Mobile minded

BACK OFFICE BENEFITS
A solution that links seamlessly to the back office is obviously crucial, so the tech must be designed for this more complex piece of the puzzle, i.e. ‘how do I get the right information so that person can do the job first time, every time?’

Explains Darragh: “When you look at hard FM and big infrastructure and assets that need to be maintained you need contextual information. We’re pulling that from different back office systems that are connected to a particular job, so that when you do a job of a more technical nature you have everything to hand. Basically, it’s the same platform but the complexity can vary, from quite simple cleaning tools to using our software on the project to build Hinkley Point nuclear power station.”

The firm is already working closely with some of the big FM providers, including Interserve, Mitie, Compass and Graham, which use its solutions for a variety of different tasks, from health and safety tracking all the way through to a range of field service management solutions. He adds that some of the leading FM supplier systems are looking to the firm to help enhance their CAFM systems; for example, making the software interact better with end users and be more adaptable to back office changes.

He says: “We’re not working in direct cooperation with the CAFM systems suppliers yet, but we do integrate with them where ever we go, within healthcare, government, transport, etc.

“What we often find though is that there is a gap between the information they have and making it mobile ready. They might hold the contract information but not the asset data, or hold the asset information but not the service record.

“We can supplement this information in order to make a field worker capable of doing the job by helping to manipulate and store the data. For example, where a security guard is on a site where there is a regular checkpoint, the system would record every checkpoint time, and the location of the person as they do their rounds. Alongside proof of attendance, you can calculate how much time each round should take. This means [for FM] you can price contracts more accurately by interrogating the huge amounts of data you gather across the system.”

“At the front end, there is an increase in efficiency, the ability to allocate work better and have more time to actually do the work. If a mobile solution can offer speed, efficiency, proof, consistency, these are the elements which remove the need for discussion or error and make sure a task is done in the same way all the time.”

He argues that for the FM market and particularly large-scale repeatable tasks such as security and cleaning that is a big deal.

“I heard from a large brand in the FM space, which believes there is a 40 per cent efficiency gain in using IoT sensors to organise on-demand cleaning. With the FM market having such tight margins, why would you not take advantage of that as the tech investments are miniscule compared to the gains? The worker spends less time doing admin or paperwork and the suppliers are more efficient, with jobs all traced and tracked.”

COVID CARE
Like many digital suppliers, Totalmobile has responded to the COVID-19 outbreak, with new or amended products such as Remote Assist, a solution to help organisations provide remote support to their customer base. Instead of having to send field engineers out to fix an asset, the technology provides video diagnostic technology that reduces the number of unnecessary site visits.

The solution creates a shared live video stream that can be viewed by the support team or engineers who can then walk through the problem virtually with the customer, discuss potential solutions and if possible, assist the customer to remedy the problem.

Explains Darragh: “This also has a long-term gain because if you can cut down on physical visits you can reduce your costs. If you do send a worker who doesn’t recognise the tech they can connect to someone else in the back office who knows the system. This helps improve first time fix rates by delivering a new layer of efficiency, and with the COVID situation by reducing the need for multiple visits.”

Another solution is a lone workers device that equips a field worker with a device that allows emergency access to support via an alarm call centre.

FUTURE INNOVATION
The FM sector isn’t renowned for the early adoption of the latest tech, and one of the reasons has been a suspicion by stakeholders, from boardrooms to occupiers who are concerned about a ‘big brother’ use of AI in managing people and buildings.

“I would like to demystify AI” says Darragh. “It’s really just about computers making intelligent decisions. Our scheduling tech learns that one route is faster than another, that one job takes so long, and in the background assesses the time taken to adjust it next time if necessary. It’s the ‘see it learn it’ approach and there is no reason to be nervous, we’re just tuning the system to be better.”

He says a sensor may monitor a meeting room and by attaching rules that automate the restocking or cleaning process creates a job.

“It’s the flow of create the work, do the work, finish the work. That’s just a more efficient way of all of us going about our job and doing what needs doing, not because the contract states that it does.”

Future innovations include developing a range of new wearable tools such as googles which could recognise an asset (such as a boiler) – bring up its service history and enable the engineer to access more information using hand gestures.

Within FM he explains; “Some thought-provoking conversations are going on already looking at wearables and IoT. COVID may accelerate the process as the FM sector looks to rethink how it does things. There will always be a focus on how cost and technology can be utilised to deliver more demand-based services which will be more efficient and help operators rebuild some margin. So, I believe within the next couple of years, there will be real thrust for the adoption of the latest technologies by FM providers, both hard and soft.”