Here is a list of five essential facility management tools.
Bonus Read: How much do facility managers get paid?
Asset Management System
A facility manager is primarily responsible for maintaining workplace assets. From desks to copiers, from desktops to parking lots. Yes, a facility manager needs to ensure that every physical asset in the workplace is cared for.
Thus, asset management systems. Now, what is an asset management system? These systems are developed to track the MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) lifecycle, ensuring that these assets are kept in working order.
Asset management systems help facility managers with the following tasks:
- Locate assets within the facility
- Track equipment maintenance schedule
- Keep manufacturing manuals of each equipment
- Maintain records of breakdown for each asset
- Maintain financial information of each asset, including depreciation values
- Keep data on equipment use
With all this information easily accessible, the process of prolonging the life of any equipment becomes seamless. Moreover, Asset management systems are developed to yield helpful insights for improvement opportunities and, ultimately, saving costs.
Popular Asset Management Systems: SpaceRunner, Asset Panda, UpKeep
Maintenance Management System
If looking after assets is the primary task of a facility manager, maintaining the company infrastructure is next. Maintenance Management systems automate tracking and scheduling of maintenance activities while increasing operating efficiency.
Software tools used for maintenance are also known as CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems). These systems take on tasks like:
- Track the functionality of equipment (which ones are working and which needs repair)
- Organize facility equipment by priority and operational necessity
- Create custom maintenance routines
- Accept maintenance requests and create work orders
- Update employees on the status of maintenance (also known as the “request for service” system)
- Track activities including standard or emergency maintenance
Recording these details ensure that all equipment in an organization is maintained well. Most Maintenance Management Systems ease the process and reduce the chances of error in the tasks.
Popular Maintenance Management Systems: EZOfficeInventory, Smartsheet, Fiix
Inventory Management System
Facility Managers are often responsible for maintaining inventory in the organization. Now, managing all of it manually isn’t easy and is likely to be full of errors. For instance, if your inventory doesn’t reflect the correct stock numbers, you run the risk of facing stock outages.
Hence, facility managers need to use inventory management systems. It simplifies the tracking process of inventories and eliminates human errors. Inventory Management Systems often help facility managers with the following tasks:
- Use barcodes to keep track of inventory
- Attach supplies to all tools to know how one specific device is being used
- Identify locations for all inventory across the organization
- Analyze how frequently certain items in the inventory are being used
Managing the inventory is essential as it reduces wastage and allows facility managers to save costs incurred as a part of wastage. In addition, these systems also enable facility management executives to assign an annual budget to inventory management.
Popular Inventory Management Systems: Freshservice, Quick book, Xero
Building Automation System
It is a known factor in the facility management circles that energy efficiency saves cost and is better for the environment. Therefore, facility managers try their best to opt for resources that are efficient and sustainable.
Owing to building automation systems, this job becomes more manageable. These tools allow facility managers to access and control things like the building lights, heating, ventilation, air conditioners, security cameras, emergency systems, and even the door locks. Here is how a building automation system can help facility managers:
- All modern devices can be easily connected with each other, as well as the building automation system
- Building utilities can be tracked for facility managers
- Identify resources that consume greater energy and make adjustments
- Prevent wasting of energy
Since these building management systems allow you to connect the utilities with a single device, controlling building assets become seamless.
Popular Building Management Systems: Optergy, Elipse, eFacility
Workplace Management System
Facility managers are responsible for a company’s physical assets. That is a given. But they are also responsible for maintaining the workplace. Be it the desks or meeting rooms, facility managers ensure the smooth functioning of the workplace by monitoring every aspect of it.
Also Read: 5 Hybrid Workplace Tools for FMs
There are several ways that workplace management systems can help facility managers. These are:
- Allow facility managers to see which employee is sitting where, which desks are empty, or which meeting rooms are occupied for the day
- Manage desk and meeting room bookings based on availability
- View floor occupancy
- Monitor sanitization flow of the desks and meeting rooms
With a digital workplace management system, the entire process of managing the workplace becomes easier. Furthermore, these software programs allow facility managers to align the workplace be it multiple buildings and locations using a single portal.
Popular Access Management Systems: WorkInSync
To Conclude
With these tools at disposal, it becomes easier for facility managers to achieve their objectives.
Schedule a demo to know how WorkInSync can help you manage your hybrid workplaces. To stay on top of the facility management trends, subscribe to our blog.
