March 1, 2010

ServiceMaster cleans up its contingent labor spend

ServiceMaster serves residential and commercial customers through a network of over 5,500 company-owned locations and franchised licenses. ServiceMaster serves as a parent company to several, independently run business units comprised of 1200 offices with 3400 hiring managers. This corporate structure contributes to a relatively decentralized staffing model as the business units are practically unrelated. The core services of the company include lawn care and landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, home warranties, disaster response and reconstruction, cleaning and disaster restoration, house cleaning, furniture repair, and home inspection.

Due to the decentralized nature of the business and numerous processes, ServiceMaster had virtually no visibility into contractor usage, volume or spend across their business units. Aligning the business units and creating one funnel of information to gain visibility across all locations was vital to standardizing rates and obtaining a consistent, reduced spend across their network. To accomplish these goals in a timely manner, ServiceMaster promptly began a search for a comprehensive solution, including a web-based, robust tool that was intuitive and user-friendly, enabling managers to quickly ramp up their teams and easily deploy within their business units across the country. Just as important, ServiceMaster also required a solution to help them achieve compliance, holding contractors to consistent pre-employment standards, specifically relating to drug testing and background checks. With the adoption of a new MSP/VMS, implementing a vendor neutral program was paramount to keeping the interaction between vendors and hiring managers flexible and amiable for a seamless rollout with no interruption to the businesses.