Limitless possibilities

Transcription

1 Limitless possibilities Your guide to CAFM/Help Desk Solutions How to procure a CAFM / Helpdesk solution The benefits of procuring a CAFM / Helpdesk solution Current trends and innovation The future of CAFM

2 making the connection Contents Introduction Compton Darlington 3 Section1 How to procure a CAFM / Helpdesk solution Mark Magee 4 Section2 The Benefits of procuring a CAFM / Helpdesk solution Mark Magee 7 Section3 Current trends and innovation Mark Magee 10 Section4 The Future of CAFM Mark Magee achieving our goals together 13

3 Intro Workplace Technology is the key to integrated facilities management (FM), providing many benefits not only to the FM department but also the wider organisation, including HR and Finance, and Customers. But, investing in a solution is a major business decision and should be backed up with a robust business case. This is where FSI s guide can help: it is divided into sections to build up a picture of the must have attributes for a solution: Limitless possibilities Your guide to CAFM/Help Desk Solutions How to procure a CAFM / Helpdesk solution The benefits of procuring a CAFM / Helpdesk solution Current trends and innovation The future of CAFM How to procure the solution, including how to choose the right vendor The benefits of procuring a solution for use as a core business tool Current trends / innovation The future So, whether you re a veteran of Workplace Technology for FM, or are considering the purchase of a solution for the first time for your FM requirements, I hope this guide is a valuable source of information. Compton Darlington Business Development Director FSI (FM Solutions) Limited Editor: Mark Magee Senior Business Development Manager FSI (FM Solutions) Limited FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 3

4 Section1 It is equally important for the business to be clear about the wider benefits of implementing a CAFM system. Procuring a CAFM/ helpdesk system can be plain sailing Old habits often die hard when it comes to Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM). The traditional view of a PC humming away in a basement back office, accessed only by core FM staff, and seen by the business as little more than a niche IT outpost, persists in some organisations to a surprising degree. If this sounds like a cliché, the chances are that your organisation has long since moved on to a more up-todate and broader appreciation of the role CAFM can play in the business. If it rings true, then it is probably time for the business and the FM function to take a fresh approach to CAFM procurement. The key to successful procurement lies in understanding why you want to implement a CAFM solution in the first place. From an FM perspective, the answer to the question might seem obvious. But in reality, a vision that limits the point of the implementation to the provision of a basic help desk to oversee the delivery of conventional FM services constitutes a missed opportunity. 4 achieving our goals together

5 Section1 FM will have to define the boundaries around its services, and establish a clear view of service management lines and asset management strategies. The FM challenge Today s CAFM systems are designed to integrate with a comprehensive range of business processes and systems in ways that make the information they generate relevant and strategically important to almost every operational aspect of the organisation - not to mention, holding the key to greater efficiencies and cost savings. Culturally, a help desk is often seen as the natural domain of the IT department, which is used to providing well-defined services and processes. CAFM gives the FM team a golden opportunity to use an interactive help desk model to support and provide a growing range of hard and soft services. But before it can do that, FM will have to define the boundaries around its services, and establish a clear view of service management lines and asset management strategies. Nailing this at the beginning of the procurement process means that the FM function can base its preferences and choices on the potential for CAFM to raise the business s perception of its capabilities, and to broaden the visibility of its service delivery in areas where its value to the business has traditionally had limited exposure: Streamlining service delivery and processes Reducing time and expenditure, and using improved data to simplify capital planning and asset management Improving operational visibility throughout the business, including partners and clients, through better tracking and auditing, and using information to meet compliance requirements Enabling more informed decision making through the generation of data that allows more forensic operational analysis and delivers value to the heart of the business The business challenge It is equally important for the business to be clear about the wider benefits of implementing a CAFM system. Bearing in mind that the purse strings might not ultimately be in the hands of an FM specialist, a deep understanding of the processes that will benefit from improvement, automation and centralisation is essential. And many of the business s overall concerns might not be directly related to core FM functions. In other words, establishing how CAFM can deliver measurable efficiencies and cost reduction from a business perspective, and off-setting them against the initial capital outlay is a vital part of the procurement process. Many of these benefits are simple to quantify. Streamlining some processes and services, for example, will allow an organisation to rationalise its workforce - delivering a tangible benefit to the HR department s bottom line. FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 5

