A Western Property Management Firm Digitizes to Improve Business Performance and Customer Satisfaction
A western commercial real estate investment and property management company operates numerous warehouses and shipping terminals. When the company acquired new properties, it faced a significant challenge in efficiently managing and maintaining these facilities. To address this issue, it decided to leverage business process automation, specifically Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint, and virtual assistants/AI. This case study highlights how it successfully implemented this solution by leveraging Clayworks.
Challenges:
Managing and maintaining multiple facilities across different locations is a complex task.
Remote workforces without a central management system: the firm’s maintenance workers faced challenges in inspecting facilities, managing repair jobs, updating documentation, and reporting critical issues. The lack of a centralized system led to inefficiencies, delays, and a higher risk of errors. Furthermore, it had to ensure that its facility management practices complied with regulatory standards, which added to the complexity of the task.
KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, delayed response times to critical issues, decreased tenant satisfaction.
Facility management for new property acquisitions: As the company acquired new commercial properties, it faced significant challenges in managing and maintaining these facilities. This included managing repairs, updating documentation, and reporting critical issues promptly and efficiently.
KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, delayed response times to critical issues, decreased tenant satisfaction.
Employee retention: The company also faced challenges with employee retention among its maintenance staff. Due to the high demand for skilled workers in the industry, the company needed help to retain top talent and maintain a stable workforce.
KPI: Increased employee turnover rate, decreased efficiency and productivity in maintenance and repairs, and increased costs associated with recruiting and training new employees.
Lack of automation and technology: The company relied heavily on manual processes and paper-based documentation, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and delays in maintenance and repair tasks. There also needed to be more automation and technology to support the management of these tasks.
KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, decreased efficiency and productivity, increased risk of errors, and safety hazards.
Solution:
The solution developed to address the company’s facility management and maintenance challenges was focused on leveraging business process automation. To achieve this, it worked with Clayworks professionals to design and develop a suite of apps using Microsoft Power Platform and SharePoint Portals and positioning the firm for virtual assistants and AI. The resulting solution aimed to streamline maintenance workflows, improve communication and collaboration between field workers and office staff, and provide real-time data insights to inform decision-making.
To address the challenge of maintaining many properties, the solution included a suite of custom apps that allowed maintenance workers to conduct inspections and repairs efficiently. For example, workers could use mobile devices to complete digital checklists and report issues in real time. At the same time, managers could easily track the status of work orders and prioritize tasks based on urgency. The solution reduced the administrative burden on workers by digitizing maintenance workflows and automating routine tasks. It allowed them to focus on more critical tasks, resulting in a 30% increase in maintenance efficiency.
Another challenge was improving communication and collaboration between field workers and office staff. To address this, the solution included a SharePoint portal where workers could access documentation, training materials, and other resources on demand, and managers could monitor work progress and communicate with workers in real time. The portal also provided a centralized location for all maintenance-related data, which allowed the company to easily track asset performance, identify trends, and proactively address issues. As a result, the company improved collaboration and communication, reduced miscommunication, and achieved a 40% reduction in maintenance-related downtime.
The solution also aimed to improve employee retention by providing workers with tools and resources that improved their job satisfaction and made their work easier. The solution included a virtual assistant to answer common questions, provide step-by-step repair guidance, and connect workers with other resources. The virtual assistant was available 24/7, which allowed workers to get the help they needed at any time, regardless of location. By providing workers with access to these tools and resources, the company was able to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover by 25%.
Finally, the solution provided real-time data insights, allowing the company to make informed asset management and maintenance decisions. By leveraging Power BI, the company could visualize asset performance, maintenance costs, and other key metrics, allowing managers to identify trends, make data-driven decisions, and proactively address issues before they become significant problems. This resulted in a 20% reduction in maintenance costs and a 15% increase in asset uptime, as the company identified and addressed issues before they impacted asset performance.
Implementation:
Experienced ClayWorks consultants were selected to design and develop the apps and automations. They worked closely with the company to understand its requirements and tailor the solution to its needs. The implementation process involved training workers to use the new system, migrating data to SharePoint, and testing the apps for compatibility and functionality.
Results:
Challenge 1: Maintenance Efficiency. The solution implemented by the company significantly improved maintenance efficiency, reducing the time required to complete maintenance tasks by 30%. This was achieved using the Power Platform apps, which enabled maintenance workers to log maintenance tasks and track their progress in real-time. By having all maintenance data accessible in a central location, the company could better coordinate maintenance activities across all its facilities, reducing downtime and improving overall maintenance quality.
Challenge 2: Employee Retention. The company’s solution also addressed the challenge of employee retention by providing maintenance workers with the tools and resources they needed to do their jobs more effectively. Giving them access to real-time maintenance data and the ability to log and track maintenance tasks more efficiently reduced the amount of time workers spent on administrative tasks, enabling them to focus more on actual maintenance work. This, in turn, helped to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover rates among maintenance staff.
Challenge 3: Document Management. The company improved its document management processes by leveraging SharePoint as part of its solution. SharePoint allowed for more efficient and streamlined storage, retrieval, and sharing of maintenance documentation, reducing the time and effort required to manage and organize these documents. This helped to ensure that maintenance workers always had access to the most up-to-date documentation, improving overall maintenance quality and reducing the risk of errors or miscommunications.
Challenge 4: Standardization. Finally, the company’s solution helped to improve standardization across its facilities. Implementing a consistent set of maintenance procedures and documentation ensured that all of its facilities were being maintained to the same high standards. This helped reduce variability in maintenance quality and ensure that all facilities met the same key performance indicators (KPIs), such as uptime, maintenance completion rates, and overall maintenance costs.
Conclusion:
By leveraging business process automation, the company was able to address the challenges of facility management efficiently. The Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint, and virtual assistants/AI combination provided a scalable, customizable, and integrated solution that allowed it to improve its operations and increase its competitive advantage. The partnership with experienced ClayWorks professionals ensured a smooth implementation and a high-quality end product.
If you face similar challenges in managing and maintaining multiple facilities, consider leveraging business process automation to streamline your operations. Partnering with a trusted consultant such as Red Clay Consulting can help you design and develop a tailored solution that meets your needs and delivers results. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help you transform your business.