How to Improve Your ROI Using Facilities Data

Introduction

For multi-location enterprises, facilities are no longer just physical spaces—they’re strategic assets driving operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and bottom-line growth. But managing these spaces in today’s fast-paced, complex world requires more than just experience or intuition.

Facilities management data is at the core of this transformation. It powers the critical business outcomes that enable organizations to stay competitive, adapt to change, and achieve success.

However, not all data is created equal. To truly boost success, facilities management teams need data that is actionable, contextual, and accessible—not just numbers, but insights that drive smarter decisions and measurable results.

Why does data matter in facilities management?

Facilities management is changing fast. The pace of innovation, disruption, and transformation is accelerating—and it’s reshaping the way teams manage multi-location enterprises. To keep up,
facilities teams need to rely on more than just intuition or manual processes.

These teams need data—but not just any data. The right facilities data is actionable, contextual,
and accessible, enabling teams to navigate change, seize opportunities, and drive business
success.

What’s Driving This Transformation?

Key trends are reshaping the landscape, including:

• Omnichannel Operations: Seamlessly integrating offline and online experiences for customers.
• AI-Driven Innovation: Artificial intelligence transforming customer-facing and backend operations.
• Autonomous Deliveries and Fulfillment Models: New technologies reshaping logistics and service expectations.

These trends bring both challenges and opportunities. Facilities teams are no longer just “cost centers”—they’re strategic players in helping businesses adapt and thrive.

The Role of Data in Transformation

To succeed in this evolving landscape, data must be more than a collection of numbers. It must:

• Power Real-Time Decisions: Enable teams to prioritize tasks and respond faster.
• Inform Automation: Drive smart processes with algorithms and business logic.
• Highlight Trends: Reveal patterns, outliers, and opportunities for cost-saving improvements.

Facilities management teams have the chance to step up as heroes—using data to guide their businesses through transformation and deliver real results. But this requires the right tools and a focus on the right kind of data.

Why do facilities management teams need the right toolkit?

Facilities management isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about driving efficiency, improving outcomes, and supporting business growth. To succeed in this evolving landscape, facilities teams need more than experience; they need the right tools. The modern facilities toolkit must be built on rich, contextual data and include:

• Smart Automation: To streamline processes and eliminate manual tasks.
• Effective Communication: To ensure seamless collaboration between teams and providers.
• Dynamic Solutions: To adapt quickly to an ever-changing business environment.

At the heart of this toolkit is data—not just any data, but actionable insights that empower teams to make smarter decisions, save costs, and support long-term growth.

How does analytics empower facilities teams?

Facilities management data becomes most valuable when paired with analytics tools that help teams:

Make Real-Time Decisions. Analytics provide instant insights, allowing teams to prioritize activities and respond to issues quickly. For example:

• Identifying critical work orders that need immediate attention.
• Streamlining dispatch processes to reduce downtime.

Enable Smart Automation. Data combined with business logic can automate routine processes. For instance:

• Triggering alerts for overdue work orders.
• Automatically assigning tasks based on location, urgency, or trade requirements.

Analyze Trends and Drive Improvement. Looking at historical data helps facilities teams identify patterns, outliers, and areas for improvement. This can lead to:

• Reducing recurring issues by addressing root causes.
• Improving KPIs like provider performance or cost per work order.

How can you put your data to work?

The power of facilities data isn’t just in collecting it—it’s in how you use it to make smarter decisions. By combining rich contextual data with the right tools, facilities teams can unlock significant cost savings and operational efficiencies. Here’s how to put your data to work:

1. Streamline Compliance with Automation
   • Use business logic to automate invoice reviews and flag non-compliant
     submissions.
   • Pro Tip: Set up workflows that alert your team only when exceptions arise,
     saving hours of manual effort.
2. Customize for Unique Scenarios
   • Add custom fields to track special requirements, like routing disaster-related
     damage to landlords.
   • Pro Tip: Align your custom fields with your business’s specific workflows to
     ensure every detail is captured and actionable.
3. Combine Preventive and Reactive Maintenance
   • Correlate non-urgent reactive work with preventive maintenance schedules to
     minimize vendor trips.
   • Pro Tip: Plan site visits strategically to reduce costs and vendor fatigue.
4. Maximize Internal Resources
   • Assign non-emergency work to idle in-house technicians to save on outsourcing.
   • Pro Tip: Use analytics to track downtime and reallocate resources effectively.
5. Avoid Duplicate Work Orders
   • Validate incoming requests to prevent multiple WOs for the same issue.
   • Pro Tip: Train your staff on issue-reporting workflows to ensure consistent data
     input.
6. Optimize Asset Management
   • Equip technicians with detailed asset data to ensure they arrive with the right
     parts.
   • Pro Tip: Use repair history to spot recurring issues and make smarter repair-vsreplace decisions.
7. Track Provider Performance at a Glance
   • Use dashboards to evaluate vendor KPIs and prioritize high-performing
     providers.
   • Pro Tip: Set benchmarks for both cost and quality, and routinely assess vendor
     performance against them.

Conclusion

Facilities data isn’t just a tool for solving today’s problems—it’s the foundation for strategic growth. By leveraging analytics, teams can:

• Make real-time decisions to prioritize urgent issues.
• Automate tasks with algorithmic business logic, improving efficiency.
• Analyze trends to identify opportunities for improvement and cost savings.

Treat your data as a strategic asset. Build processes that turn insights into action, and equip your team with tools that deliver real-time visibility and control.