Web portals for facilities service requests are an essential tool in a world demanding instant resolution for any and every need.
When has shopping from your phone and talking to your virtual assistant ever been so ‘right now’? Our clients expect it, and stakeholders demand value performance. In large, public sector organizations –including higher education institutions and government agencies– there is often a focus to make things simple for the external customer (i.e., those that use an organization’s facilities).
What about internal processes and the people that keep the facilities department humming?
Look behind the scenes and you may find that your internal processes are riddled with frustration and confusion. You may discover a 32-part workflow requiring unanimous approval, with seven signatures, financial assistance, paper shuffling and manual entry. Reducing the complexity of these processes for internal staff should be equally as important as simplifying the request process for external customers.
In an attempt to address this challenge, many technology vendors offer customizable front-end form builders. Web-based form builders can range from embarrassingly simple with no features, to overly rigid, static forms. These forms usually don’t automate workflows or integrate directly with your back-end facility management or maintenance system. So, you still have to re-enter requests into your main system.
From Manual to Magical!
This is exactly why we built ReADY Request, a facility self-service portal that fully integrates with the AiM Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS). ReADY Request simplifies bureaucracy and frees up resources to make “requesting anything” easy for everyone. The system has the flexibility to handle anything from a simple approval flow to one with a massive checklist of options, requirements, and approvals. ReADY Request also has the ability to use key data elements from AiM and automatically create work orders, depending on your process.
Facilities management is constantly growing and improving. You are always on the lookout for that sweet spot between customer satisfaction and financial sustainability. You need a system with the versatility to accommodate your ever-changing business processes. One with a beautifully simple interface that requires no training and works from any device including smartphones and tablets. ReADY Request can take your facilities organization from manual to magical!