In the busy world of facilities management there is so much to think about and get right, and the industry is ever changing which makes it even more challenging for businesses. These challenges can mean a number of common mistakes can be made. Below we’ve written about which ones need to be avoided.
Trying to keep capture data manually
Anyone who’s ever spent time with an excel spreadsheet knows two things: they are only as useful as the person using it and inputting data into them is painstaking regardless. We know, even today, many facilities departments still gather and analyse their data manually and, whilst it’s not a terrible strategy short term, managers soon realise dealing with that much data in this way is just too much. With the quick rate of how many businesses seem to be scaling, a manual approach isn’t viable.
Problems
- Organising and inputting data manually is massively time and resource draining, and easy for errors to occur.
- The potential for scalability is restricted
- Gaining insights from facilities management data requires analytical capabilities beyond what most can do manually
Another problem is stakeholders including managers, directors and key members of staff need to be able to access such data quickly and easily so it’s imperative for a central platform providing insight reporting software. This will save time and money in equal measure providing the department with the data it needs.
It’s imperative for facilities managers when implementing new software to make it a key initiative so it’s up and running quickly and everyone is on board.
Not putting in enough resources
If businesses don’t allocate enough resources to facilities management, regardless of whether that’s technology, number of employees or budget, there’s going to be a heavy load on operations. Expect proactivity to be hampered and efficiency low whilst spend remains high.
This can be avoided if businesses understand facilities management running smoothly is vital for overall operations and positive experiences for customers. Whilst we definitely advocate that software platforms can minimise resources needed for facilities management, it’s still important to make sure assigned team members are setting aside enough time to implement the software effectively.
Being reactive and not proactive
We know it’s inevitable there will be some reactivity involved in facilities management such as equipment breaking down unexpectedly or if something out of your control like bad weather happens. Even so, a proactive facilities department will mean fewer emergencies are encountered and more money is saved.
The secret to being more proactive is making preventative maintenance a priority. Such measures ensure equipment is consistently working at optimal levels and spend is reduced on expensive repairs. A software platform is a massive help because it allows you to create scheduled tasks for repeat work orders and alerts when service needs to be performed.
Not taking care of contractors
It’s often the case businesses don’t have the processes in place for managing their contracts, especially paying and communicating with them. This can lead to difficulty finding the best contractors at the best rates, a gap between what the facilities management department needs and how contractors complete their work, the processes for invoices being slow and not fully knowing how contractors are performing.
Issues like these can provide negative effects on operations if you hire contractors who are missing compliance requirements which could result in legal consequences. Without clearly defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with contractors, this can end up in delayed response and completion times which can hinder invoicing.
Of course, by making proper contract management imperative and focusing on having good, long standing relationships with contractors is key. Handling them as partners of your facilities management department will certainly help, whilst making sure invoices are processed on time, communicating clearly and agreeing on detailed SLA will enhance your relationships too.
These are some common facilities management you can avoid for the benefit of your business. If you would like to know more about how OpsBase facilities management software can help you, request a demo via our website to speak with one of our team.
Carmelo Ruggieri
Content Marketing Executive
Carmelo has years of experience in marketing, loves of all things tech and is a regular contributor to the OpsBase blog. He enjoys writing almost as much as he enjoys eating crunchy peanut butter and is likely to be found doing one or the other at any given point in time.
