career goals of each member of the cleaning team are listened to and factored into the progression of the overall LMU contract. Samsic’s own Learning Management System (LMS) platform, aims to provide individuals with easily accessible training materials to prepare them with management skills, basic training skills, and refresher courses, and 100s of other courses to support them in their professional and personal development. The suggestions of the teams are also gathered from regular toolbox talks, where Samsic conducts open team meetings to help gather team feedback and carry out in-person training courses. Samsic management has also created a newsletter for the team, to inform them of site-wide and company developments and to share the latest innovations being used on site.

Samsic is fully engaged in meeting the needs of the university, supported by comprehensive training and a strong commitment to service improvement. Since mobilisation, where we successfully transitioned all cleaning operatives into our team and way of working, we have since hired an additional 6 staff to maintain operational efficiency, with no departures. Samsic was selected by CBRE to work with LMU for their dedication, clear communication, and proven management support, as demonstrated through previous contracts with CBRE and this ongoing collaboration continues to drive positive results.