6 Section1 But the business also needs to understand CAFM s potential for delivering less tangible or immediately measurable benefits: improvements in customer satisfaction, for example, which might add valuable kudos to the organisation s reputation: Improving service request management and accessibility through a centralised help desk, reinforced by accessible selfhelp user interfaces Improving management of, and communications with, in-house FM staff and contractors by allowing direct interaction with the system through tailored interfaces Providing customised realtime reporting and access to well-presented KPIs via a dashboard Generating better customer satisfaction through more streamlined and automated interaction channels, particularly when it comes to the provision of soft services such as cleaning requests and room bookings Boosting asset management processes, including lifecycle cost management and compliance Both sides of the procurement equation If a procurement framework reflects both sides of the equation - FM and the business - CAFM implementation stands a greater chance of success. It is all too easy to under-estimate the internal requirements of the organisation at the procurement stage of a project. The process should also include the involvement of end-users - FM professionals and business users who will be dipping in and out of management information to create a positive culture that will welcome the system when it eventually goes live. Nominating a champion for the system, who will evangelise its value at each stage of procurement, scoping and delivery is a highly effective way to set expectations and ensure a useful degree of acceptance. The cost of not investing It is equally important to consider the potential cost to the business of not investing in a CAFM strategy. Inefficiencies caused by inadequate information, poor management and ad hoc scheduling will often help to make the business case for a CAFM project. So are the financial and reputational risks of compliance failure. But you should also take into account the impact of poor communication or limited interfaces on customer satisfaction, and the financial drain of poorly managed asset lifecycles. The right supplier Choosing the right CAFM supplier is also central to effective procurement. You should look beyond the technological claims of any vendor to the portfolio of professional services that it has built around its product. It is essential to have confidence in the vendor s ability to capture the scope of your CAFM goals and requirements from both the business and the technology perspectives. What are you buying? How will it be delivered? What benefits will it provide? By choosing a supplier who will support you from the go-live date into a future of constant service evolution and the adoption of new technologies, you will help to ensure that the effort invested in careful procurement delivers maximum benefits throughout the lifecycle of your chosen CAFM platform 6 achieving our goals together

7 Section2 New heights of quality information with CAFM as a core business tool The FM help desk has not always enjoyed the most dynamic reputation in many organisations. Traditionally, it has been the sole point of interaction between business users looking for a solution to a facilities-related problem, and the services department charged with clearing up or fixing assets when they go wrong. This situation has only added to the FM function s invisibility across the business, and a general lack of awareness on both sides of the FM/business divide - of the potential value that a growing range of hard and soft services could deliver at the core of the business. A catalyst for change CAFM has the capability to inject new life into the relationship between FM and the business. In many cases, it can completely refresh FM s operational contribution to the organisation, with an impact that will be felt across the board, from cost-savings on the bottom line to more efficient services, and from better-informed management decisions to significant improvements in customer satisfaction. If end-users can see the benefits and apply them to their own business goals, satisfaction levels will soar. FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 7

8 Section2... considering the wider benefits to the organisation can add considerable weight to the business case for investment. But in order for a CAFM platform to enable these changes, it has to be procured in the first place as a business tool rather than a niche software system destined to operate as an information silo for a small, specialist group of FM users. And that requires a sea-change in attitude from the business and the FM department itself. Senior managers who often have the final say and influence in the purchasing decision need to see evidence for the results they can expect from a significant CAFM investment. At the same time, FM professionals must develop a better understanding of the value of the information that they can gather during the course of delivering FM services and processes across a streamlined and automated CAFM platform - and its potential impact on business performance and customer relationships. Taking FM to a new level In reality, many facilities managers are still slow to appreciate and understand the sophistication of today s CAFM solutions, and the breadth of services they can offer. At its most basic level, alongside fulfilling traditional hard FM services such as PPM and asset lifecycle management, a CAFM system should provide a more efficient way of managing any service desk interaction, and seeing it through to completion whether it s a request for cleaning up a spillage or issuing a security pass for a visiting contractor. But there is much more to it, and considering the wider benefits to the organisation can add considerable weight to the business case for investment. Four reasons why CAFM is a core business tool Today, CAFM offers FM the opportunity to extend access to its service, and automated delivery channels in these innovative ways: Self-service portals Front of house service management Soft service management Client-facing portals An intuitive self-service function, which is easily accessible rather than buried deep in the FM silo on the company s intranet, is a great way to get business users to see and engage with the value and benefits of many soft services. For example, the easier it is to log a service request, the easier it will be to encourage the client population to use the service. 8 achieving our goals together

