The mobile-first experience – you’ve surely heard this term before, but what does it mean when it comes to facilities management? Mobile-first development has been taking the world by storm, and rightfully so. With the full capabilities of an operations software platform at your fingertips, facilities management teams can optimize their daily workflows with ease. With the release of the newest version of our in-building logistics software, Intra V8, we’re taking a deep dive into what the mobile-first experience looks like for the facilities workforce and how your team can see success through mobile-first optimization.

Adaptability Through Space and Occupancy Management

If there is one thing that’s certain, it’s that the workforce of 2022 and beyond prioritizes ease-of-use among resources and devices within their office. With 80% of Gen-Z hoping to work with cutting-edge technologies and 91% citing technology as one of the most important factors when choosing a job, the need for innovative resources in your facility is a no-brainer. Although the facilities industry is not generally seen as one that favors young employees, by 2030, 30% of the global workforce will be Gen-Z employees, so investing in mobile-first technology today will put your team ahead of the curve for hiring as we move past The Great Resignation. Mobile-first development and design play a role in many different areas of facilities management, with one of the most prominent being space inventory and occupancy management. 

For large enterprise organizations, which many of our clients are, managing a facility that has multiple locations and spans miles, such as government, military, or higher education institutions, the need for accessibility through mobile software is key. Consider this – your current facility software is not mobile-first, and as a result, there is little to no connectivity across your campus, and when connectivity is fickle, you lose needed data that you’ve spent all day gathering. With mobile-first facilities management software such as Intra, you can easily optimize space and occupancy management. Gather data on current room assignments, hot-desking, and vacancy statuses which allow you to optimize your occupancy as we return to schools and offices. Furthermore, increase sustainability efforts by pinpointing areas with low usage to reduce electricity, heating, and cooling costs. 

Improved Asset Management with Mobile Device Use

On top of space and occupancy management, one of the greatest benefits of the mobile-first experience is improving asset management significantly. As an asset manager not using mobile devices throughout your facility, daily tasks are often tedious, with greater possibility for human error, ultimately leading to reactive maintenance by your team due to a lack of oversight in asset health. Poor lifecycle management occurs when your asset management team does not have the proper tools to measure metrics such as mean time to repair, mean time between failure, and assets without a lifecycle status. Your team is left waiting for the day important assets break down, resulting in greater downtime between asset usage and significant costs incurred for repair or replacement.

So, how does mobile-first development improve asset management? First, the visual assistance that mobile devices provide is a fantastic growth point for facilities managers. With mobile devices, you can take pictures of asset conditions and upload them into your database in real-time for repair needs. Additionally, you can even use QR codes on assets throughout your facility to manage asset data, as well as service and performance history. This also comes in handy in relation to work orders and request forms. With a mobile-first software application, teams can place specific notes and instructions within the requests to ensure that the assigned facilities worker has all information needed to complete their job effectively. 

Minimize Data Disparities and Human Error Across Your Facility

If you know us, you know we had to include something about data in here! Last but certainly not least, the mobile-first experience creates so many efficiencies for viewing, entering, and reporting on both internal and external metrics for your team. If your team is currently working without mobile devices, any data entered or edited from completed tasks, workplace, or asset requests is completed manually. For large-scale facilities, this means you might have facilities workers moving across your entire facility before they sit down and enter updated information.

In turn, the likelihood for human error increases significantly, and incorrect metrics or instructions can lead to time-consuming issues down the line. Without a mobile interface, if updates are made to a work order or request after your facilities worker leaves to complete the job, it can be extremely difficult to relay updated information. By using a mobile-first platform, your team will have all the information they need at the touch of a button, with real-time updates to keep your daily workflows as efficient as possible, promoting user adoption across your entire business.

Move to Mobile-First with SCLogic

When updating your current facilities workflow platform, find a solution that solves multiple pain points while still prioritizing usability. Through Intra and our newest version release, V8, our team has worked to build one of the industry’s best comprehensive facilities software solutions. Whether you’re a mailroom manager looking to optimize package tracking, or an office manager seeking to create a safe and modern workplace for the future, we have you covered. V8 offers a mobile-first, easy-to-use design without sacrificing quality or security. If you’re ready to move to mobile, let us help you! Email [email protected] or schedule a demo with one of our team members today.