CUSTOMER-CENTRIC APPROACH

In this exclusive interview, Kasun Illankoon spoke to Syed Abdul Majeed, General Manager at Latinem FM, to discuss the growth of the company and how their services aim at putting their customer at centre of their services.

Tell us about your role as GM for Latinem FM.

Latinem FM is set up as integrated facilities management for its premium Luxury properties where we tend to offer a high level of hospitality services with a customer-centric approach.

As Latinem FM GM, I lead a team of experts from different fields to ensure that the delighted customer journey is sustained through the services which we offer to our customers.

We tend to build services understanding our customer needs and delight which drive us to be innovative in the things that we do.

I have come with over 20 years of experience in facilities management in various sectors from retail, residential, and healthcare & hospitality which have traditional Integrated facilities management approaches and I always aspire to disrupt by driving the traditional method to technologydriven facilities management which is an aspiration of the senior management that has brought me here and has been working to set up a team which will make a difference in our customer living experience, hence we launched a moto where it states: “Latinem embracing your living space”.

In Latinem we tend to differentiate what we do from the market which has driven us to create exceptional services.

I have been a lead to create a team of members who drive change in the field of facilities management where we have developed platforms like the Centre of Audit, Central Data control center which in turn drives the cost of our customers as these innovations drive optimized solutions.

What is your vision for Latinem FM and what are your goals and objectives?

Latinem’ s Vision has always been to be the preferred smart technologydriven Integrated Facilities Management service partner delivering very high standards of service excellence to our customers and to achieve this we have set a mission of driving the value culture of traditional Facilities management to technology-driven facilities management.

To achieve this, we have set up a team of experts from different fields of Integrated Facilities management and other sectors to achieve goals that are customer-centric where the services we offer adds value to our customers leading to organic growth

Digital transformation and technology drive the culture of innovation in the way we operate and offer services which in turn add value to assets. Investing in people to drive this change is a very key factor for our sustainable and consistent business growth.

Creating disruption in the market with technology-driven facilities management is a very key goal that drives the teams to think differently about what we do where AI-based energy optimization has been a great milestone.

Tell us about the services provided by Latinem FM

To perceive and define quality standards is what we strive to achieve at Latinem.

Latinem FM delivers a very comprehensive solution of MEP services to its clients with the help of an experienced team, who are involved from the design stage, through to the build and operations stages.

The aesthetics maintain the value of a property and are also an indicator of its overall quality. To ensure we achieve this goal, we deliver exceptionally high standards of cleaning services that create a hygienic and sanitized environment, creating an ambiance where the customer experience is enhanced.

Our smart customer service stands out from other service providers in the market. Our in-house platform utilizes a unique technology, Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM), to provide greater flexibility in adapting to the customers’ needs.

Customer interaction is enhanced by allowing them to interact with the system, which is monitored by a team of professionals and technical experts who have been trained to deliver quality solutions.

A futuristic model of controlling and monitoring the assets of our customers defines the uniqueness of our Smart Customer Service.

Our approach to self-delivery and being a one-stop solution for our customers drives us to provide diversity in our service offerings. These include:

> The Center of Audit is a team of experts driving the highest level of innovative service delivery standards across the business.

> Our team is driven to differentiate themselves by adopting a culture that values the customers’ assets and the journey they experience, through the provision of optimized solutions for building operations and energy management.

Tell us how the company has grown over the past few years.

Latinem was set up in 2018 with the intent to drive technology in Integrated facilities management. We launched a very comprehensive approach to the first project where we brought in a mechanized approach rather than a traditional labor-driven approach which has enlightened our customers in the services and consistently we have been innovating in the past years looking at various sustainable and robust solutions.

In 5 years, we have organically grown 4X times where we have been offering services to our customers both looking into their facilities and serving them for their internal unit requirements.

With impeccable quality, a delivery model & cost to a value-driven approach we have been very successful in delivering value for money to our premium customers. It has grown to multiple horizons by incorporating a backward integration model of design, built & maintain where we have self-delivered multiple services to the customer and have been a one-stop solution.

We have expanded our portfolio by expanding the company’s bandwidth to residential, retail commercial & hospitality segments. By embedding technology like Centralized Building Management System (BMS), AI-optimized energy management, IOTs, and CAFM, Latinem has become a pull brand where customers enquire about the services we offer and inculcate trust in the brand.

Tell us about the FM Market in Dubai, where do you see growth and opportunities right now?

Facility Management services have matured, with the growing real estate development & tourism industry across UAE. The FM market is going through a major transformation driven by technology innovation, new business models, emerging value propositions, competitive disruption, and create new service offerings. In many parts of the world, FM services are commoditizing and there is a need for innovation and new value propositions if suppliers are to avoid the cost trap.

Multiple dynamics revolve around facility Management and market gap analysis bringing Latinem to the forefront with the support of a dynamic team & continuous improvement approach.

With UAE’s mission of driving the net zero goal by 2050, has opened a great opportunity and challenge to the corporates to drive the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and Integrated facility management service providers are going to be a key partner to accelerate this change which gives them to offer sustainable, innovative solutions.

Current clients are looking at IFM partners who drive this change, and we are positioning ourselves to be at the forefront to lead this drive.

Tell us about the unique value proposition that Latinem FM provides in the market.

Our Values drive provides a very stable and consistent business approach:

Customer Focus: We recognize our customers’ requirements and consistently deliver the best possible products, service, expertise, and quality at a cost-efficient solution. Our customer relationships are based on commitment, mutual trust, collaboration, and coevolution. >>>