9 Section2 The same applies to front of house services, which often indicate a culture of inefficiency and out-dated practice. Replacing old-fashioned manual room or hot-desk booking processes with a streamlined, efficient interface - the equivalent of an app for the tablet and smartphone generation of users - that clients can access from a display terminal is a good way to save time. The business benefits of CAFM also extend to visitors, contractors and external clients. Visitor management is a soft service that often falls short of expectations, with receptionists hand writing badges, and queues building up at busy times. An automated process, generating printed passes, is a simple way to improve public perception of the organisation. VIP visitors can be fast-tracked into the building if internal contacts have been able to trigger the process for issuing appropriate passes, allocating car-parking spaces. Portals that give contractors and clients secure access to relevant information and reports held in the CAFM system, in real-time, so that they can keep track of KPIs, allocate resources to tasks and get a clear picture of the status of vital services. The system becomes a vehicle for raising customer satisfaction. Accessibility is a business imperative The common thread uniting these soft but exciting business benefits is the accessibility of the wealth of information gathered by the CAFM system. If it is fully integrated with the business, it takes the flow of good information to a new level, driving accessibility and improving processes in every area of the organisation - because everyone is singing from the same song sheet. However, if the business is not primed to receive the new system and exploit its benefits, even the most dazzling set of icons or gleaming interfaces will go unused. Procuring CAFM as a business tool can make the difference between modest improvements in FM niches and ground-breaking innovation in mainstream business processes. If end-users can see the benefits and apply them to their own business goals, satisfaction levels will soar. And from the business s perspective, lifting the quality, range and relevance of information to new heights allows you to demonstrate your confidence in your organisation s ability to deliver the highest quality of service. Extending CAFM s business reach Ultimately, how effectively this information is accessed, mined and used depends on simpleto-navigate Management Information dashboards and user interfaces - a natural extension of CAFM s role as a business tool. The transparency of the information becomes its selling point within the organisation. Departments including FM itself - can use it to publicise and display performance levels that are based on real-time, pertinent data. The information is the product of processes that are automated and streamlined to a high degree of efficiency. Its accessibility encourages the proactive, deeper use of the information in new ways across the business. And because reports can be tailored to the needs of individual users or departments, they can be personalised to appropriate levels around the organisation, ensuring the business moves towards providing information that provides stakeholders at all levels with the targeted data they need to make more informed decisions FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 9

10 Section3 Challenging the boundaries of innovation in CAFM There is no doubt that CAFM systems have been through a phase of tremendous innovation and evolution in recent years, and this is a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. It has been driven partly by the experiences of leading software vendors at the coalface of FM. Here, their involvement in many major PFI and PPP projects during the first decade of the 21st century has been a significant influence on the extension of FM into the soft services arena, opening up limitless possibilities for exploiting the full range of information that can be gathered by modern CAFM platforms. Hunger for knowledge Increasingly, this information plays to a growing appetite in many organisations and businesses for knowledge that will help them to streamline processes, manage asset lifecycles more efficiently - and even profitably and deliver time and cost savings that have a direct impact on operational expense. It has been driven partly by the experiences of leading software vendors at the coal-face of FM. 10 achieving our goals together

