It eats up 8 to 12 percent of your capital budget, yet it's unconnected to your core business. We're talking about facilities. New Web technologies are moving facilities managers into a more strategic role. With a Web-based system, businesses can track everything from building space to energy consumption in real time. Without the complete facilities picture afforded by such a system, potential decisions about capital spending, move management, and strategic investments can't even be considered, says Eric Teicholz, president and founder of Graphic Systems, a consulting firm specialising in facilities management and real estate automation.
To streamline service requests and track critical facilities information, Herman Miller, the venerable furniture company, has integrated a Web-based facilities management system, FM:Systems' FM:Web, with its corporate intranet. According to David Kuiper, manager of workplace churn and refreshment at Herman Miller, making service requests is a lot simpler.
If, for example, an employee wants the heat turned down, he simply logs on, indicates where he's located, and describes the problem. That message gets routed to a call centre, which responds with a confirmation and tracking number. The request is then forwarded to the appropriate facilities professional.
FM:Web is also a timesaver. Updated information on all Herman Miller facilities, like who sits where, how much area is being occupied, or how much can be assigned or rented out, is available instantly.
"Decisions about moves get made all the time," says Kuiper, who also administers FM:Web. "If our people are sitting in their workstations unable to work, money is wasted."
