Severe storms and incessant heat can easily stress property management assets beyond breaking point. The key to minimizing damage estimates as well as unexpected repair costs is to identify potential problems before they become major repairs and fix them. The tool of choice for property management is an EAM/CMMS. An EAM/CMMS is a software tool that can help maintenance teams quickly determine damage that is occurring as well as identify potential issues. This is done by inspecting all property assets and scheduling preventative maintenance and repairs to any items that may feel the impact of the summer season.
Why use an EAM/CMMS to schedule inspections
One of the biggest challenges facing property managers is organizing facility maintenance tasks into manageable events to maximize resource availability at the lowest labor cost. An EAM/CMMS accomplishes this by automating the work order process, increasing management flexibility to accommodate special projects without incurring overtime. For example, roofs can be inspected to ensure there are no debris, leaks or other damage. It’s as simple as pre-loading inspection questions onto a handheld device for maintenance staff to respond to, then relaying the results to property management to determine the best maintenance approach. Common sense dictates that it is more cost effective to repair a small leak than to wait for interior water damage to occur.
Identifying problems early is not the only way an EAM/CMMS solution will benefit property management. Other benefits include:
- Reduced labor costs as proactive management replaces problematic fire fighting. Unscheduled maintenance activity begins to drop significantly, which significantly reduces overtime expenses.
- Anytime, anywhere access to data from any computer or location with internet access using a web-based CMMS solution.
- Elimination of the paper-based work order system and replacement with web-based CMMS software allowing access from any computer or location.
- Reduced maintenance repair costs as the number of major repairs are reduced and replaced with minor repairs.
- Reduced energy costs using an EAM/CMMS through improved energy efficiency of the HVAC system, chillers and other energy-intensive equipment.
- An accurate historical database of maintenance activities that can reduce potential liability for negligence.
Obviously, managing maintenance with a web-based EAM/CMMS solution will dramatically change the way property management is done.