When it comes to Facility Management (FM), the choice of software solutions on the market is pretty overwhelming. So for Facility Managers trying to decide on the best option for their workplace, it can really help to narrow the choice down.
One way of doing that is by focusing exclusively on Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMSs). They’re the leading range of FM software for multiple reasons, a few of which we’ll dive into in this article.
IWMSs combine soft and hard FM in one central platform
You can’t have the hard services without the soft in any functional workplace — or the soft without the hard! The behind the scenes hard services usually pass unnoticed until something goes wrong. An out of order toilet, say, or a broken light fitting or desk chair. As for the front of house soft services, they’re what your employees tend to consciously make use of day to day (catering, room booking, and so on).
To create an optimized employee experience, Facility Managers need a holistic view of the hard assets they’re working with, as well as how employees feel about the soft services they interact with daily. A leading IWMS would allow you to combine data about all these FM aspects in one secure, highly integratable hub.
One system, all your FM
From actioning preventive maintenance to enabling employees to log fuss-free dry cleaning requests, an IWMS would provide you with a central platform for it all. With user-friendly interfaces for both your employees and vendors to use, your FM workflows will never have been smarter, or smoother.
This has far-reaching benefits in a number of areas. Enhanced employee experience is key, of course, to keep your people inspired, productive, and content at work. To ensure they feel truly seen and valued, which supports them to take real pride in their work. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, too. So your current employees’ perception of your workplace is vital for you to sustainably attract and retain top talent going forward.
From a vendor management perspective, utilizing your own IWMS portal puts you back in charge of your FM data. You’ll have a clear overview of contracts, issues flagged, and fixes made throughout your provider ecosystem. As a result, you’ll be primed with data that could be vital to saving time and costs as you manage your vendor landscape.
IWMSs prioritize user experience with intuitive interfaces
A top IWMS would present a user-centric and intuitive interface to your employees. With a one-stop shop for all their questions and daily needs, there’ll be no more turning to separate locations and programs for hard and soft FM requests. From maintenance to catering, it’ll all be housed centrally in your IWMS, saving your employees significant time and potential stress!
Go user-centric across desktop and mobile
IWMSs usually offer both a desktop and mobile interface, empowering your employees to organize their work life whenever and wherever they choose. From reserving a workspace in the office to checking their assigned parking space for the day, it can all be done flexibly.
For vendors, a user-centric and agile IWMS portal is also key. A mobile app would enable their teams to view the relevant building locations and instructions per task, helping ensure the right ventilation unit is fixed, or the correct catering arrives at the right meeting room on time. In addition, integrating your security and vendor management systems would enable automatic barrier-raising for recognized vehicles, streamlining your vendors’ access and delivery experience.
IWMSs empower businesses to meet their sustainability goals
With an IWMS that allows you to log granular data across your soft and hard assets, you’ll be set up to only utilize your lighting, heating, ventilation, and so on as needed.
Picture this: Your employee portal enables a manager to book a certain meeting room for their team the next morning. A few minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start, the venue’s climate control system kicks in. When your employees arrive, it’s at the ideal ambient temperature — while the lighting and climate control on the rest of the still-empty floor remains fully off. Oh, and the catering the manager requested has all arrived smoothly, too.
IWMS and IOT
With an IWMS that enables IOT integrations, you could evolve things further. With sensors in your meeting rooms to track the number of people in the space, you could make sure your ventilation kicked in only when needed. This enhances flexibility and adaptability, for greater cost and emissions savings over time.
On an organization-wide level, your IWMS data would prime you to track carbon emissions by country, quarter, or year. This would enable identifying areas where your company is already making strides in reducing its environmental impact, but also where improvements are still needed.
Data-drive your corporate sustainability
For obvious reasons, sustainability reporting obligations are becoming steadily stricter for companies. So the capability to track, store, and share accurate data on your workplace’s environmental impact is key.
So how does this work? In brief, many IWMSs include the functionality to log your carbon emissions based on standardized regulatory constants. For example, using 1kg of printer paper is equivalent to a certain internationally defined carbon emission. Likewise, your fleet traveling so many miles per month on diesel fuel would equal a certain carbon emission level. Working with these constants, IWMSs are able to quantify your organizational carbon footprint for compliance-ready reporting.
Future-proof your workplace with an IWMS
For forward-thinking organizations with employee experience and sustainability goals high on the agenda, an IWMS is a truly valuable asset. With a detailed yet adaptable overview of your entire FM ecosystem, you’ll have strong foundations in place to evolve, streamline, and strategize with your FM.
Want to know more? Download the Buyer Guide: The ultimate guide to selecting your Integrated Workplace Management System.
