How do you manage the maintenance of dozens of schools and daycare centres in a way that keeps users satisfied and technical systems running smoothly? According to Atso Selkälä, Quality Manager at Espoo City’s Facilities Services, a property caretaker is often like an ice hockey referee – if you don’t see or hear from them, everything is going well.
Expertise and the right people are key
The City of Espoo began partially outsourcing its propertyand facility maintenance in 2014. Today, Alltime is responsible for two of the city’s six outsourced areas.
“Outsourcing was a significant change for users, and there were inevitably some challenges. People were used to their familiar ‘Matti’—someone who wasn’t just doing a job but was part of the community. When an external service provider came in, I, as the area manager, had to attend many meetings to explain the changes. Now that people have adjusted and the initial fuss has passed, everything works exceptionally well,” says Selkälä.
Selkälä began his career at the City of Espoo as a property caretaker in 1986 and has since moved through various roles to become a quality manager. His responsibilities include managing outsourced property service contracts, overseeing quality control, conducting tender processes, and providing expert insight. The work is highly diverse and engaging. His extensive field experience in property maintenance gives him a unique perspective when evaluating services.
“Facility maintenance is easy to understand when you’ve done it yourself on a grassroots level. I’ve walked every step of this path, and it helps me understand the needs of all parties involved,” says Selkälä.
He points to industry-wide challenges such as staff availability, motivation, the increasing importance of language skills, automation, and the need to maintain professional competence. Effective communication with users is also vital.
With nearly 40 years of experience in Espoo’s properties, Selkälä adds: “Everything starts with the caretaker. When the right people are in the right roles, everything else falls into place. Alltime has succeeded in providing us with the right professionals.”
Advanced quality control ensures successful service experience
Espoo aims to be a forerunner in quality assurance. The value of facility maintenance is measured through an advanced audit system developed by Espoo Facilities Services—something Selkälä hasn’t seen elsewhere.
“We’ve been developing our quality control system since 2014. It now operates through a customised audit section in our maintenance logbook, which we fine-tuned to our needs over an intense two-year development period,” Selkälä explains.
There are approximately 400 audited sites. The city conducts audits twice a year, while external service providers, like Alltime, audit their areas four times annually as per contract. Each season has its own audit template and results are reviewed in monthly monitoring meetings.
“We receive reports categorised by service provider, building, individual caretaker, auditor, and area. We use precise numerical indicators. The target score is four on a scale of one to five, and Alltime has achieved excellent results,” Selkälä says.
Quick response and proactive customer service
Service quality is also measured by how promptly and effectively deviations identified in audits are addressed. According to Selkälä, Alltime has excelled in this area.
“Alltime has responded to issues exactly as required. Our contact person is assertive and efficient, always taking ownership of matters and delivering results,” Selkälä says.
He also highlights the importance of user experience: “A property caretaker is like a hockey referee—if you don’t notice them, all is well. But if something goes wrong, you’ll definitely hear about it. Ideally, the caretaker feels like a member of the community.”
Beyond responsiveness, Selkälä commends Alltime for its initiative:
“Last year, at the Kivenlahti community park, there was an event where Alltime brought along equipment for residents to explore. It was especially popular with children and families. The idea came from a proactive site supervisor at Alltime. Absolutely brilliant—this is exactly the kind of thing we value.”
The future of facility services: A combination of people and technology
Facility maintenance is undergoing a transformation. Increasing automation and digitalisation are calling for new skillsets, while finding skilled workers remains a significant challenge.
“In future, more IT skills and system management knowledge will be needed. Customer service skills are also becoming even more important,” Selkälä notes. “That’s why we provide ongoing specialist training for caretakers. We’ve run courses in customer service, problem-solving, geothermal heating, and plumbing.”
Drones are already used for tasks such as gutter inspections, and robotic lawnmowers are becoming more common in some locations. Still, Selkälä believes property maintenance will remain a people-centred industry.
“Our work is very much about people. It’s hard to imagine caretakers being completely replaced by robots. Technology will support the work, but people aren’t going anywhere. I’ve worked with many service providers, and it’s easy to say that Alltime strikes an impressive balance between forward-thinking and day-to-day excellence,” Selkälä concludes.
