Best Facility Management Software

What is Facility Management Software?

Facilities management software allows firms to manage their complete repair and maintenance program from a web-based dashboard, saving time and money more efficiently and effectively.

Facility management software (FM) consists of tools used to organize and plan a facility's management and maintenance tasks. These tools help improve the efficiency of your facility processes.

Moreover, they will help you save time and money by properly managing your buildings, assets, and occupants. A robust facility management platform allows multi-site facility managers to perform various functions.

These include asset management, maintenance and repair, compliance, work order fulfillment, data analytics, and preventive maintenance scheduling.

The right tools will allow you to adequately track space usage, increase energy efficiency, analyze spending patterns over time, and cut costs. Furthermore, FM tools will help you improve communication with service providers and internal stakeholders.

Features of a Facility Management System

1. Asset Management

   Running your enterprise becomes much easier if you can find key information about your assets in a few clicks. Facility management software allows you to tag your purchases with unique identifiers. It lets you easily input an asset’s make, model, manual, serial number, and other relevant files.

   Moreover, you can even upload images of your equipment with a link to its location. Thus, helping your team easily find the tools they need whenever they need them. FM software will also help you with advanced functionality like warranty tracking, generating work orders, and barcoding.

2. Work Order Management

   Tracking work orders on paper or maintaining a binder is a thing of the past. Not only were these tools inconvenient, but they also led to lost work orders.

   Interestingly, a facility management tool will help you reduce time handling requests and even organize the whole process. The best-in-class facility management software comes with work order management tools that allow real-time tracking of work orders.

   Moreover, you can easily create a work order synced across all your devices. It also helps you customize workflows, set priorities, track costs, and stay updated with vendor assignments.

3. Preventive Maintenance

   When was the last time your business experienced downtime due to an equipment failure? Well, such incidents are the result of poor maintenance practices.

   Preventive maintenance will help prolong an asset's life cycle and lower the total cost of ownership.

   A facility maintenance system comes with a preventive maintenance module. Thus, helping you keep your equipment running and scheduling service tasks.

   It also gives you automatic reminders and status updates. This will help you avoid costly repairs and halted production.

4. Inventory Management

   Managing an inventory is no easy task. However, facility management system software will help you easily manage your parts and supply inventories. It will also provide details like your inventory's total cost and how often you use a specific piece.

   With all the information, you can make smarter purchasing decisions and ensure you are well-stocked. Also, a cloud-based facility management system software provides instant email notifications about the low quantity of products.

5. Vendor Management

   Managing vendors requires you to monitor your supply chain and make improvements daily closely. However, it can be a painstaking task, and you can miss out on several aspects of your business processes that are not streamlined.

   Interestingly, FM software allows you to assign work orders without ever sending an email or picking up the phone. All you need to do is provide a secure login to your vendor, and they can easily manage their activities.

   Moreover, they can even track their time and charges. Thus, giving you the exact cost spent per work order. Furthermore, facility management software provides centralized access to information. You can access work histories, invoices, and other useful data at your fingertips.

6. Reporting

   Forecasting sales and creating budgets require in-depth data analysis and a lot of time. What if you could automate the whole process?

   Interestingly, with a facility management system, you only need to enter key parameters into pre-built report fields. It even allows you to build reports with your key performance indicators (KPIs) for customized reporting.

   Moreover, a facility management tool even helps you transfer and digitally store all important documents in one place.

Benefits of Facility Management Software

Facility maintenance software offers a host of benefits. Some of them include the following-

1. Ensure Regulatory Compliance

   Compliance rules are laws applicable to all industries; failure to follow them can result in fines or even a shutdown of operations. However, facility management software can be easily programmed to test against compliance issues.

2. Capture Information Automatically

   A facility management system captures information automatically throughout the course of the workday. For example, if you fill out a work order to repair a piece of equipment, the software will capture the information and add it to the record associated with that particular piece of equipment. Thus, helping you store data efficiently.

3. Fast and Accurate Reporting

   A cloud-based facility management software allows you to generate real-time reports with little to no delay. Thus, helping you make more informed business decisions.

4. Employee Insights

   Facility management software solutions allow you to gain key insights into employee performance. Moreover, the software helps each employee be aware of the exact part he/she plays in the maintenance operation of the facility.

   In the long run, it allows you to monitor employee performance, measure their productivity levels, and identify opportunities for improvement.

5. Integration Capabilities

   Facility management software can easily integrate with other systems used in your organization. Thus, helping you get the benefits of several useful tools on a single platform.

   For example, you can integrate accounting software with your facility management system to track your finances closely.

Difference Between Facility Vs Property Management

Things to Consider Before Buying Facility Management Software for Your Business

Online facility management software offers a host of benefits. However, you must consider the following things before you invest in FM software.

1. Understand Your Organization’s Needs

   Before shopping for FM applications, you must make a comprehensive list of your facility management needs. The best way to get the most out of your software is to learn how to use it. Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself?

