Guest Post by Rachna Iyer“Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.”
Maintenance is a round the clock activity for any hotel property. In fact study reveals that most of the time equipments in Hotels break down at odd hours causing nuisance to guests.
Not the problem, but the inability to resolve it on time soars the temper of the guest. In such a scenario, its only effective communication on which the managers as well as technicians can depend in order to report the problem correctly and act accordingly. Let's face it. Maintenance management professionals at Hotels have an immediate need to see and use their existing CMMS Software on their Smartphones and tablets or iPads.
Till today, if a supervisor in a 5 Star Hotel, comes across a piece of break down in a room, there would be no way that the repair takes place immediately. Instead, first the supervisor would have to get the maintenance staff to evaluate the problem. Then based on the priority the work order would be generated, approved and then a repair team would be dispatched. Meantime, valuable production time is lost as the equipment is shut down and affects the production process both upstream and downstream. Plant productivity is severely impacted and profitability jeopardized.
Instead, today if the same supervisor faces a problem, the solution is just 3 steps away:
Step 1- He would take out his smart phone and open the CMMS App.
Step 2- Snap a picture of the faulty equipment, attach it to the work request.
Step 3 -Click on SEND! Within seconds, Technicians sent by the maintenance team are at your service, with all work order and other required documents in place.
Once the equipment is repaired, the technician , using his smart phone can document the repair along with the current status of the request. Mobile computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) give live status reports and other key features that can dramatically reduce reaction time and efficiency. But many hotels have shown loathness in shifting to mobile technology. They feel it involves too much of technology, and they might face a reluctance from employees to learn. Some feel its not worth making an investment in procuring the mobile devices coupled with time to time up gradation in the software. Ergo, mobile CMMS has been slow in being absorbed by hotels. But those who have embraced the technology have been quick in tuning to Mobile CMMS.
Here are the most valuable features these systems and applications provide, the business challenges they address, and how they’re changing maintenance management. Say Bye to Paper Work: It averts use of paper since, its possible to manage work orders on and off site. Managers, as they receive a job request, can assign it right away to the techie. The techie, can report the status of the work, via mobile instead of doing it in black and white. It actually reduces the time that is taken in creating work orders and waiting for approval. Manage your inventory your way: Even a web based CMMS cannot make inventory management “tout de suite”. Mobile CMMS enables, for instance, a technician to check parts inventory for upcoming jobs. With mobile CMMS, the availability and location of parts and equipment is always current and it zeroes the possibility of excuse given by technicians for not updating their inventory.
Quick Communication: Since almost all maintenance management tasks are performed in the field or on the floor, immediate mobile access allows status updates to be accessible by all levels of an organization. This bridges the communication gap between personnel and management and ensures the database is always up-to-date. The age of Mobile CMMS has finally arrived! Mobile technology in conjunction with a CMMS can help managers address challenges in a variety of areas. The CMMS, of course, stands for Computerized Maintenance Management Software but prefixing the term “Mobile” with it provides professional maintenance managers with a transformative advantage in their quest to preserve productivity and profitability.
Rachna Iyer is working at Compel Consultancy as Manager- Corporate Communication. She manages the company's website along with the Company’s social media presence in the corporate world. Get in touch with her on rachnaiyer@compelconsultancy.com