Services as and where they are needed, even in extraordinary times

A tasty experience 

Outotec and ISS’s roots stretch back many years. Whilst the two companies have been working together directly since 2010, prior to that Outotec was purchasing ISS services indirectly, through the Outokumpu campus. The collaboration was expanded gradually, and nowadays ISS provides services at the Lappeenranta, Espoo and Outokumpu offices. These services include reception services, cleaning, maintenance, and remodelling services, referred to by Erkko and Anssi as handyman services.  

“One of the latest additions is energy management, which has been adopted at some of our sites,” states Anssi.  

In addition to energy management, another notable addition to the service range has been restaurant services at the Espoo office.  

“We collaborated on the remodelling work and ultimately opened the restaurant in 2020. The restaurant forms a substantial element of the client experience, earning us a place in the client’s life each and every day, one lunch at a time,” says Anssi.  

“It also forms a delicious part of the client experience. The office is located opposite the Iso Omena shopping centre, so the location is challenging, with plenty of competition for the restaurant. However, feedback has been positive across the board, with top class results in the Happy-or-Not survey,” adds Erkko.  

The restaurant also features automated checkouts, allowing employees to purchase something to eat or drink at any time of day.  

“The automated checkouts have worked well in the staff restaurant, which is open only to employees, as they add some flexibility to employees’ lives,” explains Anssi.  

Lunches delivered to home offices 

When the transition to the current exceptional circumstances took effect, the restaurant was able to react right away, ensuring the stability of the food supply. The service initially moved from a buffet set-up to pre-portioned meals, with operations enhanced to avoid contact. When almost 90% of those working in the offices moved to remote working, Restaurant Director Osku Toivanen of ISS developed a service, which helps Outotec employees order their lunches to be delivered to their front doors. 

“Every day, we deliver around 50 lunches to the home offices of Outotec employees,” explains Anssi.  

“We were very surprised by how well the transition to remote working has gone for the majority of employees. We have loaned employees desk chairs and monitors, to allow them to work ergonomically from their home office. Lunches delivered to their homes also help the working day run smoothly,” states Erkko.  

Scalability a major asset 

In addition to the innovative solutions in restaurant services, cleaning has also been intensified, and correspondingly, reception services are being managed with fewer staff. As there are far few employees present on site than normal, some of the office spaces have been closed entirely. 

“We have shut down 60% of our office spaces, which has significantly reduced the property’s energy consumption,” says Erkko.  

“With the new arrangements freeing up more time, we have reorganised our work and are currently undertaking tasks that would usually be scheduled for later in the summer, such as cleaning the windows. Whilst the degree of property usage has fallen, property maintenance tasks must still be taken care of and the facilities kept clean and safe,” explains Anssi.  

For Erkko, the opportunity to scale the overall service entity to suit changing needs has been particularly important in this unprecedented situation. Once the situation begins to return to normal, both companies will need to re-examine the service entity and decide what is needed. Anssi and Erkko have also already begun to consider whether remote working is set to become a permanent part of normal office work.  

“Only time will tell. Our wonderfully easy cooperation with ISS ensures that we are well-prepared for change,” summarises Erkko.