Feature
The value of Digital Transformation for Facilities Managers
An increasing number of businesses in all industries are opting to implement a paper-free strategy to save costs, improve compliance and increase productivity. Here, Colin Yates, chief support officer of WorkMobile, discusses how digital transformation can also offer other significant benefits to facilities managers. Going paperless comes with a host of
business benefits – it’s environmentally friendly, reduces admin costs and increases efficiency and productivity. But beyond these obvious advantages, there’s another compelling reason for facilities managers (FMs) to embrace digital transformation: digital data capture. Data is a highly valuable asset. Without it,
businesses can end up relying simply on their gut feeling or on a blind hunch when making critical decisions. Embracing digital transformation provides businesses with more immediate access to higher quality data than ever before. With the appropriate tools, this data can then be analysed quickly and easily to provide useful insights. For FMs, digital data capture solutions can
be used to replace traditional paper forms and reporting systems. The information captured in these digital forms can be automatically collated and stored on a central cloud-based reporting platform. Not only does this reduce the room for
human error, but it also means that the employee or contractor carrying out a job can complete and file a report without ever needing to physically return to the office, freeing up time to attend more jobs and saving on travel costs. Now that this technology is readily
available, digital data capture should be a daily part of facilities management, whatever the sector. It allows FMs to gather crucial business intelligence such as commercial data, contract and supplier information, property running costs and environmental information. Digital technology is changing the world
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around us, transforming the way that businesses operate and altering how, when, and where people work. For forward- thinking FMs, it can inform decision-making and optimise operations – identifying areas where money is being wasted or space is being underutilised.
Taking a closer look at the benefits
Capturing data digitally, rather than manually, offers some valuable benefits for FMs, including: New data: Not only do digital data
capture solutions allow data to be collected on site, in some cases it can also be automatically time stamped and GPS tagged. Wherever an employee is when they fill in forms or reports on their device, the time and location can be recorded. This is data that would previously have been very difficult to track reliably in paper-based processes and can provide FMs with key insight into mobile workforce locations and field operations. Accessibility: Digital documents are
much easier to store and access. Rather than large amounts of physical paperwork that has to be stored in bulky filing cabinets, or even in an expensive off-site storage facility, documents can instead be hosted in a central cloud-based system. The money saved on storage costs can then be spent on other aspects of the business, and all files can be viewed quickly and easily, anywhere and at any time. This gives FMs the chance to access invaluable insights into day-to-day operations at the touch of a button. Visualising your data: Rather than
just capturing and storing facts and figures, business intelligence tools can be used to analyse the data and produce meaningful reports. Not only can these reports be used by FMs to streamline their own processes and improve efficiency, but they can also use the information at their disposal to contribute to strategic decisions for their customers, for example identifying
opportunities to save money on energy in under-occupied areas of a building. Safety: Security is an important consideration for FMs. Life in a paper-filled world means that documents can easily be misplaced or damaged, but this is avoided with digital data capture as all information is automatically and accurately saved to the cloud. That said, going digital might raise concerns about data security, so it’s important to ensure that software used meets regulations and has safeguards in place to protect confidential information.
Upskilling staff
In order to ensure that new technologies are effectively integrated into a business and used to their full potential, it’s important that staff are properly trained on how to input and analyse data properly. If FMs are serious about digital
transformation, they will need to arm their staff with everything they need in the mobile workplace as the new data is most valuable if it’s captured both accurately and regularly. By embedding digital working practices
into a company’s culture, staff will be able to carry out their jobs more efficiently and, in turn, provide more valuable data that can be used to help inform better business decisions.
Embracing the future
A data-based approach offers FMs the ability to easily access data that can give them the power to effectively understand what the impact their decisions have had in the past, and how best to refine their business strategy for the future. By adopting new technologies, they can
be better placed to advise their customers on strategies and solutions that can improve the employee experience in the most cost- effective way possible. With some FMs already reaping the rewards of digital transformation, those reluctant to make the change are at risk of falling behind the competition.
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