There’s more pressure on Facilities Managers than ever these days. Building owners, users and residents expect their spaces to be efficient, sustainable and easy to use. Processes and software that support facility management or, better yet, improve it for the manager and other stakeholders can ensure that everyone is happy and things run efficiently and easily.
Upgrading systems for increased efficiency
When it comes to buildings’ energy efficiency, most facility management professionals think of HVAC. While these systems do have one of the biggest impacts in terms of a building’s energy use – up to 40% in commercial buildings and 39% for residential buildings in Australia – small changes to the other assets can result in a bigger combined impact.
Upgrading lighting systems, switching to energy-saving bulbs and simply scheduling regular preventative maintenance before things go awry improves the efficiency of a building. Such measures ensure additional costs for rushed parts, maintenance staff call-out fees or overtime, and even temporary closure costs aren’t incurred.
Building managers Knight Frank realised a 68% reduction in service calls, fewer tenant complaints and an 11% reduction in energy costs by taking a preventative maintenance approach to HVAC systems at 222 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It was such a resounding success, they’re adopting this tactic for other building systems too.
The mixed-use building is just one example of how facility management can improve cost, time and sustainability for structures.
The key to improved facility management is communication
It’s sometimes easier to suggest optimising systems and scheduling preventative maintenance than it is to carry it out. When it comes to scheduling works, optimizing systems and even ensuring energy-saving lightbulbs are used in communal areas, communication is key.
Disparate systems often make this trickier than it needs to be. Approved contractor details held in one database, systems for tracking works somewhere else, and contact details for residents and owners in yet another system often results in small tasks falling through the cracks between systems.
Community Management Software (CMS) with maintenance capabilities can bring all contractor details, scheduling and job tracking capabilities and communication for all stakeholders into one simple to use system. The result is streamlined processes where each step is covered quickly and easily. Things can’t fall through the cracks because there aren’t any.
Clever CMS for buildings enable residents to communicate about facility management needs – from booking communal areas to logging requests for maintenance – directly with their building managers via a shared and secure portal. Equally, a CMS can enable planned and corrective maintenance jobs to be scheduled, automatically sent to the approved contractor and monitored right from the initiation stage through to completion and sign-off.
The result is more comprehensive processes and systems, increased accountability, quality of management and transparency across the facility as well as happier owners, residents and other building users.
Facility management with community management software
Many facilities, building and strata managers often claim the hardest part of their job is managing people. Constant calls, balancing bookings of works and ensuring everyone has the right information at the right times can be a juggle. When you’re tied to the phone with that resident again, priority tasks can get delayed.
Capable CMSs are able to streamline resident’s requests by providing a them with secure access so issues can be logged, sent to managers via email or SMS and recorded automatically. On top of this a bird’s eye view of the operations makes scheduling all maintenance – planned or reactionary – simple for managers and residents alike.
BuildingLink’s CMS is designed to support everyday activities within a building along with regular maintenance tasks, requests for works, and administrative jobs such as recording and distributing body corporate meeting minutes and acting upon decisions.
Building and strata managers are able to carry out regular inspections and when issues are discovered, simply take a photo. This can be attached to a work request and instantly sent to the approved contractor to take care of. Work is tracked easily and automatic reminders ensure nothing gets forgotten so work is signed off properly and in a timely manner.
The modulised approach of BuildingLink’s CMS means you’ll only need to buy into the elements that support your unique building or portfolio. It’s a modern and reliable way to streamline and improve facility management for strata managers, building managers, owners and residents. We’re happy to tailor a demonstration to show you how BuildingLink’s Community Management Software can enhance your entire operation. Get in touch today!