Mobile facilities management tools are transforming the industry

Time is our most precious commodity. It’s not clear who first coined this phrase, but never a truer word has been said. We never have enough time and, as the complexity of both work and home continues to grow, anything which gives us time back is priceless.

For those in facilities management, the introduction of mobile tools has been doing just that.

Every day, the inspections that take place across a typical portfolio of sites take up a huge amount of time. When you consider each flagged issue must be promptly managed and actioned, it can typically equate to hundreds of hours’ worth of report writing, paperwork filing and task delegation.

In this respect, mobile tools have fundamentally changed the way facilities management operates. Where regular inspections need to be conducted for cleaning, engineering work, health and safety audits or for general maintenance, the introduction of such solutions has allowed staff to use a mobile device to capture all the evidence and details we need, in an instant.

So where large amounts of often tedious administrative work would previously have kept us from getting to the tasks which are most important, mobile tools are saving huge amounts of time when we capture and manage routine FM operations. This means more time spent nurturing the relationships which ultimately support both our clients and the business.

Build stronger relationships with customers

The introduction of mobile tools is, first and foremost, allowing facilities managers to invest more time creating closer ties with customers.

A key advantage to being able to capture information quickly on a mobile device is the speed customers and stakeholders can receive detailed reports. Gathering inspection data in this way allows information to be quickly analysed and exported for client consumption – this reporting process would have previously taken a considerable amount of time to complete.

That time can instead be dedicated to talking clients through areas of improvement and demonstrating the value of the service provided – something which would previously have been tricky to do without evidence provided by the data. This also allows for a more consultative approach to be taken with customers, which means you can talk a client through any areas of concern they may have.

Win more FM contracts

The reduced administrative workload for a typical facilities manager and support team doesn’t just allow you to strengthen existing relationships, it also provides the opportunity to build new ones.

Greater efficiency and productivity as a result of spending less time managing inspections leads to new contracts for two main reasons.

Firstly, teams will have extra capacity to manage more properties and clients. And secondly, just as important, the increased quality and consistency of services means you will enjoy a stronger reputation within the FM market.

Ultimately, this is freeing up teams, and allowing us to do more with the same amount of resource.

Better manage your team members

Last but not least, the additional level of control provided to facilities managers through mobile tools means that facilities managers can be more hands on with their team.

The data collected through mobile inspection tools won’t just help you to manage your clients, but it also provides valuable insight into internal team performance. The ability to analyse performance trends – good or bad – allows you to identify opportunities for additional coaching, which can be essential for junior members of the team and again help to increase the quality of service provided to clients.

Aside from this, the reduced burden of paperwork will, again, provide you with more time for briefing team members and addressing their feedback.

So, when you consider the overall impact mobile tools are having in the workplace, it is easy to see how they are changing cultures and transforming the facilities management sector for the better.

If you would like to know more about how mobile inspection tools such as iAuditor can improve your FM operations, please visit our Facilities Management page. 

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