A quick review: how Facility Maintenance software helps facility managers
In previous blogs, we’ve talked about what Facility Maintenance (or “FM”) software is and how it adds value for facility managers. As a brief review, FM software (which also goes by the names CMMS, job management software, and work order management software) is designed to streamline the process of scheduling maintenance, creating work orders, finding trusted vendors, tracking the work to completion, and centralizing record keeping. This maximizes your chances of getting preventative maintenance done on time, which can lower overall facility operating costs by 50% compared to fixing problems as they occur.
A trio of converging trends are creating real urgency
The value of facility maintenance software to facility managers is higher now than in any time in recent history, which makes choosing and implementing the right system more important than ever. Let’s take a look at three trends that are driving this dynamic:
1. Customer expectations are higher than ever, and only getting higher.
The age of the internet-of-things is here to stay. The sump pump in your home can now send you a text message when it’s out of power, and provide real-time information through your smartphone on the battery charge level of your backup pump. Everywhere consumers turn, they are finding affordable products that provide unprecedented insights and tools to save money. That is the lens through which they view the world and how they interpret what’s “good enough”. If their sump pump can instantaneously let them know when it has a problem, surely somebody should be able to figure out how to keep the lights and heat on at an office building.
2. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruption.
Facility managers are no longer operating in “steady-state” mode. Large office complexes in the US are currently at 10-20% occupancy level because so many people are working from home. Moreover, as companies are paying for leased office space they aren’t using, many of them are starting to rethink the role of bricks-and-mortar facilities in their operations.
The result is that facility managers have much more on their plate right now than just keeping things running. They are trying to figure out how to help tenants minimize cost and get the most value out of their space. All of this takes away from the time and attention available to focus on the normal blocking and tackling of running a facility.
3. The cost penalty for running your facility suboptimally is increasing.
The US Department of Energy is forecasting a 50% increase in wholesale natural gas prices in 2021. In our last blog, we gave the example of boiler maintenance. If the water chemistry in a boiler isn’t optimized, the dissolved minerals that are naturally in the feed water deposit on the hottest surfaces, forming scale. Scale is highly insulating (which is exactly what you don’t want in equipment that transfers heat). Just 1/16th of an inch of scale on boiler heat transfer surfaces can reduce efficiency by 40%. If you’re in charge of your facility’s energy spend, you definitely don’t want a 40% efficiency reduction on top of a 50% price increase.
Stay ahead of the curve
These trends are increasing pressure on facility managers to maximize their effectiveness in executing the preventative maintenance programs. You can no longer afford to rely on antiquated manual systems that drain away time and money that you could be spending elsewhere.
CMMS that is Right for YOU
Although the trends we discussed are out of your control, you are not powerless to act.
SimpleFM’s facility maintenance software and experienced team help organizations manage, monitor, and control maintenance including: equipment, resources, and regulatory compliance. Let us handle your facility and job management needs and help your organization save time and money. Interested to see how easy facilities can be? Sign up for a Demo or email us at sales@simplefm.com.