   • How many employees do you have?

   • Does your organization use your existing premises solely?

   • What is the decision-making method, like project management, asset management, and maintenance?

   Once you have answered these questions, you must also identify why you are unsatisfied with your current software.

   Facility management software should make your activities more effective and streamlined.

   Does it provide full-fledged benefits like room allocation, transition management, and sales forecasting?

   If yes, you should shortlist the tool for your organization. A software solution that meets your organization's daily operational needs will help you grow in the long run.

2. Research The Marketplace

   You would need to consider various recent technological developments when deciding on the right applications for facility management.

   New possibilities have opened up in field management for hosting and deploying apps. So, it is important to be aware of the choices and choose the best fit for your organization.

   Here are some considerations you need to make,

   A. Mobile Device Access

   The majority of FM software is internet-based. Can your business profit from mobile device access?

   The process involves collecting order forms, uploading asset condition proof, and scanning QR codes to access asset and service history data.

   If you feel these facilities will help reduce your workload, then facility management software could be useful.

   B. Integration

   Facility management solutions focus on performance improvement and business decision-making. This is possible as they can be integrated with organizational structures like Building Management System (BMS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM). If integration capabilities are a priority, you must select an FM software that offers them.

3. Finding The Best Vendor

   The next step is to narrow down your list and compare software to find the best facility management software. While most of equipment management applications can look the same, variations can make a huge difference.

   For example, you may need a more department-focused application for mobile access. However, the facility management software you have shortlisted may be focused on maintenance management.

   Thus, it would be best if you gained a solid understanding of your facility management tools. You will be in good condition to find the right solution once you have these desirables in place.

   It will be best if you follow these steps.

   • Have a definitive list of the features, requirements, and KPIs.

   • Shortlist at least five vendors that match your list of requirements.

   • Write down/print out the functions that each vendor can supply.

   • List noteworthy points from each vendor, such as free trials, training support, and prices.

   At the end of this comparison and evaluation stage, you will know exactly how your perfect tool will look.

4. Can the Facility Management Software Scale With Your Business?

   When your company expands, will your chosen facility management support its development? Or will it become a roadblock to your development?

   You must see facility management software as a long-term investment. Once you know how to use the software, you can easily explore these opportunities to map your company’s growth.

   Can a step towards centralized management boost overall results? Well, it may work well in your favor. Is it the desk arrangement that is increasing your operating costs?

   All you need to do is put your existing five-year plan in line with your facility management solution. This will help you find ways to fulfill your objectives.

5. Demo Trial

   Now that you have finalized your product be sure to take a demo and explore. It will give you a good real-time understanding and sense of the platform.

   Moreover, it will show you what to expect when selecting that particular facility management solution.

   A guided demo is a great way of understanding your platform step by step. Likewise, unguided trails allow you to explore the platform uninterruptedly.

6. Integrating With Existing Systems

   A reputable facility management system provider understands that handing over a functional system is not the end of the process. The vendor will help you understand what is included in the device price.

   This includes instance service and maintenance and how improvements can be implemented to the existing system. Moreover, the software provider will ensure that FM software reaches its maximum ability to get a great return on investment.

Top 5 Enterprise Facility Management Software

1. BIM for Facility Managers

   Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers a huge opportunity to improve collaboration and communication for facility managers. While BIM is not a new technology, it is becoming common in the facility management sector.

   It offers a complete visual model of facilities, assets, and infrastructure. Facility professionals harness BIM's power for data accessibility, task management, project management, and delivery.

   When integrated with the existing facility management system, facility teams noticed an improved ability to retrieve accurate asset information and insights.

2. Drones for Facility Condition Assessments

   Drone technology is becoming more efficient and less expensive. Building and infrastructure owners will begin integrating drones for aerial surveillance in the coming years.

   This will allow FM managers to monitor large areas more effectively. Implementing drones with facility management systems can also increase safety and automation capabilities.

3. Data Gets Even More Mobile

   The rise of mobile technology is letting facility managers gain greater diversity in their work environments. Tracking multiple locations from a single place is a great advantage.

   Facility professionals can easily access the information they need on an asset through their browser-based facility management system. Also, transitioning to a digital workflow has helped facility managers eliminate downtime and streamline their processes.

4. Blockchain Buzz

   The use of blockchain is gradually becoming a more important part of the technology used in facility management. Blockchain is a ledger technology that tracks activities and actions within a system.

   As per the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM),

   “Blockchain can revolutionize contract management, work order processing, payment processing, tracking of facilities management and maintenance needs, and increase overall facility transparency.”

   Reviewing data stored in a blockchain is easier, even when separate departments are involved.

   Blockchain can easily streamline processes and lower costs by reducing manual labor. This could be adapted to preventive maintenance, work orders, safety planning, and space management.