Digital transformation is a primary focus for a number of industries at present. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in our key systems, and companies are now looking to expand their digital transformation strategy, particularly when it comes to facilities management. In today’s blog we break down three key areas that facilities managers should consider when it comes to digital transformation; Internet of Things (Iot), Mobile Technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Analytics.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is ever-present in our home lives, from smart watches, to smart TVs, to smart kettles that boil once you get close enough to home, and IoT is becoming ubiquitous in our workspaces too. The facilities management space is embracing IoT technology, particularly the use of sensor technology to gather data throughout a venue or facility. Through the usage of sensors, facilities managers can monitor assets throughout their venues, either through real time monitoring, or through the use of NFC sensors to drive frontline staff to equipment to physically check its condition.

As we begin to recover from the Covid-19 crisis, sensors will have a key role to play in keeping both the public and frontline workers safe as they return to public places. Many facilities managers are utilising people counting sensors to monitor spaces to ensure that social distancing is being adhered to, in order to reduce liability regarding coronavirus transmission. Similarly, thermo scanning sensors are being deployed to monitor the body temperature of people within a facility, to quickly alert facilities managers of a potential Covid infection.

Mobile Technology

For many traditional office-based roles, mobile technology has already revolutionised the ways in which people work, particularly during this pandemic as workers are encouraged to stay home and work remotely. For frontline workers, most of whom have to be on site to complete their duties, mobile technology has not been as readily available. This is rapidly changing. In a post-Covid world, face-to-face instructional meetings will no longer be appropriate, neither will paper-based checklists and tasks sheets. Many companies are moving to mobile-based frontline management software which combined with IoT endpoints provides facilities managers with a comprehensive method of managing their workforce remotely, while keeping staff safe and socially distant. 

Mobile technology has other benefits beyond Covid safety, research we recently carried out found that 26% of frontline workers have forgotten to do tasks that they have been assigned at least once a month. With mobile technology, frontline workers have their allocated duties digitally stored in their pocket, removing the risk of missed or forgotten tasks. Similarly, frontline workers can collaborate more easily when equipped with mobile technology, rather than waiting until the break room to discuss an issue, the frontline staff can quickly exchange critical information and get the job done.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Analytics

As IoT and mobile technology are embraced in the facilities management sector, venue managers begin to acquire reams of data on their specific facility. The make-or-break element in whether a digital transformation project will lead to greater success for a company is not just in the collection of data, but more so in how this data is analysed and utilised.

Using IoT endpoints allows facilities managers to monitor physical assets throughout a venue. Real time monitoring is incredible for in-the-now facility management, but artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can utilise this data to learn more about a venue, its assets or workforce to provide longer-term benefits. Using the data collected from IoT endpoints, machine learning refines predictive analytics to give facilities managers a better sense of not only how your venue is currently running, but how it expects your venue to run a week, two weeks, one month from now.

Technology is transforming the facilities management space in significant ways, improving efficiencies, protecting and empowering the frontline, and providing companies with the data sets they need to analyse, refine and succeed.

To learn more about how Over-C allows venue managers to embrace mobile technology, IoT endpoints and data analytics go to https://over-c.com/industries/facilities