The debate over the usefulness of facility management software is already concluded with recognizing its effectiveness in providing greater accuracy and better record-keeping abilities than a paper-based system. A whole bunch of articles and blog posts can be found on the internet listing the essential features of facility management software (FMS) that help an organization to work effectively, efficiently, and integrally. To know better about the effectiveness of FMS, we are listing here the features that actually help a facility manager in better solving their issues and managing their tasks.
What is Facility Management Software?
Facility management software is a cloud-based platform that enables companies to manage their equipment, space, assets, and occupants effectively. It also helps manage and schedule the repair/maintenance program for these facilities from a web-based dashboard. As a result, your company can achieve seamless operations at multiple locations and ensure successful business outcomes.
How Does It Help Facility Managers?
Facility maintenance software helps facility managers structure, organize, and run the workspace in a way that ensures maximum efficiency.
It also allows multi-site facility managers to complete a wide range of functions, including:
- Work order fulfillments
- Asset Management
- Managing property lease and rental agreements
- Data Analytics
- Tracking Expenses
- Space Allocation and Floor Plan Optimization
- Preventative Maintenance Scheduling
- Invoicing
By streamlining various day-to-day business operations at multiple locations, this software helps facility managers increase their overall efficiency and productivity.
Here are effective features of facility management software:
Ability to Generate, Assess, and Prioritize Work Request
Facility managers are loaded with so many tasks that it becomes very tedious for them to organize each and every task according to their nature, priority, and relevance. Facility management software allows generating work requests with complete details and notifying other personnel on what type of service is in need. It helps in the proper delegation of the task.
An associated feature is the ability to put ‘priority’ on important work requests. This way it helps the recipients such as contractors, sub-contractors, and suppliers to prioritize and complete the high-importance task first.
A Singular and Integrated System
Being a single and fully integrated system, it helps in reducing the time and effort applied for getting a job done. With the proper categorization of tasks, it saves the facility managers from wandering and keeping away the redundancy.
The integrated system comes with a single support network where you have one point of support for all facilities management software needs: a single point of contact for all software issues, a relationship with your support team, multiple problems that can be solved with one phone call. It also helps in maintaining internal and external consistency at all levels by allowing the easier establishment of best practices, and smooth and efficient workflow.
Track Work Orders and Data History
The main goal of tracking work orders is to keep a check on the trends of work orders as a future reference. It gives options to track work orders on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly basis. This helps the facility managers in evaluating the areas that need greater focus and attention.
It also allows tracking the equipment’s data like their history of issues, errors, and problems to prevent experiencing redundant issues. This way it minimizes the repair cost of equipment that is getting the same issues or defects.
Helps in Tracking Consumable Inventories
Facility managers have a huge pile of work to complete on a daily basis. Meanwhile, they forget about identifying the though-tiny-but-important consumable inventories like tissues and light bulbs that require scheduled orders. The absence of the stock of these essential items can annoy your tenants.
Facility management software helps keep a check on the stocks of all the consumable as well as non-consumable items by setting a stock updating alarm-like system in place. This keeps the facility from being short on any essential reserve.
Preventive and Scheduled Tracking of Maintenance:
Facility managers also have to take care of the maintenance of the building and its components. The task involves disciplines such as painting, decorating, carpentry, plumbing, etc. These tasks come without warning but facility management software keeps data of the history of every maintenance work and their next probable date of maintenance. Not just that, it keeps a record of the contractors and sub-contractors who supplied the parts or provided the maintenance service.
The facility manager is also responsible for maintaining the building at its best and complies with all safety standards. The facility manager needs to take care of all legal processes of the building and those important schedules will not be missed through the help of facility management software.
Cloud-based Application
Facility managers being the agents of delivery of support and services for an organization take great help from web-based or cloud-based facility management software in managing every aspect of the infrastructure and personnel management from their mobile, computer, or personal laptops. This feature helps facility managers address urgent matters and access important files without the burden of rushing back to your office.
Because the data is stored on the server outside the office building, it provides an added level of security to them in case any disaster hits the office building such as a fire caused by a short circuit or the collapse of the building due to an earthquake.
Asset Management
The asset management software helps track and manage your business assets and provides real-time data greater insights on your current location, maintenance history, warranty, market value, and more. By knowing these details, facility managers can make better investment decisions.
Space Management
The space management tools included in the software helps facility managers to make the most of their office space. This feature allows them to know about the company’s existing space and how it could be more optimally utilized. This way, they can plan and allocate the available space accordingly and track its usage in real-time.
Strategic Resource Planning
Facility management software helps organize administrative, inventory, and labor resources by providing a streamlined connection between employees working in the office and those in the field. This minimizes miscommunications while improving efficiency across all departments, helping facility managers to plan for maintenance and prepare for future needs.
Energy Management
Using the energy management software, facility managers can monitor their company’s energy consumption and related expense across various locations. This helps them re-evaluate their energy needs and identify areas to cut energy waste, thus saving money on utility bills.
Good facility management software with the above-mentioned features eases facility manager’s tasks at different levels to attain greater efficiency and effectiveness of the job being done. At QuickFMS, our facilities management software includes all these features to ease facility managers’ tasks. Schedule a free demo of our facilities management software today!
Amit Prasad is the founder and managing director of SatNav Technologies and has business interests in a wide range of IT products. SatNav Technologies is an IT products company focusing on cloud based map data products and a pioneer in GPS, FMS & LBS Technologies. The product suite includes SatTracx in-the-field location based solutions and A-mantra in-the-office facilities management solutions. QuickFMS from a-mantra is a cloud based facility management system which enhances organization’s efficiency.