The Virtual Workplace

The past few years have seen a clear change in the way we work. Our mobile phones have become ubiquitous in our everyday lives and the concept of “work anytime, anywhere” has become very real. Facility Managers and building owners have been looking for ways to adopt mobile technology and support their employees with the right information at the right time. Because creating more flexible teams that can process work orders on the move is a sure way of boosting productivity and lower operating costs. It’s no wonder that even before Covid-19 the  ‘Virtual Workplace’ was a hot topic in the industry. 

What may have been a competitive advantage a few months ago, now seems essential for operating your facility. Because if you think that less occupancy means less maintenance, think again. On the contrary, elevators and HVAC systems still need to be serviced, and if anything, hygiene protocols have been strengthened and cleaning intensified. All with the directive to do so with as little personal contact as possible. If we assume this situation won’t change in the near future, managing fieldwork digitally looks like the new reality for Facility Management. 

Features for an uncertain future

Throughout the outbreak of Covid-19 we’ve seen a clear change in how our customers are working with Visitt. From an almost standstill in reported issues and routines in the beginning of the crisis. Till now, where we see that most of our customers actually are more active in the system than before the crisis. 

So how are our customers utilizing Visitt to realize this Virtual Workplace? 

ISSUE REPORTING

• More issues are reported with pictures which makes it easier to diagnose a problem remotely prior to deciding whether or not to travel on-site. 
  

SPLIT TEAMS

• Cleaning rounds and supervised inspections are split to avoid active contamination.
  

TICKET UPDATES

• Less meetings means more tickets and more ticket updates.
  

SHARE ISSUES

• Issues are shared between landlord, facility managers and on-site employees to limit physical contact.
  

THE PORTAL

• The tenant portal that most of our residential customers use, has now also found its way as the communication channel for our commercial customers to discuss maintenance issues.
  

OVERALL ACTIVITY

• More users are working remotely. Resulting in longer sessions and faster response times to issues than a couple of months ago. This shows that working remotely can actually be more effective, as long as there is access to real-time data.