How to Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Facilities Management

The facilities management industry has always been tech-forward, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is providing even more opportunities for technology-driven advances. AI does a phenomenal job of addressing operational challenges that have traditionally hurt your profit margins. 

Through automated workflows, improved decision-making, and enhanced resource allocation, AI technologies are helping organizations like yours overcome inefficiencies that have long been part of the facilities management landscape. 

AI solutions are ideal for facilities managers who want to see improvements in both their day-to-day operations and long-term cost control. 

Check out our Essential Guide to Facilities Technology to learn more about AI, machine learning, and smart automation. 

What is AI in facilities management, and why does it matter?

In refrigerant management, artificial intelligence (AI) refers to any technology that can automatically: 

• Analyze data
• Identify patterns
• Make predictions
• Automate processes

Facilities maintenance costs continue to rise, but AI can address operational efficiencies that drain your resources. Inefficient facilities management processes cost organizations a lot of money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Here’s what we know about manual processes. They lead to: 

• Increased overhead costs
• Redundant service calls
• Poor asset management
• Store downtime
• Regulatory risks
• Increased repair and maintenance expenses
• Poor customer experiences

Today’s forward-thinking organizations recognize that AI integration isn’t just about keeping up with the latest technologies. It’s about building a future for the company that is more financially sustainable---and ready to thrive. 

How AI Improves Maintenance Planning and Reduces Equipment Downtime

Let’s take a look at several of the key attributes of a strong artificial intelligence integration in your facilities management software or CMMS. 

Predictive Maintenance

This is one of the first things you’re going to notice when you add AI capabilities to your current tech stack. AI systems can analyze the performance data of your equipment to predict potential failures before they occur. This gives your maintenance teams the opportunity to address these issues before they lead to a costly breakdown. 

Emergency repairs are almost always more expensive than routine maintenance, especially when you factor in the lost revenue if your facility has to temporarily shut down. 

You will want to set up your CMMS to include predictive maintenance alerts, which are derived from machine learning. These alerts, combined with real-time performance data from every asset in your organization, offer data-driven recommendations for specific and proactive maintenance measures.

We’ve seen organizations leverage preventive maintenance programs to put a stop to significant losses from equipment failures and downtime. 

Smart Scheduling and Resource Allocation

AI enhances work order management by optimizing resource allocation through several key mechanisms: 

1. Considering multiple factors for optimal timing and resource allocation 
2. Analyzing maintenance patterns to identify the most efficient allocation of resources
3. Reducing the administrative burden of manual scheduling 

Automated Work Order Management

At Fexa, we get really excited about the implications of AI for work order management. Check out our Guide to Work Order Management for more information on this essential part of your CMMS.
We get excited about it because automating your work order processes is one of the fastest ways to improve your bottom line with an AI-powered CMMS. 

Smart work order management streamlines: 

• Work order generation
• Assigning work orders to the right service providers
• Tracking work orders and completion rates

You can reduce dispatch times by 60% or more, just by automatically matching work orders with the ideal service providers! 

Streamlining WOM is also a great way to detect and eliminate redundant service requests. It’s not uncommon for organizations to deal with duplicate work orders for the same maintenance task, especially if your operations are spread out across multiple sites. With AI, your facilities management software should automatically combine these work orders to prevent wasted service calls. 

Smart automation also applies business logic to the dispatching of work orders. Your CMMS can automatically select the best service provider or vendor for a task, based on the type of work, the urgency of the assignment, and the location. For example, two service providers may charge the exact same rate, but the one who works right next to your facility is going to be able to get the job done faster than the one who has to drive two hours to get to you. AI can make these decisions for you based on parameters you set. 

All of these capabilities reduce the time between identifying an issue and resolving it.

AI's Role in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Initiatives

Anyone who works in facilities management knows that there is an ever-increasing need to stay on top of regulatory compliance. This is not only because of the risk of fines and penalties, but also because consumers prioritize sustainability. 

Artificial intelligence offers powerful capabilities for optimizing energy consumption and supporting sustainability goals in facilities management.

Optimizing HVAC Systems

Before we get to regulation, let’s talk about the functionality of your HVAC/R systems. HVAC systems are notorious for eating up a huge part of the facilities budget. Keeping an HVAC/R system up and running is expensive. 

Artificial intelligence can help control those costs by continuously analyzing building conditions and adjusting HVAC systems for optimal performance. 

Machine learning allows companies like yours to automate smart building applications, which can respond to environmental factors. Those smart building applications include sensors that measure everything from healthy airflow to temperature control. Combined with AI, those sensors are a great opportunity to enhance the customer experience while controlling costs. 

Tracking Environmental Compliance

Previously, only large companies with major HVAC/R units were responsible for reporting their refrigerant usage to various state and federal regulatory bodies. That is changing. With the upcoming AIM Act, the EPA has significantly increased the number of facilities that need to report how they handle high global warming potential refrigerants. 