11 The potential benefits for partner and customer satisfaction are considerable. Section3 The high degree of integration with business processes sparked by this shift in expectations has had a profound impact on the evolution of the CAFM interface, helping to raise the visibility of the FM function - and demonstrate its value - throughout the organisation. Dashboards and mobile interfaces The dashboard front-end has effectively taken the CAFM platform into the realms of mainstream Management Information. In addition, the evolution of the interface and improved integration with business processes have found a natural meeting point in the growing demand for mobility from users who have embraced the tablet and the smartphone as business devices. Today s CAFM end-users are not all FM specialists. But thanks to a growing range of easy-to-use app development tools which allow organisations to create infinitely tailored mobile interfaces that give access to relevant information, they are increasingly using CAFM-based knowledge to make better business decisions. New models Whether they are internal clients, contractors or external customers, this growing user constituency has become the primary influence on innovation in CAFM systems. The demand for real-time information, regardless of location or access device is coming from every level of the organisation. And it is facilitated by new computing models such as cloud-based systems and applications, which enable CAFM to be delivered in more cost-effective ways. Real-time demands This ability to deliver a tailored approach has come into its own in an age when compliance and regulation are having a major impact on the way information is used within many businesses and organisations. A CAFM system that is flexible enough to manage the infinite variety and range of KPIs and penalties embodied in today s complex FM contracts is more than just an aid to compliance. It also generates information that the organisation can use proactively to plan and manage its estates and assets, and to boost service levels across the board. The potential benefits for partner and customer satisfaction are considerable. Modular opportunities For most organisations, the This level of innovation is days of big-ticket, specialist particularly noticeable in CAFM systems chugging away the range of modules and in the back office are long processes that are provided gone, and have been replaced by today s state-of-the-art by sleek, service-oriented CAFM systems, which often platforms that are accessible reflect the depth and range round-the-clock and in the field of the vendor s experience in by everybody who will benefit providing bespoke solutions from the richness of the data to meet the needs of individual they are gathering. contracts. FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 11

12 Section3 These solutions often break new ground in the degree of integration, pulling together diverse strands of information relevant to the lifecycle of a contract, an asset, or even a help desk call, to create a fully automated reporting trail. For organisations with large, complex estates, as well as FM providers with multiple clients, CAFM s ability to streamline the help desk and provide an automated framework for managing contracts can be a revelation. The innovation comes in the system s capacity for rationalising service delivery, and enabling the information generated by the process to be harnessed and used in real time. From call logging and maintenance task logging - two key staples of a managed help desk - to the automated delivery of professional services that could range from room booking to catering requests, CAFM gives organisations and enterprises an opportunity to streamline processes in ways that will have an immediate, positive effect on the bottom line. From the service provider or FM team s perspective, this also presents an opportunity to take responsibility for performance management throughout the supply chain, using the information to increase the visibility, value and use of services across the organisation CAFM as a measurement tool Today s CAFM systems allow FM professionals to measure efficiency, task completion rates and adherence to SLAs in multiple formats, helping to reinforce the business case for investment in the platform and adding vital layers of information that can enhance operational decisions. This is often a revelation when it comes to the management of traditional FM services - but it is also a powerful argument for embracing the range of professional services that a full portfolio of CAFM modules will enable and support. The sheer depth of information generated by implementing a suite of appropriate modules will open up new horizons for CAFM customers, as they can utilise, analyse and interrogate data in ways that add value to business processes beyond simply ensuring that SLAs are being met. Calling CAFM vendors to account Selecting a CAFM supplier who can demonstrate these capabilities in direct relation to the needs of your business is the best starting point for capitalising on the wave of innovation that is currently stimulating the industry. But additional vendor services, from customisation and consultancy to training and post-sales care, should also give clear evidence of a vendor s flexibility and ability to innovate in all areas of its product offering. In many ways, today s CAFM vendors must put their money where their mouth is when it comes to innovation. And they expect to be called to account by an increasingly computerliterate end-user who does not simply want to be sold the benefits of a new application - they want to see it in action, on their smartphone or tablet, and expect to experience a continuous curve of innovation, in the same way that any other app on their device evolves 12 achieving our goals together

13 Section4 Aiming high - the Future of CAFM If integration between systems and business processes has been the defining trend of CAFM evolution during the last decade, connectivity is the new watchword for the next few years. The Internet of things - connecting the physical environment across the web - has entered the mainstream of technology marketing. And it would be difficult to come up with a function that resonates more closely with the phrase than FM, which is effectively the point at which the business meets the environment. The rate at which the internet has grown puts the potential role of advanced technology in the next phase of CAFM innovation into context. A quarter of a century ago, it did not even exist as a concept outside the laboratories of a handful of technologists. By 2008, the number of things connected to the web exceeded the number of people on earth. Connectivity is key... connectivity is the new watchword for the next few years... Our desire to integrate with, manage and control our environment in increasingly automated, intuitive ways, is set to find its natural home in CAFM platforms which fulfil that desire and interpret it by delivering services and information that will have a profound effect on our interaction with buildings, assets and facilities. FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 13

