Suffolk County Council
When Suffolk County Council moved to a new headquarters complex in 2004, it decided to implement the fm facts Resource/Room booking Management solution from Integrated fm to improve the management of bookable resources. Since that time the two organisations have maintained a close relationship, refining and adding to the range of software modules utilised to continually improve the service to internal customers.
Harnesses fm facts to improve customer service
The most recent fm facts modules that have been introduced include Visitor Management and Helpdesk, the latter being hosted on Integrated fm’s Hosted CAFM Software as a Service facility.
Prior to introducing fm facts Resource Management, meeting rooms and other resources were managed on a building-by-building basis, using a mixture of spreadsheets and calendars. It was clear that this didn’t make optimum use of the meeting spaces available across the Council estate.
“We are now managing around 300 rooms in 14 buildings through the Resource Management software, along with catering, audio visual equipment, pool cars and oasis points,” explained James Nunn, the Council’s Central Services Supervisor. “The visibility of all these resources from a central point ensures we make maximum use of the resources we have and, therefore saved money which would otherwise have been spent on outside venues. We expect to see further benefits and cost savings as the system is rolled out to other buildings in the portfolio,” he added.
As well as facilitating efficient management of these resources, the Resource Management software has been configured to incorporate mechanisms that ensure items such as catering are authorised by budget managers. In addition, it tackles complex issues, such as restricting the use of rooms where only identified staff are permitted to book.
“A key element of our relationship with Integrated fm is their commitment to ensuring the systems meet our requirements. If the software doesn’t do something we want it to do as standard, they will always suggest possible ‘work arounds’. The technical support has been excellent,” James Nunn enthused.
Expanding the solution
More recently, the Visitor Management module has been introduced at the Council’s headquarters and other buildings and is being used to manage both ‘drop-in’ visitors and pre-booked meetings. Again, the Council has plans to roll out the software to other parts of the estate.
The fm facts Helpdesk has also been introduced, using Integrated fm’s Software as a Service (SaaS) hosted CAFM, where the software is hosted on remote, secure servers and accessed through a web browser. The service is paid for through monthly payments, so there has been no impact on the Council’s capital budgets. In addition, all IT-related aspects, such as software upgrades and security, are taken care of by Integrated fm so the Council’s FM staff can focus on their core tasks.
“I have no doubt that the relationship between the Council and Integrated fm will continue to flourish within the spirit of partnering that has been established. With the help of Integrated fm we will continue to improve our service to internal customers, as well as driving down operational costs,” James Nunn concluded.