Facilities managers increasingly face complex regulatory requirements, particularly regarding refrigerant management and environmental compliance:

Modern CMMS platforms with AI capabilities can help track refrigerant usage. AI-powered monitoring can ensure timely compliance with maintenance schedules and inspection requirements, reducing the risk of violations and associated penalties. 

How AI Supports Better Budgeting and Resource Allocation

Artificial intelligence transforms financial management for facilities teams by providing deeper insights into spending patterns and operational costs. Keep your financial department happy by reducing costs and controlling your budget through AI. 

Cost Forecasting and Analysis

AI-powered analytics can provide facilities managers with valuable data for more accurate budget planning. 

An advanced CMMS with AI integration will analyze historical maintenance data and compare it against current patterns and trends. This means that facilities managers can more effectively predict future maintenance costs for budgeting purposes. 

Data-driven decision-making is always going to outperform “gut feelings” when it comes to spending and resource allocation. 

With artificial intelligence-enhanced visibility into spending patterns, facilities teams can demonstrate to finance departments how proactive maintenance investments deliver long-term savings. 

Our guide to discussing CMMS upgrades with your CFO takes note of this. AI can help you quantify the impact of current operational inefficiencies and build more responsiveness into your operations. 

Identifying Cost-Saving Opportunities

AI systems excel at identifying inefficiencies that might otherwise go unnoticed. Most of the time, facilities managers are kept so busy staying on top of maintenance needs that they can’t do intense deep-dives into cost analysis that AI can do. 

Machine learning algorithms can analyze maintenance data to detect patterns that indicate potential savings opportunities, such as identifying assets that are consuming disproportionate maintenance resources.  In turn, you can develop a more proactive approach to maintenance management. 

By leveraging these insights, organizations can make more informed decisions about repairs versus replacements, vendor selection, and preventive maintenance scheduling.

What to Look for in an AI-Ready CMMS Platform

Not all Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) are equipped to leverage artificial intelligence effectively. Legacy systems are especially prone to gaps in AI technologies. 

When evaluating new CMMS platforms, consider these essential capabilities. 

Flexibility and Configurability

An AI-ready CMMS should offer highly configurable workflows that can be customized to your organization's specific needs. Trying to retrofit a software solution onto your complex operational reality is only going to cause headaches and frustration. 

Flexibility should be built into your CMMS as one of its core assets. Configurability is paramount when you’re choosing a new facilities software solution. .

Robust Data Collection and Integration

Effective AI requires comprehensive data collection and integration capabilities. The more data available to the platform, the more specific and effective that platform’s recommendations can be. 

Modern CMMS platforms should provide tools for tracking and analyzing all aspects of facilities management, from asset performance to maintenance costs to vendor reliability. 

The platform should integrate seamlessly with other business systems. Information silos are bad for business, as are divergent processes that never interact with one another. 

Advanced Analytics Capabilities

An AI-ready CMMS should provide robust reporting tools that transform raw data into actionable insights. Facilities managers need to be able to quickly identify patterns and trends in their maintenance needs, and AI can provide the data necessary to do so. 

Advanced analytics tools should allow you to track KPIs, outliers, and emerging maintenance issues for better operations and reduced costs. 

The ROI of AI-Enhanced Facilities Management

When you are in the process of choosing a CMMS platform with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, you’re likely looking at the cost of said programs. Is this a “you get what you pay for” situation?  It’s actually more straightforward than that: The returns you get from investing in AI-supported facilities management software are substantial. 

Even though implementing artificial intelligence in facilities management represents a significant investment, the returns make it worth the investment. 

Some of the biggest returns come from: 

• Direct cost savings from reduced emergency repairs
• Operational efficiency gains, including improved first-time completion rates and better dispatch efficiency
• Asset performance improvements, such as extended equipment lifecycles and fewer unexpected failures

Fexa can transform your operations through AI 

Artificial intelligence is transforming facilities management from a reactive, cost-center function to a proactive, strategic operation that directly contributes to organizational success. 

The facilities management landscape has changed significantly since modern AI came into play just a few years ago. This shift means you no longer have to rely on generic benchmarks to make maintenance decisions. Rather, you can automate routine tasks, optimize maintenance schedules, enhance your decision-making, and improve your resource allocation---all with one central AI-powered CMMS. 

Fexa offers the most flexible CMMS on the market. We’re ready to help your team control costs and extend the life cycles of your assets through high-tech, easy-to-use AI tools. When you choose Fexa, you are positioning your organization to overcome the challenges that have been causing issues for years. 

Say goodbye to inefficient work order management and rising maintenance costs. With Fexa, you can harness AI’s most impressive capabilities and radically improve your facilities maintenance experience.