14 Section4 Quite simply, this type of scenario reflects the use of CAFM technology in increasingly joined-up ways. Intelligent buildings have already been with us for a long time. The idea of temperature and lighting controls that respond to electronic sensors is not new in itself. Most of us are used to walking down corridors in modern office buildings and hotels with the lights switching themselves on ahead of us. But as far as CAFM is concerned, this sort of energy management will soon start to look very basic - and the business benefits of CAFM systems based on deeper integration and connectivity will seem highly compelling. The customer is king Consumer expectations are a major influence on the intensity of this evolution. They are driven, at least in part, by the ease with which mobile devices allow us to create customised communication channels with people and services. Touching an app icon, followed by a series of similar commands, to place an order, set a television recording remotely, or book a restaurant table, is already second nature to most of us. And we are frustrated when business interfaces and applications do not respond in the same intuitive ways. How much easier it would be, for example, if you could swipe a smartcard at a room entrance, triggering a series of automated tasks that range from setting the lighting to the right level, to ordering coffee, to switching on the phone - personalised with your contacts list, perhaps - to issuing an alert when the room booking is running out of time. And of course, everything would return to its factory setting when you leave, conserving energy and costs that otherwise weigh heavily on the corporate bottom line. Or perhaps you would like to do all this from a display screen in reception, so that the room is set up in time for your arrival. Quite simply, this type of scenario reflects the use of CAFM technology in increasingly joined-up ways. The benefits - tangible and measurable savings - are matched by the depth of information that CAFM systems will be able to gather. Usage pattern analysis, for example, will help to make building use more efficient and cost-effective around the clock, enabling power consumption forecasts to be more accurate for different times - and trimming hundreds of thousands of pounds from the organisation s utilities bill. Real-time imperatives CAFM users are looking for truly real-time integration and connectivity that reflects their experience as technology consumers. So whether it s an app on their smartphone or a link on the company s social media page, this is the route that vendors are pursuing - a natural extension of the webenablement strategies that have already had a major influence on the development of user interfaces and reporting tools. 14 achieving our goals together

15 Section4 Senior managers want to be able to pull up reports on their smartphones. Endusers want it to be easier to log a request with the help desk, report a fault or raise a job. By extending the CAFM system into the non-desktop environment, vendors are simply answering the clarion call of the consumer in ever more innovative and intuitive ways. Intelligent automation However, this consumer influence will also deliver benefits to the heart of the business. Real-time connectivity and real-time integration mean the availability of real-time information. Tasks can be scheduled to the moment of optimum convenience and least financial impact for the organisation. Take a retailer with a faulty refrigeration unit. By integrating the Internet of things with the communications network, the CAFM system will be able to raise the alert and initiate a chain of events, from allocating the task to the nearest and most appropriate contractor to monitoring progress, closing the task and raising any relevant paperwork. It will automatically know which service is required at each stage. Information relating to the event will also automatically be added to the asset register and used to plan the net stages in the unit s lifecycle. This means that advanced technology will ultimately combine with properly defined processes to streamline hard FM services that have traditionally been confined to the FM silo, bring them out into the open and give them full visibility across the business. As it materialises, this vision of the future will enable a coherent and comprehensive approach to integrated hard and soft service delivery, giving enterprises and organisations an improved grip on the constant drain of lost revenues caused by inefficient asset and estate management. CAFM as a meeting point The cultural impact of automation and integration delivered by increasingly mobile CAFM platforms cannot be underestimated. Workflow technology embedded in the systems will help to streamline processes. Reports will be valued at board level for their focus or the application of specific information to answer a business challenge or make the case for a new initiative, ensuring that CAFM will continue its rise as a core business tool of choice. The CAFM system of the future will be a natural meeting point for internal user, contractor and external customer interactions, delivering an array of information and services that make FM services relevant and visible to an audience far beyond the traditional confines of the back office About FSI FSI is a global-leader in CAFM software, with Headquarters in the UK, offices in Australia and Dubai, and an international partner network. The portfolio includes Concept Evolution completely web based CAFM, and FSI GO for Mobile Application development: build fully customised mobile solutions, extending the functionality of Concept Evolution and third party integrated systems. More at FSI FM Let us help change your world. fsifm.com 15

16 achieving our goals together Let us help change your world. UK (Head Office) I T: +44 (0) I E: info@fsifm.com I Australia I T: +61 (0) I E: info@fsifm.com.au I Middle East I T: +971 (0) I E: info@fsime.ae I