The What, When And How Of Facility Management Software

"I've gotta be reborn. Like a larva that waits seven years to be born as a cicada… it's my turn to be that cicada... I will change!", ­quotes Daniel Park, the main protagonist of Lookism – Netflix's animated hit. Daniel is often looked down upon and bullied due to his appearance. Fed up with the humiliation and torture by the bullies, one night, he cries himself to sleep and bazinga! – he wakes up in a completely different body. Cool, right?
 
Well, organizations are no exception when it comes to transformation. Organizations have come a long way, from the mahogany desks to the computer setup we use today. Of course, it didn't happen overnight (as we have seen in Lookism) but it didn't take much time and effort either – credit goes to Facility Management Software. A software that ensured the flawless transition and smooth working of the offices and soon became a necessity. With time the demand for Facility Management Software increased and the facility management industry progressed by leaps and bounds. Earlier, this software was merely focused on integrating people, places, processes and technology to work together but now it ensures paperless work, robust security, zero-harm facilities and so on.
 
If this brief brush with Facility Management Software has spiked up your interest, then hold on tight, because this article is here to paint a clear picture of this software!
 

What Is A Facility Management Software?

 
Before heading straight to the topic, let's first understand facility management. International Standards Organization (ISO) puts facility management as an organizational function that integrates people, places and processes within the built environment to enhance the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.

Facility Management Software streamlines this whole process and allows organizations to manage their entire repair and maintenance program from a web-based dashboard. It is software designed to help companies save time and money by efficiently ordering their buildings, assets and occupants. With the help of robust Facility Management Software, multi-site facility managers can perform various functions related to ongoing maintenance and repair. The right Facility Management Software enables facility management teams to effectively track the usage of space, evaluate patterns over time, boost energy proficiency and reduce expenses.

Sounds incredible, right – credit goes to its evolution! Let's take a look at how Facility Management Software evolved.
 

How Did Facility Management Software Evolve?

   
To chase the humble beginnings of Facility Management Software, we must look at how facility management came into existence. Read on!
 

• The Beginning

  It was in the year 1970 when facility management spread its roots in the form of janitorial and caretaker services. During the 80s, businesses started cost-cutting, which led to outsourcing non-core services such as lighting, heating and plumbing to facility management companies.

• Growth And Expansion

  In the 1990s, services such as property management, space planning and relocation were added. In the 2000s, business processes were added to the service list, including payroll and human resource management. Soon, the role of facility management increased to a vast sector comprising building, staff and business services that are being offered even today. With their emergence, facility management solutions emerged to prioritize elements that enabled businesses to function.

• How It’s Going

  The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) rightly describes the facility management of the present day as "a mix of in-house departments, specialist contractors, large multi-service companies and consortia delivering a full range of design, build, finance and management." Moreover, today's facility management is about more than just managing one place, it requires handling multiple locations as well. Thanks to Facility Management Software, which is usable, efficient and accessible anytime, anywhere. 

Today this software is the need of the hour for organizations – let’s figure out how it exactly works around the clock.
 

How Does Facility Management Software Work?

 
From managing directories to prioritizing work commitments to tracking work and order history and much more, Facility Management Software ensures smoothness in every task. 
 

• Directory Management

  A workplace should be collaborative – not just departments but the entire company. So, it becomes essential that employees have access to each other for communicating and collaborating. That requires an up-to-date directory. Facility Management Software helps facility managers maintain a real-time directory that's open and accessible to everyone.

• Generating, Assessing And Prioritizing Work Requests

  Facility Management Software enables organizations to generate work requests with complete details and notify other personnel of what type of service is in need. It assists facility managers with the proper delegation of tasks. It also helps you put 'priority' on important work requests, which allows recipients to prioritize and complete the tasks with high importance.

• Tracking Work Orders And Data History

  Facility managers keep track of work orders to evaluate the areas that deserve focus and attention. Facility Management Software allows them to track the equipment's data like their history of issues, errors and problems, to prevent experiencing unwanted matters. 

• Scheduled Tracking Of Maintenance

  Facility Management Software tracks data on the history of every maintenance work and the next possible maintenance date. This software also maintains the building at its best and complies with all safety standards. It helps the facility manager take care of all legal processes and essential schedules.

 
Now it's time to reveal the benefits of Facility Management Software and understand how this software is helping organizations.
 

What Are The Benefits Of Facility Management Software?

 
Facility management is ever-progressing and facility managers need to adopt the tools that suit these evolving trends; Facility Management Software is benefiting organizations do the same and how!
 

• Flawless Decision Making

  Facility Management Software enables managers to optimize their space by checking factors such as location and security level before deciding where to locate a new product, machine, or inventory. 

• Robust Collaboration

  With the help of Facility Management Software, organizations can streamline the workflow for property management firms and maintenance teams. Utilizing computer-based programs of this software, organizations can track work orders, get updates on urgent issues and collaborate with a group through centralized systems.

• Better Reporting

  Facility Management Software has a unified interface that provides your facility with a host of reporting tools that would be difficult to track manually. For instance, detailed project reporting features will equip you with information such as how many working hours went into each task and how much raw material was used to complete it. Moreover, you don't have to invest in manual input or lengthy downloads as tracking receipts and invoices is automated.

That was just a tiny glance at the past and present of Facility Management Software; now let's see how the latest trends will mold this software into something truly spectacular!
 

What Are The Future Trends Of Facility Management Software?

So far, organizations have been steadily adopting hybrid work cultures. Transitioning back to offices will require organizations to imply a mandatory back-to-work policy or treat their employees with weekly pizza and soda! (We certainly do!). The good news is that the future is bringing you a third alternative, office-as-a-service. This model will eliminate the binary work culture and its strategy will be better than cookies and cream as it will be exactly like what employees want from the workplace.
 
For instance, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) products like Zoom or Microsoft Teams offer connectivity without replacing other things about the working style of the employees; office-as-service will do the same. To make this shift, facility management teams need a robust workplace strategy to deliver precisely what employees want from the workplace facilities. Facility Management Software will play a massive role in making this office-as-a-service a success. 
 
The future demands high flexibility and feasibility from the systems and tools such as Facility Management Software. Shortly, it would be essential that Facility Management Software tracks on-site movement, offer facial recognition and equips organizations with a detailed report on who visited them and when.
 

Calling It A Wrap!

 
Facility Management Software allows organizations to manage their maintenance program from a web-based dashboard. This software is designed to assist businesses in saving time and money by adequately ordering their buildings, assets and occupants more efficiently. Besides, robust Facility Management Software helps facility managers perform various functions related to ongoing maintenance and repair, such as asset management, invoicing, data analytics, etc.