Facility maintenance refers to the end-to-end process of getting the most out of a commercial building’s physical assets and infrastructure, adding to its longevity. That includes facility maintenance workers, workflows, software and hardware. Here are some relevant examples:
- HVAC and interior office equipment
- Plumbing, electrical, and elevators for buildings
- Windows, doors, paint
- Surrounding grounds and landscaping
- Regular deep cleaning of a building’s carpet
- Regular inspections of lighting systems
The definition of facility maintenance points to something relatively simple and easy, right? Wrong. What makes it such a complicated and, at the same time, an essential function for any modern business is the multiple moving parts entailed in the process. How do you streamline and automate people, machines and software to be on the same page? How do you turn facility maintenance into preventive maintenance?
It all starts with your choice of software.
Benefits of facility maintenance software
Choosing the right software can literally change the entire infrastructure of your business and bring tangible, sizeable changes to the entire business. Here are some of the main benefits of property maintenance software such as Frontu.
Extend equipment and building lifetime
This is probably the number one benefit the business would derive from modern software. The ability to add years and longevity to their facility’s lifetime. How does a platform like Frontu do that? It allows facility managers to set up, schedule, and track a preventive maintenance process from beginning to end. They won’t have to wait and react to a malfunction. They will get reminders, notifications and action points on performing systematic checks to prevent the aforementioned areas of the facility from breaking down.
The facility management software can automatically generate these inspection tasks promptly, sends out assignments and track progress and completion rates. Moreover, preventive maintenance allows the facility manager to always be on top of inventory, never being in doubt about what you have or may need.
Prioritization
Even unexpected tasks can be prioritized. The nature of maintenance management is dynamic, and there’s no way you can plan for everything. The goal is not to eliminate unexpected tasks but to find a framework to address them seamlessly. Unexpected tasks should never be the reason for panic and chaos.
Here’s where an app like Frontu comes into play. By utilising highly customisable templates, urgent requests can be populated instantly, and the facility management professional can be notified with all the information they need to proceed with the tasks.
Reporting
This is where savings and optimisation are made possible. Manual reporting made generating, sharing, and collecting data time-consuming and challenging. Can you imagine filling out excel sheets, lists and paper documentation by hand, printing them and storing them in folders? The propensity for error is enormous, and this is not the best use of your resources, time and effort.
Modern software such as Frontu keeps all your data in one central database, where everyone in the company can see it and make updates in real-time. Reporting allows you to see the loopholes and deficiencies in your current setup and make valuable decisions on how to move forward.
Facility Maintenance vs Facility Management
While most people use these two concepts interchangeably, they are different in meaning. Facility maintenance is part of facility management. Facility management includes everything from building maintenance to managing the maintenance team. From day-to-day operations to the long-term planning for the longevity of the premises.
On the other hand, facility maintenance zones in on the inspection and upkeep of assets, utilities, and the building as a whole. Here are a few examples of facility management:
- Looking at ways to reduce the energy use of a facility
- Managing the budget
- Adhering to health and safety regulations
- Managing a team across different divisions
Try Frontu
Why not try Frontu? What better way to see what facility maintenance is all about than to test Frontu yourself? Book a demo, and a member of our team will walk you through the process and answer any questions you have.
