Let’s face it; a lot of the time, managing a large building can often be a complex and involved affair, and one that a single person alone cannot satisfactorily complete without the assistance of other people and the aid of technology.
And speaking of technology, have you heard about CMMS software? CMMS is short for ‘Computerised Maintenance Management Systemâ, and in a nutshell refers to a feature-packed application for your computer that helps you to effectively manage your building whilst leaving you in complete control of what happens there, how it happens and the relevant people involved.
If you have not heard of CMMS software before, here is how you can use it to your advantage so that you can effectively maintain and manage your building the smarter way (and save money at the same time)!
It helps you to understand what you’ve got
One of the challenges to managing a large building is the fact that you have to keep up with the details of what equipment, machinery and facilities you have onsite. Using CMMS software, you will be able to know exactly what’s in your inventory, and what’s more, where those items are located.
When a problem develops with any machinery, knowing precisely where it is located will help you to quickly dispatch a maintenance engineer to the right location.
Equipment will be more reliable as a result
Virtually all types of equipment and machinery will need to be regularly maintained, and for that to happen they will need to be serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedules. Having a CMMS system in place will help make that happen, because you can schedule in engineer visits and other service-related appointments.
It’s certainly a damn site better than using loads of Post-it Notes on your desk or keeping everything in a massive spreadsheet, because CMMS systems can be accessed and updated by multiple users.
Maintenance costs will be kept to a minimum
The problem with not using a CMMS software package in your business is that you could spend an absolute fortune on maintenance costs! The scheduling features I mentioned a moment ago will certainly help to lower your costs, but the other thing that maintenance bosses need to do is ensure they get the best deals for any service contracts from third parties.
Because you can keep accurate records of how much things cost in a CMMS system, you will be able to determine whether the prices you are being asked to pay this year are different to last year’s costs.
The last thing you want to do is blow your maintenance budget on pricey service contracts, so you can use the system to help you get a better deal for your firm and save lots of money in the process.
Efficient staff management
In a large building, you will doubtless have a team of people working for you that maintain certain specific elements, whether it be the IT infrastructure, lighting, air conditioning and so on.
A CMMS system can help you to efficiently manage your staff by booking them onto certain tasks or projects, so that you can utilise them for high priority jobs.
