Is there always a “best option?”
That is the question facility managers ask themselves on a daily basis. Facility managers are tasked with balancing dozens of tasks that can often deter their focus from key tasks that are crucial for company success. Responsibilities such as staying up to date with inspections, creating maintenance audit checklists for equipment, and ensuring maintenance runs smoothly are just a few responsibilities that take up the majority of a facility manager’s time.
Digital facility management systems are resourceful tools that are quickly becoming a necessity in the facility management and building maintenance industry. More property and facility managers are enhancing the inspection process by implementing digital inspection and to-do list software into their day to day operations. Many forms of facility management software promote more efficient data recording, simple inspections, and streamline work order flows with automated reminders and follow-ups for missed inspections. In addition to this, staff inspectors can also give a more detailed account of key incidents by uploading notes, photos, and information that management can view in real-time.
Benefits of Facilities Management Software
The transition from physical inspections to digital inspections can be daunting; however, various facility management software can ease the transition through the various features and simplification that they provide.
Today, many facilities use paper-based methods to store inspection data. This can be detrimental to the overall productivity of a company, as paper-based methods are often time-consuming. Illegible handwriting, manual time-intensive report creation, and managers awaiting for reports to reach their inbox, are all factors that make paper-based inspections inefficient.
Aside from the increase in productivity that comes with switching to a digital facilities management software, another advantage of switching from paper to digital software is the centralization of data. Previously, many managers would have to take these paper inspection forms and essentially duplicate them onto their computer; as a result, managers wasted around 3 hours a week on administrative work. Additionally, for digital facility management software, data is backed up and stored on the cloud which eliminates the clutter of files and allows for more accurate record-keeping.
Since facilities managers have so much to keep in mind, routine inspections can sometimes go overlooked. But digitizing maintenance audit checklists and using task management apps can take the work out of resource planning and scheduling. Facilities managers can schedule inspections, notify staff inspectors, and receive notifications if inspections are missed. And since everything is digital, these tasks can be carried out in a fraction of the time – and with greater accuracy.
Top Facility Management Software Features
There is a diverse selection of facilities management software available today. Each platform offers standard features to help facilities managers with yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily checklists. These include asset management, maintenance management, administrative management, labour resource tracking, and offline and mobile capabilities.
- Asset Preservation: Features such as custom lisk makers and inspection reminders allow staff to stay up to date on the status and health of their assets. This allows staff members or vendors to stay on top of inspections, prevent emergency maintenance call outs, and allow for quick repairs on equipment before problems escalate.
- Maintenance Management: A digital checklist app allows for staff and vendors to directly communicate issues to management due to the real-time features of these digital apps. The ability to upload photos of the incident, include comments about what specifically is wrong, and sync that data to the cloud, allows for stronger communication channels between management and vendors.
- Administrative management: The centralized data storage and digital record-keeping that digital facility management software provides allows for managers to quickly access files, manage contracts, input orders, view inspections checks and much more. With paper-based management managers typically fall prey to double-data entry. With digital facility management apps double-data entry is negated, as the data from your device is immediately synced to the servers in real-time.
Weighing the Alternatives
In today’s market, there are a growing number of facility management software choices. The numerous applications to choose from can make picking the right one difficult. That is why facility management teams must first define the intended use of the software they are looking for.
For single property managers, a simple facility management system may suffice to track daily tasks via checklist, and follow standard compliance procedures. However, for property managers who manage multiple properties, they may require a more detailed and sophisticated software to assist with complex procedures.
Managing properties that are distanced from each other can be challenging for property managers, as it requires property managers to be on site to view inspection documents and maintenance concerns. Property managers need a facility management software that goes beyond digital record-keeping and allows them to view property documents and issues without necessarily being on site.
So what goes beyond digital record-keeping?
Cloud-based solutions allow property managers to use the platform from anywhere, on any device, with or without an internet connection. In an event of an emergency such as a flood or gas leaks, these features become crucial to maintaining the life of property.
There are several critical questions that facility managers must ask themselves to decide which facility management software is best for them.
- How many properties do you manage?
- How quickly are maintenance requests answered?
- How are preventative measures being scheduled?
- Who is responsible for equipment maintenance and are they attending to issues in a timely manner?
- How much time do you spend on administrative work, locating files, and transporting data from one party to another?
How We Can Help.
Onsite HQ is a cost-effective facility management software solution that can help managers maintain properties of any size. We offer a variety of plans depending on your needs and our software has all the features that you’ll need in a digital facility management system.
The software implementation process takes your requirements into account to create a program specific to your needs. You’ll get user training, data collection and import functions, system installation and IT infrastructure support.
To see how we can streamline your implementation, schedule a call today.
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