6 Questions To Ask When Choosing a Facilities Task Management Solution

Transcription

1 6 Questions To Ask When Choosing a Facilities Task Management Solution

2 Introduction Facility operations are faced with a rapidly changing environment. Budget cuts, internal pressures and growing teams are forcing facility executives to look for opportunities to drive costs out of their operations with more efficient processes and increased visibility. While looking for areas of improvement, one of the first opportunities is addressing the disconnect between the existing workplace management system and the employees managing the daily tasks in the field. The lack of integration between the two results in opportunities for improvement, including manual processes, duplicated work and data entry. This additionally results in limited accountability and metrics of overall performance. A mobile task management solution can address all of these problems. By adding mobile software and linking it to your existing workplace system, a seamless experience is created across your business. New facility tasks are pushed to your team automatically, company assets can be tracked through every stage of a job and everything is measured and communicated back to your workplace system in real time. The business now has the visibility to measure performance, drive improvements and increase productivity. In this document, we ll address 6 of the most common questions asked when evaluating mobile task management solutions for your business. 2

3 Mobility Should my facilities team have a mobile task management solution? Connectivity Does my workplace management software communicate directly with my task management software? Collection & Synchronization Can I collect data while offline and provide data synchronization across my team? Tracking Can I track and identify all items from a job? Going Paperless Can I get rid of the stacks of paper requiring manual processing? Flexibility Can a task management solution handle my varied business requirements?

4 Question #1 Mobility Should my facilities team have a mobile task management solution? One of the first technical opportunities facing facility teams is closing the gap between the existing workplace management software and the daily facility tasks managed by the field employees. Manually created daily work orders, paper job lists, move forms filled out by hand, and manual data entry all create inefficiencies in business processes. With the addition of task management software, the gap between systems is closed, creating a complete loop of data. Daily jobs are pushed to your facility employees automatically. Items are barcoded, and images, asset tags and condition reports are collected for every item. As information is collected by your field team, it s pushed in real time back to your workplace management software, providing the business complete visibility to drive process improvements. As information is collected by your field team, it s pushed in real time back to your workplace management software.

5 Question #2 Connectivity Does my workplace management software communicate directly with my task management software? Creating a link between your existing workplace management software and your task management software will establish a seamless experience between the two systems. This removes duplicate data entry, establishes opportunities for new functionality, and provides far greater reliability and efficiency. Benefits Automatically create, update and push jobs to your field employees Collected field data, including images, company assets and location are automatically pushed back to your facility software Every device is synchronized across your entire team

6 Question #3 Collection & Synchronization Can I collect data while offline and provide data synchronization across my team? Offline Data Collection A mobile task management system with offline data collection is essential. In the field, reliable cellular or Wi-Fi connections are never guaranteed. With offline data collection, when a mobile connection is lost, data is cached locally on the mobile device. When the connection is restored, all cached data is instantly synchronized back to the workplace management software and every device associated with the job. Mobile Synchronization Every job is unique. Some job tasks may require just a single person, while others may need multiple roles to complete it (e.g. a computer technician and a mover), and some may require tens or hundreds of employees all working simultaneously to move an entire building. As tasks are completed, updates are pushed to every team member so every person is aligned, all in real time.

7 Question #4 Tracking Can I track and identify all items from a job? Adding barcode tracking to your assets during facility jobs is a key step to providing visibility. Information beyond just the asset number can be included in the barcode reducing data entry. Barcode scanning also adds milestones through the entire process allowing measurement through each phase of a job. Benefits QR barcodes can include additional information including the item type, employee name and location. Eliminate errors by not requiring manual data entry Rapid scanning to quickly collect inventory items Easily identify misplaced items by scanning the barcode

8 Question #5 Going Paperless Can I get rid of the stacks of paper requiring manual processing? Working towards a paperless facility management process is less expensive and better for the environment, but will also increase flexibility and convenience for your customers and team. Send Digital Move Instructions - Instead of paper move instructions, use s or text messaging to communicate move instructions to your internal customers. Photograph Layouts - Use photographs to replace the hand drawn maps of desk configurations. Create Digital Task Lists - Create a daily digital task list that is pushed to mobile device for each field employee. Digital Job Assignment - Send daily job assignments to your field employees via an app, or text messaging.

9 Question #6 - Flexibility Can a task management solution handle my varied business requirements? Every business is unique, and not every facility task will be the same. When using mobile task software to support your field employees, it s important the system is flexible enough that it will support your business today and how it will evolve over time. Job Types - Not all facility tasks will be the same. Look for a system that allows for flexibility of tasks your team assignments (e.g. add a bookcase, raise a desk, move a team). Each job type may require a different job structure for appropriate management and measurement. Job Stages - Some facility tasks will require specialized employees spanning multiple teams. Ensure the system allows for handoff across stages of a job (e.g. a disconnect of a server by the IT team, then transportation by a separate moving team). Real Time Updates - Last-minute updates and new job requests are common in facility operations. A system that allows for dynamic updates is essential.

10 Summary With the rapid growth across most industries in recent years, there is an rising level of pressure on facility teams to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The historical methods of manual processes, duplicated work and no job tracking are being pushed to change. Thankfully, advancements in mobile devices and cloud computing can help. By adding mobile task management software and integrating it with your existing workplace management software, improvements can be realized across the organization. Daily facility tasks will be pushed to your team in real time, assets can be tracked as they move through the organization, and exceptions events will be proactively identified. With an integrated mobile system, the team now has a complete loop of visibility, all communicated back in real time. The business now has the information to drive further efficiency gains and improve the customer experience.

11 About Us Staza is a San Francisco based company with a focus on mobility software for the facilities management and commercial moving industries. Staza s SaaS platform is easy to implement and use. Featuring a web management interface with Android and ios apps. Built on an extremely scalable platform, our powerful technology platform enables companies to gain efficiencies with their service tasks by streamlining their operations. For more information or to request a demo, please visit our website at: Copyright 2017 Sakari, Inc.