The age-old challenge with facility compliance is that you need the right people to do the right work at the right time. And then you need reliable, searchable records of who did what, when.
The modern solution is facility management software.
Keeping up with compliance can feel overwhelming, but the right facility management software helps you get the work done and then prove you took care of everything correctly and on time.
What are the types of facility compliance?
Compliance is a broad term, covering everything from requirements from national, state, and local governmental to suggestions on current best practices from industry agencies.
Safety
With everything from elevators to fire suppression systems, there are a huge number of interconnected rules and regulations covering safety. On top of that, safety compliance often requires bringing in third-party experts for setup and maintenance. You can’t install your own sprinkler systems and you can’t legally test it.
And the stakes are high. If you fall out of compliance, at the least you’re facing large fines. But if there’s an accident that could have been prevented, the organization is now open to fines, reputational loss, and litigation.
Labor
Even with a pool of talented maintenance professionals to draw from, you still need to make sure you have the right techs working on the right jobs but tracking everyone’s certificates and skill sets can be tough.
On top of that, you need to make sure you’re spreading the work out, so no one is left short of hours, and no one is working overtime, which is a fast way to burn out employees while burning through your budget.
Master service agreements
With more organizations moving from in-house to third-party facility management, FMs need to make sure they’re avoiding contractual risks by failing to make the right repairs in time. When the organization is relying on you to keep assets and equipment up and running, overlooking even small maintenance inspections and tasks can have serious consequences, including losing lucrative contracts.
How does facility management software helps with compliance?
It helps you with compliance by standardizing and streamlining workflows, making it easier to schedule and track work by doing all the remembering for you, and capturing, updating, and safeguarding data automatically and in real time.
Schedule and track work with preventive maintenance
The first step to making sure the right work gets done on time is setting up a schedule. But when you’re working with more traditional methods like paper and spreadsheets, it’s hard to keep everything organized. With paper, you’re always running the risk of your data literally falling through the cracks. And with spreadsheets, it’s often hard to even see the columns and rows as anything that matches real times and dates.
But with facility maintenance software, you can schedule, assign, and track your entire preventive maintenance program all from one platform. With easy-to-read calendar views, you can see exactly what work is coming up, and if there’s anything you forget, the software sends out helpful emails to remind you.
You and the maintenance technicians know exactly what needs to get done and by when.
Follow all best practices with work order templates
And once techs arrive onsite to complete their assigned work, facility management software helps you make sure they’re prepared to do the work correctly.
The work orders come packed with everything techs need to work efficiently and correctly, including:
- Associated MRO parts and materials
- Comprehensive asset maintenance and repairs histories
- Digital images, schematics, and warranties
- Interactive maps and floor plans
They also have step-by-step instructions and customizable checklists to ensure techs do every job following in-house and industry standards. You can design your own instructions and checklists, save them in the software, and then add them to new PMs and on-demand work orders with just a few clicks.
Update reliable, searchable records in real time
Doing the work is never enough. You also need proof that you did it. With paper and spreadsheets, you’re always running the risk of losing your data. One misplaced piece of paper or one accidentally deleted file could bring the whole house of paper cards down around you.
But because everything is entered manually, you can’t even fully trust the data you do manage to keep.
With facility management software, someone else is doing all the data work for you. Instead of trying to track everything on paper or spreadsheets, all your data goes into one central database located in the cloud.
What’s the cloud? It just means your software provider takes care of setting up the required servers and software, taking the IT weight off your shoulders. Once your data is all in the same place, you can easily access it from anywhere. And any changes are reflected in real time.
Consider an old-style paper work order. You write it out and then the tech has to come all the way to the office to pick it up. If they have any questions while they’re onsite, they have to run back to the office for help. All these inefficiencies waste time, costing you money.
With modern work order software, techs can simply log into the software using any Internet-connected device, including desktops and mobile devices. Once they’re logged on, they can access assigned work orders. Any time they add comments, upload images, or simply close out the work order, everything is automatically updated, ensuring everyone on the team is looking at accurate information.
And when it comes time to prove compliance, you already have accurate records who what was assigned, who it was assigned to, who did the work, how they did it, and when it was closed out.
CEO summary
Compliance requires facility managers get the right work done, on time and properly. There are different types of compliance, including safety, labor, and service contracts. Falling out of compliance carries many risks, including fines and penalties, costly civil litigation and criminal proceedings, and lost of reputation. Facility management software helps FMs set up and schedule preventive maintenance programs, track employee training and hours, and capture and safeguard critical data.
Let’s get you to that next step
Ready to get the modern facility management software solution that works best for you?
Hippo is here to help you make it happen with the right facility management solution, including answering your questions about maintenance strategies (and everything else related to maintenance), helping you book a live software demo, or even setting you up with a free trial.
