What is facilities management software – CAFM (Computer Aided Facilities Management)?
Facilities management is the management and maintenance of all of the different functions, systems and services that support a business. The facilities may include anything from the workplace site to managing the workers’ health and safety.
Facilities management software is a valuable tool for a facility manager or a facilities management team. Having a productive facilities management system allows facility managers to boost their productivity and use their time to the fullest. Using a facilities management system will be cost-effective over a long period.
Critical features of CAFM software
Observe consumable inventories
A key feature of FM software is keeping track of all necessary consumable items and notifying businesses when facilities need essential supplies to prevent them from running out.
Organisation and prioritisation of work requests
Facility managers have to attend to many tasks, and sometimes it can be overwhelming to keep track. Good facilities management software should support the manager by processing, prioritising, and organising any work requests that come through. The most important part of this organisation is ensuring that top priority requests assessed and actioned based on the information given to them.
Integrate with other software
FM covers a vast range of practices, but an FM software system should integrate easily with other software and systems. The potential touch-points for an FM system include financial, telecommunications, energy management, and IT/HR systems.
Inventory and asset management
On top of the other tasks the facility management team need to complete, keeping track of assets and inventories is very important. A sound FM system should offer barcode recognition or scannable QR codes that are all specific to different pieces of equipment in the workplace. This digital tracking can allow regular upkeep and maintenance of equipment and assets. It is also an excellent way to track and identify if there have been any thefts of items or equipment in the workplace or further afield.
Accessibility
Up-to-date facilities management software allows businesses to access information from anywhere they like. Mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers, and laptops should all be supported. Having easy access to information is critical in helping facility managers as they may be in different parts of buildings or even other sites. Having access to information anywhere, facility managers do not need to be near laptops or computers, allowing work to continue more efficiently.
Security
Day-to-day FM operations requiring supporting information are possible anywhere with a mobile or WIFI signal. Cloud-based FM applications also allow data storage on remote servers outside of any business building or office. Adding security to data should fire or break-ins affect the corporate infrastructure as there is always a back-up somewhere.
Track orders and data history
Order tracking enables data validation and preserves transactional history for future reference—the benefit is identifying specific trends for future reference in their business. A sound FM system should give the option to track orders yearly, half-yearly, quarterly, or monthly. This accumulation of information prevents the likelihood of processing errors reoccurring, therefore minimising future costs.
