Digitisation is the talk of the day – every facet of the world, be it from daily lives, education, shopping to business operations, manufacturing and construction are going through a drastic digital transformation. The facilities management (FM) sector is also undergoing a massive revamp with numerous technological breakthroughs opening doors to a vast array of opportunities. The FM sector has reaped the many benefits of inculcating technology in their operations, such as decrease in downtime, reduction of maintenance costs, enhanced lifespan of equipment and buildings, improvements in space flow and capacity and added value for the client, among many others.

In the current market scenario, 20 per cent of FM solutions providers have been using mobile applications to improve overall customer experience. In the wake of the digital transformation in the FM sector, mobile applications seem to have taken the lead facilitating ease of operations and business intelligence boosted by increased data access. Moreover, employees now have the flexibility to work remotely with enhanced connectivity promoting the virtual workspace.

Mobile application is gaining popularity as it facilitates a diverse work environment, where facility managers don’t have to be pinned to their desks and can manage multiple locations from anywhere. Facility management has come a long way from spreadsheets and tedious email threads to new and innovative digital systems. Mobile applications have become an essential part of the FM sector with applications allowing flexibility of day-to-day operations via mobile or a web interface. Digital systems to manage operations have proven to be more efficient as it enables easy access, sharing and updating of work orders, asset locations and maintenance updates, thus eliminating downtime by eliminating commute to locations and phone tagging methods.

ServeU, a facilities management service provider, says the FM sector is facing a persistent pressure to increase efficiency by adding value to business and reducing costs. It adds that it has hence become necessary that every member of the team adheres to the same standards and process of operations. To ensure customer retention and maintain profitability, exceptional service needs to be ensured. Mobile applications play an important role here by ensuring consistency, reducing customer attrition, and improving the effectiveness of service delivery.

The FM operator and service provider is moving towards digitising large swathes of its operations by introducing  B2C application and B2B applications for corporates owning residential and commercial properties. ServeU says these applications are the first-of-their-kind in the Middle East region providing clients with user-friendly and interactive interface that enables access to a centralised booking system and the ability to book or reschedule service requests in just under a minute. The mobile application facilitates direct, easy, convenient, and effective access to ServeU’s resources and services.

For service providers, mobile applications have huge benefits such as manual task reduction, organised data and access to real-time information on clients. It also helps in gathering crucial information such as temperature readings, CO2 levels, and equipment operations and status. These mobile applications facilitate easy scrutiny of buildings and properties without having to be physically present at the location. The application has features that helps monitor equipment and assets and helps in maintenance and inventory control. Further benefits of these apps include the GPS position tagging, which helps in better managing worker allocation, tracking, and accountability.

Gary Reader, General Manager of ServeU says, "The FM sector is witnessing a massive overhaul with technological advancements changing the face of the industry. With convenience and accessibility becoming a major customer preference, especially after the pandemic, more and more FM service providers are opting for mobile FM service apps for ease of operations and also to enhance customer experience. Technology has already changed the FM operations to an extent and it’s certain that the future of this sector will be completely technology-driven”.

This article was authoried by Gary Reader, GM of ServeU.