3 Proven Tactics to Skyrocket Your Maintenance Team's Efficiency and Crush its Goals

Let’s face it. You are being asked to your work with fewer resources. Your budget isn’t getting any bigger, and every dollar you spend is watched. Still, you have goals you need to meet, and if you’re going to succeed, you need need to get your entire team on the same page.

Your team needs to work together to:

• Manage resources

• Prioritize tasks

• Keep up with industry standards

• Manage costs

• Meet service level expectations

Seamless communication is critical.

So, let's dive into three proven tactics to drive collaboration and crush goals within your maintenance team.

Implementing Regular Team Meetings

Regular team meetings are essential for building trust, rapport, and understanding among team members. You need a well-structured meeting schedule complete with daily briefings, weekly team meetings, and monthly review sessions.

1. Daily briefings tackle pressing issues and immediate priorities.

2. Weekly team meetings focus on long-term plans, project updates, and challenges.

3. Monthly review sessions offer a chance to evaluate progress, share feedback, and celebrate successes (because who doesn't love a good pat on the back?).

You must encourage open dialogue and feedback during these meetings to foster a collaborative and supportive environment. After all, when people feel heard and understood, they're more likely to be engaged and contribute to the team's goals.

How important is this? Well, a Harvard Business Review study showed that teams with regular meetings are 2.2 times more likely to be high-performing (Rogelberg, 2019). Sounds like a good reason to invest time and resources in effective team meetings.

Utilizing Digital Communication Tools

Next, let's talk tech. Digital communication tools are a godsend for modern maintenance departments, bridging gaps between team members, streamlining workflows, and ensuring everyone stays in the loop.

But, you need the right tools. Consider:

1. Instant messaging apps for quick communication

2. Maintenance management software for tracking progress and managing resources.

3. Video conferencing tools, which are a must if your team is distributed throughout the country (sometimes it’s best to be able to look someone in the eye, even they are on a screen).

One important note. You don’t want to end up playing customer support for your team, so choose easy to use tools with excellent customer service reputations.

Need proof? A McKinsey Global Institute report found that using social technologies can increase productivity by 20-25% in organizations with high collaboration (Chui et al., 2012). That's some serious value for your maintenance team's communication strategy.

Promoting a Culture of Openness and Transparency

Finally, let's talk about openness and transparency. Trust is the foundation of any strong team, and creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and voicing concerns is crucial.

Leaders play a pivotal role in cultivating this culture. You must be unemotional about the news you receive. Lead by example and address issues openly and promptly. Encourage your team members to do the same.

Here's some data to back it up: a Gallup study found that organizations with high levels of employee engagement experience 21% higher profitability and 17% higher productivity (Harter et al., 2016). Employee engagement goes hand in hand with openness and transparency, so it's vital to create a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Get to Work

Effective communication within your maintenance team is the key to success in a gas station chain.

1. Implement regular team meetings

2. Utilize digital communication tools

3. Promote a culture of openness and transparency

Get this right, and watch your team’s productivity take off.