The future of property management

By Tom Brauser

The computing power of desktops and portable devices has increased over 200 times since the year 2000. An iPhone or Android smartphone probably has more computing power today than most overall businesses had 12 years ago. Are you using today’s computing power to your best advantage? Do you even have a plan to take advantage of mobile technologies and the power of smart devices?

Until now, most property and facilities management systems have been based on traditional technologies with applications focused on accounting, work-order, and service management. Fortunately, there now are some very creative applications of mobile technologies using QR codes to help simplify and improve how buildings are managed. They provide a clever means of getting critical building information into the hands of the people that need it, exactly when and where they need it. Building specific social media collaboration tools are also now available that greatly improve communication within buildings, resulting in positive tenant engagement.

QR codes were invented in 1994 by Toyota to track vehicles in the manufacturing process. Today they are most often seen in advertisements, usually simply taking you to the company’s home page. They have since been adapted to a wide variety of uses, including supporting all aspects of facilities management. By tagging assets or spaces within a building, you can collect or deliver information specific to that asset or space extremely efficiently, providing some very effective tools for building and property managers.

Consider putting a QR code on an asset like a boiler or chiller. That QR code can be scanned to make a service request, to obtain information, or complete a service or maintenance request. If your operations staff notices that your chiller is leaking fluid, they could scan the code on the chiller with their smartphone and a screen will pop up allowing them to place a service request and attach a photo of the leaking fluid. The request can immediately go either to your service centre or directly to your HVAC service company. The technician will get an alert on their smartphone with all the appropriate information and the photo.

When the tech arrives, he can scan the same QR code, see the work order, as well as other important information such as the service history, operating manuals, technical drawings, special instructions, etc. When finished, he can scan the QR code again to complete the service request, providing a summary of the work completed, which then automatically updates the service history and sends the necessary information for invoicing. It can also automatically notify the building manager that the problem has been solved.

There are a large variety of ways that QR codes can be utilized to improve facilities management. Similarly to how QR codes can be used to maintain and manage equipment, they can be used to manage spaces within a building. For instance, by placing a QR code in a conference room, tenants can scan the code to place a room-specific service request, or obtain information like special instructions (i.e., how to use the audiovisual equipment), a room inventory, a booking calendar for the room, or energy consumption data.

Other uses include scanning to describe unique architectural features, or to provide information on botanical displays around the building. They can also be used to provide energy transparency, or engage tenants in surveys, or provide special event information, etc.

QR codes can be made even more powerful by also attaching custom forms, checklists and workflows. You could set up regular maintenance schedules, providing the technician a complete inspection checklist when he scans the equipment’s QR code. The technician can complete the inspection form on site so equipment histories again are easily maintained. Inspections can also be associated with spaces. Examples include deficiency checklists for a construction or renovation project, health and safety site inspections, or doing janitorial or other service inspections.

Security and privacy of building information is ensured through establish role-based permissions. The system will know who is scanning, and based on their role in the building, only provide them access to information that is relevant to them. This can save a lot of time and greatly reduce data entry work because of the information that is automatically associated with the code and the user.

The QR code-based mobility application, combined with the custom forms, makes this technology a truly unique and effective way to manage facilities that is easy to use and takes advantage of the power of mobile smartphone technology. It is the way of the future, and the future is here now.

About the Author:

Tom Brauser is the COO of BuiltSpace Technologies. Online: www.builtspace.com. b