FOCUS CAFM
Automation is helping to ensure business
remains as e icient as possible in the ‘new
normal’. Minimising the number of people
involved in the simplest of business processes is
critical, even a er a pandemic. That said, under
the right circumstances, that human touch will
always be important for service businesses, of
course, but automated technologies will enable
service providers to deliver great customer
service at increasingly lower costs and who
wouldn’t want that?
GARY WATKINS
CEO OF SERVICE WORKS GLOBAL
Without data, decisions are just opinions. As FMs
avoid the race to the bottom with increasing
competition and high customer expectations,
data-driven decision making can make the
di erence and deliver a significant operational
advantage. Since the pandemic began sites
have become more di icult to run due to social
distancing, remote teams and potentially
furloughed sta ; data is the valuable resource
to keep sites running. CAFM plays a key role in
this, with improved reporting cited as its
main benefit, just behind improved FM
e iciency according to the FM Tech
Survey from SWG in partnership
with FMJ.
As CAFM evolves to keep
pace with requirements,
it’s easier than ever
not only to capture the
information but also
analyse it. This can be
done through customisable
on-screen dashboards
showing live data such as
deadlines, costs and workload
across the team, or downloaded
to MS Excel or Power BI for further drill
down and trend identification. And, FMs don’t
need to be a whizz in these programmes as
some CAFM vendors, like SWG, will create the
templates so the user needs only select the date
range or filters.
Integration of CAFM with other systems for
data sharing is a common way to improve
data accuracy and improve e iciency. Where
respondents of the FM Tech Survey 2020
reported their CAFM saved them money, 83 per
cent had integrated it with at least one other
system. BMS integration is the most common,
leading to automation of some common tasks.
When the BMS identifies a problem, it can
report it to the CAFM so ware which in turn will
automatically create a work order and dispatch
it to the most suitable operatives. This means a
problem can be remedied before it causes the
asset to break, costing less money and time
than performing a full repair. It also means if
there’s less resource for visual inspections, or
even nobody on site during a lockdown, there’s
less danger of damage going unnoticed and
preventing the normal functioning of the site.
30 MARCH 2021
This increased data-led mentality
has allowed BIM to grow in popularity.
Without a CAFM system the data would be
overwhelming and unusable, but specialist
CAFM vendors will work with their clients to
extract what’s relevant. This includes details
of every asset and system installed, saving
FMs hours in populating an asset register from
scratch. This data can be combined with 2D
/ 3D BIM models as well as the existing data
in the CAFM so ware to provide unparalleled
insight into the whole site. From this FMs are
able to gain accurate measurements of any
area without a site visit, find out the materials
used in the floors and walls, and even view
hidden systems like wiring and HVAC to avoid
damage during maintenance or renovation.
On receiving a work order, the engineer
can check the BIM model on their phone to
see the asset’s location, be informed of any
access restrictions like a required permit or
an enclosed space, and also view asset data
such as service history, warranty details,
parts and serial numbers. This level of insight
comes into its own in maintaining service
during the pandemic, helping reduce
travel and improving first time
fix rates at a time when the
FM team may be working
with reduced capacity and
under social distancing
measures.
As businesses plan for
lockdown easing and
employees returning to
work, many are looking
to space management
modules within CAFM
so ware to plan social
distancing, create shi patterns to
reduce footfall, and manage cleaning.
This goes beyond just visual layout planning
and puts in place safeguards to help stem
the spread of COVID-19. For example, CAFM
can produce a list of employees who were
working on a day when COVID symptoms
were identified at the workplace, so they
can be contacted and self-isolate pending
negative test results. Cleaners can be notified
to perform a deep clean of the area, which
can also be scheduled a er each shi -rotation
to prevent cross-contamination.
Without data, these actions become much
more challenging and arduous, and lead to
a less safe and stable workplace. Decisions
based on hard data are more compelling for
senior management sign o , giving the team
more leverage when it comes to doing what
they know best.
OLIVER SPIRES
PRODUCT SPECIALIST FOR IDOX’S CAFM
EXPLORER
Over the last year CAFM systems have
become ever more important to facilities
managers dealing with changes in their
estates planning. Incorporating additional
cleaning, reduced occupancy levels, rotas and
staggered entry and exit times are just some
of the challenges that are now part of the dayto
day, while also maximising the potential
of spaces.
As we start the gradual return to
workplaces, social distancing remains a
key priority to keep people safe. CAFM
so ware can be configured to allow sta to
book resources, desks, or meeting spaces
before travelling to the o ice. Systems
administrators can easily turn on or o spaces
available to book, o ering piece of mind,
ensuring su icient space is maintained and
supporting other policies such as staggered
start and finish times. Crucially, ‘check-in
and check-out’ capability can provide details
on where and when sta have been within
facilities, supporting government guidance.
It can also provide data on space occupancy.
You can also drill into the data to understand
how frequently particular facilities are used to
maximise e iciency.
In the current environment, by having
access to CAFM analytics about all aspects of
your facilities, such as work order response
times, allows for more proactive planned
maintenance and associated costs can be
more accurately budgeted for to ensure
tighter control. Risk assessments and
action checklists can be set up for teams
carrying out work to answer a defined list of
questions, capturing essential and auditable
data for reporting adherence to government
guidelines.
With home working still the case for many
o ice workers, CAFM can help keep track of
IT equipment allocation. For those on site,
it can track new equipment that has been
purchased to support safety in the workplace
– screens, automatic hand sanitising units,
temperature gauges and air quality monitors.
So ware will support e icient management
of stock, giving real-time analysis and full
details of stock, and supplier information and
levels for automatically triggering restocking.
For example, ensuring your business has
optimum supplies of hand sanitiser, face
masks and other PPE. It integrates with your
help desk to allocate stock to both reactive
and planned work orders, improving your
e iciency and preventing overspend.
Using data and analytics from your CAFM
system can help to plan and draw insights
about any aspect of your facilities to make
better informed decisions, plan ahead and
increase operational success. With this kind of
tool, you can design and maintain dashboards
of your information for powerful business
intelligence and easier reporting, pulling your
most important data to the surface, ensuring
you can put strategies in place to tackle the
coming months.
Without data, decisions are just
opinions. As FMs avoid the race to the
bottom with increasing competition
and high customer expectations, datadriven
decision making can make the
diff erence and deliver a signifi cant
operational advantage.”
– Gary Watkins