What is CAFM?
CAFM stands for Computer Aided Facilities Management. CAFM software solutions are designed to help plan and manage the day-to-day operations of a building or facility. The CAFM technology combines business administration, behavioural science, architecture, and engineering concepts to functionally optimise your organisation. It does this through analysing facility data and converting it into performance metrics and planning tools.
Key areas that CAFM solutions focus on include:
- Space planning and management – optimisation of space use
- Real estate portfolio management – finish project son time and on budget
- Building operations - optimise your building operations
- Capital project management – finish projects on time and within budget
- Asset management – maintain, track, and maximise your assets
Why are CAFM software solutions important?
CAFM systems are important within facilities management as they help ensure your building and facilities are maintained to the highest levels possible.
A CAFM solution allows you to:
- Reduce the need to relocate saving your company relocation costs.
- Ability to improve FM inefficiencies.
- Improved project planning capabilities to reduce architectural and engineering, construction, and building maintenance costs.
- Allows facilities managers to become more proactive instead of reactive to facilities' requirements.
- Improve safety and environmental planning capabilities, reducing risk from accident and regulatory compliance violations.
How CAFM systems can help you return to work after COVID-19
With the announcement from the government that employees are being asked to return to the office and restart the economy, many employers are worried about how they will be able to provide an environment that ensures they employee’s wellbeing. It seems that although the government has asked for the country to return to normal, the threat of CVOID-19 is still looming large, and the guidelines for minimising the spread of the virus cannot be achieved.
With the uncertainty for many, we wanted to explore how a CAFM software solution can help create a safe and secure environment for a workforce returning to their premise of work.
Getting your facility ready before staff return
The only way to understand how a workplace is coping and managing through a difficult situation is to analyse the data available. With the use of a CAFM system, almost every aspect of the working day can be analysed to minimise unnecessary contact and crowding. If you install a CAFM software solution before you return to work you are setting yourself up with the best tools available in creating a safe environment.
Considerations for once you are in the office
Within an office you are likely to have areas of high population and high chances of contamination. It is important to consider every touchpoint within an employee’s or visitor’s day. With an extensive CAFM system, there are multiple solutions available to make this process less daunting. Identifying all the potential risks in a building for when your employees return to work will give you an idea as to what need to be address, however having data to support your theories allows you to create a manageable plan of action that you know will produce results.
Checking visitors into your premise
If you are a business that provides a service to your clients, it is highly likely you will have external visitors onto your premise throughout the working day. When they arrive, it is important to consider the process they go through to be safely and securely welcomed on site. Do they touch a button? Do they sign in on a sign in sheet?
A CAFM system can eliminate a lot of the tasks that increase the risk of contamination. Systems can include QR scanning to identify the reception of a guest’s arrival. This eliminates the need for close quarter interaction and still allows for a visitor to enter the premise.
Booking breakout facilities
Break room facilities are areas that are likely to get remarkably busy around lunchtime and other designated break periods in the working day. Keeping these high-risk areas free of crowding is essential to stop the spread of the virus. The use of a CAFM system and an integrated app can allow people to book a suitable timeslot for their break and minimise the number of people in the area at the same time.
Giving your employees peace of mind
Your employee’s mental well-being is just as important as their physical well-being. Installing a CAFM software solution will help create an environment that is safe and secure for your employees. Knowing that they are safe will help increase their mental wellness.
You can also use the data collected throughout the system to demonstrate the areas in which you are adapting your way of working to improve the overall quality of their work life.
Using a CAFM Software Solution for your business
Since the outbreak of the virus it has been a hot topic in understanding what the new normal will look like when the masses return to work. It should be an employer’s responsibility to ensure that any working environment is safe and at low risk of spreading the Coronavirus.
A CAFM software solution is ideal for assisting facilities in creating the best possible environment for the employees working there. Through its advance data collection and functionality improvement capabilities it will greatly improve your fight against the Coronavirus.