UK
This article was featured in the May 2020 magazine edition of our media partner, FMJ.
FM is undergoing a cultural shift in creating new strategies that balance technology and trade skills, according to new research by Service Works Global and leading publications FMJ (UK) and FM magazine (Australia). The survey asked FM professionals across all industries and levels how they are using technology in their roles, the direction of their company’s work and if they feel tech is supporting them as much as expected – or if it’s more hype than helpful.
Gary Watkins, CEO at Service Works Global, presents here a preview of the UK results and a full report, including comparison with the Australia, will be published shortly. Email info@swg.com to request your copy.
You can also read the survey results from Australia on our website here.
A Demanding Profession
The survey results paint a picture of a profession that is comfortable but cautious with expenditure on new software. Almost a third (30%) had received an increased budget in the last 12 months to facilitate expanded service delivery, to meeting growing client expectations, and to enable investment in technology. With just 3% of UK businesses relying on a paper-based system for managing their facilities, CAFM software is trusted to help schedule jobs, manage resources and produce reports.
The results showed respondents continued to use their CAFM systems for FM fundamentals such as planned maintenance (84%), reactive maintenance (84%) and asset management (76%), but also expressed a desire for more software functionality to support them further. Nearly half (43%) only rated their software as ‘satisfactory’ and a quarter of decision makers stated they were looking to change their system because it lacked the required functionality (48%) or was out-dated (39%). A third said that they wanted their solution to integrate with other systems but were unable.
The Right Tool for the Job
With many looking for new software, and some looking to make a first-time purchase, there was a clear theme in respondents’ comments. “Technology is the future of FM”, one respondent wrote, “but CAFM products need to be [planned and researched properly] rather than thinking it will be the saviour of contract services.” With so many products on the market, it’s essential to devote the time to understanding what problems an organisation is having and what functionality different software applications have that can solve these. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ product as each company faces a unique set of challenges.
The survey highlights that it’s key to check that a vendor is continuously developing and evolving their software to prevent it from becoming outdated. A cultural shift may be required of any new software implementation, whether its CAFM, sensors or BIM. This change will be required in terms of implementation, training and use of the new systems, and also with regard to understanding the data generated and knowing how to manage it. “The focus needs to be not only on the technology, but on the analysis of the data, and how to turn that into useful information to drive behaviours and operational efficiencies,” commented another respondent.
Reducing Human Error
With pressure on FM teams to work faster, work more accurately and save money, the importance of data has never been greater. In order to improve data accuracy and scope, 78% of respondents have integrated their CAFM with at least one other system such as finance, BMS or health and safety software. Integration allows systems to securely communicate and share data, promoting accuracy as information is only added once, so the chance of human error, and the time spent administrating the systems, is vastly reduced. In fact, of those who reported that their CAFM had allowed their company to save money, 83% were using an integrated system.
Integrating with a BMS, for example, allows significant time savings for the help desk, as well as faster response times for operatives. If the BMS identifies a fault, it is reported directly to the FM software and raised as a job automatically. It is then allocated a priority and dispatched to an operative who has the required skills, works in the vicinity and has availability in their schedule. This degree of autonomy in the system significantly reduces time spent doing admin, and instead, allow focus on improving service provision.
Despite the concerns around automation replacing workers, only 4% felt it would have a negative impact on their role, but none of these respondents were automating any processes. Those who were, felt that it was a part of FM’s future and that it would be valuable in freeing FM resources.
Technology with Impact
Following the country’s pledge to cut emissions as part of the Paris Agreement on climate change and ongoing pressure for organisations to work towards carbon neutrality, it’s not surprising that energy management was the trend that the majority (69%) felt would have the most impact over the next 12 months. In fact, for the first time, budgetary pressure was not the most voted for key challenge (57%), as this was also topped by energy management (61%). The technology trend in second place was internet of things (IoT) / sensors / smart buildings at 47% – jumping up from 33% of the votes in Service Works Global’s 2018 FM survey. The falling price of sensors and the growth in the consumer market (for example in wearables, Bluetooth trackers and home security) has meant they have become more accessible and low risk for FM, and are invaluable in both gathering data and helping to control the environment. For example, when integrated with CAFM software, a sensor detecting abnormal vibrations on an asset will send an alert which automatically creates a job and notifies the most suitable operative through a mobile app.
Interestingly, the third most voted technology was around workplace wellness, tying into the rise of sensors and smart buildings and their roles in improving employee health and productivity – but also no doubt due to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe at the time of this survey. One respondent felt the crisis would mark a permanent change to the FM profession, changing how workplaces are run in the future and cause organisations, once again, to re-evaluate the use of service providers; deciding whether it’s preferable to rely on external specialist resources, or to manage services in-house for tighter control.
Building Lifecycle Data
Building information modelling (BIM) was considered by 35% of respondents to be a significant technology trend over the next 12 months, and 19% stated they were already using BIM. Service providers working on public or private sector projects were leading the way, representing 57% of these BIM users. While 38% of the total stated they were using BIM as a compulsory requirement, 52% felt it made the FM function more efficient, providing easy access to accurate data and helping to understand the facility space. Of those not using BIM currently, 14% were actively planning to use it in the future. One of the main barriers to adoption is said to be the cost and time taken to adopt the system, but only 9% felt that BIM research and implementation would take up too much of their time. The training aspect of taking on a new system was not reported as an issue.
As integration remains a key priority for FM, both in terms of a trend and the growing percentage of those using integrated CAFM software, the reliance on accurate data is clear. BIM provides just this, allowing the user to see the location of assets and corresponding details including work history, measurements of areas and details about any building aspect (such as type of material used in a wall and the pipework within). We will see the use of BIM continue to increase as more turn towards a data-driven FM strategy.
Leading the Future
The results of this year’s survey have revealed that in order to progress in a competitive marketplace, data-led decision making is essential – when paired with a highly skilled FM team.
The industry has become more reliant on software like CAFM to collect, manage and analyse this data, and this in turn has paved the way for new services like BIM and IoT, for which some companies have created new data-specific job roles. While this provides the necessary insight and efficiency to drive positive business change, it does pose the challenge of ensuring a balance between technical IT skills and trade skills like electrical, carpentry and plumbing to ensure the work gets done, and to a high standard. In this rapidly evolving industry, we must be careful not to lose sight of the profession’s roots as we look to forward to what FM could be achieving with new technology and systems in the near future.
