Sep

05

2018

4 Ways Integrated Facilities Management Can Increase Your Bottom Line

You’ve heard hundreds of examples of how streamlined companies are more efficient, save money, and deliver higher returns.

But have you applied that to your facility maintenance program?

Most companies have outsourced contracts to service key systems. When an issue is detected, someone from the office has to call a service provider for repair work, schedule an appointment, and try to do their best until help arrives. That downtime is expensive.

Outsourced Service Contracts

To solve this issue, many companies are turning toward Integrated Facilities Management (IFM). This method consolidates all of your office services under one contract and one management team.

Here are four reasons why IFM is useful, and what you can do to implement and enhance it: 

1: You can experience the rewards of proactive efficiency

What an IFM team can do: Having a single team allows for better efficiency. A dedicated team can proactively identify the issues, and in many cases can schedule a repair before the system completely fails. It also can fix simple issues and reduce the number of contractor relationships, thereby reducing cost.

How you can help: Like any department, an IFM team needs support, structure, and freedom. When the right people are present, it will solve problems on its own and keep your other employees in areas where they excel. Make sure you hire a competent team, and let them operate within their scope.

2: Your transition can be smooth when facility requirements change

What an IFM team can do: No successful business is static for long. Are you expecting growth in your workforce? Changes to your facility? Other cost-cutting changes? IFM can work as your backbone for physical changes to your location. They can offer advice, identify problems, and smooth the transition at the ground level.

How you can help: Clearly define your direction and invite IFM leaders to important directional meetings. By sharing directives, you can have a clear movement toward a goal. A facilities checklist is a great way to create realistic goals.

3: You can save money and prevent stress with effective communication 

What an IFM team can do: The leader of the IFM team becomes the clear point of contact for all decision-making at the operational level. All communication flows through him, reducing incorrect service requests and inaccurate building requests.

What you can do: Discuss your goals clearly, and consider using key performance indicators to identify your growth patterns. This becomes essential when sudden changes arise. As mentioned above, invite key members to meetings. As front-line technicians, they often provide alternative options and advice, which can save money and planning headaches later.

4: You can keep develop a strong maintenance program by leveraging technology 

What an IFM team can do: The IFM team works every day with your equipment. They’re the ones that talk with contractors and know the market. With the right software, they can monitor everything and identify ways to save money through analyzing energy flows. It can be as simple as bringing in external air on a cool day, or as technical as identifying a 15-minute period to shut off the air-conditioning every day. Pair it with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), and an IFM team can have your facility running at 100 percent.

What you can do: Big Data is becoming more and more important, but without a proper system to measure or extract it, that data isn’t useful. Stay in communication with what the team needs, and be willing to listen when they present cases for why a new technology can help.

Having a competent CMMS can help you track your KPIs and keep an IFM team accountable. With a competent IFM team serving your building, the value is measured in your peace of mind – and all your employees’, too.

Did you learn something new? Share this blog to keep your circle informed, and click the image below to download an e-guide that breaks down the high priority KPIs every facility manager should keep top-of-mind. 

Use the right KPIs to keep track of facility health. Read the e-book to learn more. 

Categories: Blog