A nationwide health care retailer with numerous locations faced operational challenges in its facilities management program, marked by outdated practices and inefficient spending. Seeking a solution, the company partnered with SMS Assist to overhaul its approach. Through the implementation of One by SMS Assist™, a comprehensive technology platform, the retailer gained centralized work order management and improved visibility. This technology, coupled with data analytics and operational consultation, resulted in significant benefits.
Challenge
A nationwide health care retailer with hundreds of locations was operating its facilities management program with low-technology solutions, excess management personnel, and unknowingly wasteful spending. The company turned to SMS Assist to get a handle on their facilities operations and discover new ways to streamline their maintenance program. It needed assistance in these three areas:
- Centralized work order management: Work orders were either phoned in or requested via email and were managed with Excel spreadsheets. The retailer had no consistent work order information, few meaningful metrics, and no asset information.
- Technology and data: Though the retailer had a basic work order management system in place, it was only used to store lease documents. No work order information was collected. The software was retained for a steep annual fee.
- Standards and practices: The retailer had no consistent standards in place to control maintenance processes. This made it difficult to prove that work was being addressed on time, completed according to schedule, and paid correctly.
Solution
SMS Assist brought fresh new thinking to the health care retailer’s facilities management program. This was done through three main pillars: a leading technology platform, domain expertise, and a strategic vision for the health care retailer’s program.
One by SMS Assist™: SMS Assist’s technology platform delivered control and visibility to the health care retailer’s hundreds of locations. One by SMS Assist established a single space for work order creation, review, and comprehensive management. No longer would the customer need to rely on a complicated and inefficient string of emails, phone requests, and incomplete records in Excel spreadsheets.
One by SMS Assist made it possible to know exactly which provider arrived on site and when—even how long it took to perform a given task compared with work of a similar type at a similar location. Proof of work in the form of timestamped before and after photos backed by GPS information gave the retailer confidence knowing that work is being performed on time, correctly, and according to established brand standards. The platform’s built-in reporting tools help facilities managers and other stakeholders know when it makes sense to make a decision about specific repairs, replacements, and deferments.
Data analytics: SMS Assist made sure that every work order is more than just a simple request or a mere line on the retailer’s balance sheet at the end of the month. Every work order at the company’s locations translates to hundreds of data points, and each of those data points is stored, analyzed, and interpreted. Shortly after the implementation process, SMS Assist created a detailed and dynamic picture of the retailer’s unique facilities portfolio. What’s more, SMS Assist’s teams of analytics experts partnered with the retailer’s decision makers to help set specific performance and spending goals as new information arose.
Operational consultation: Through regular portfolio checkups and quarterly business reviews, SMS Assist showed the retailer how to prioritize locations according to customer traffic, trade and asset needs, and other profiles. SMS Assist rolled out training processes to resolve many common issues without the need for service dispatch. Armed with this data, SMS Assist presented the health care retailer with data-informed approaches to reorganize maintenance priorities, creating strategic cost avoidance opportunities. Operations and strategy experts helped the retailer reduce the likelihood of asset failures throughout their portfolio, and extend general asset life.
Outcome
With a combination of cutting-edge technology, specialized industry expertise, and strategic foresight, SMS Assist achieved remarkable results for the health care retailer. The intervention led to significant long-term savings, enhanced operational efficiency, and a complete transformation of the retailer’s approach to data management. As a result, the company gained the capacity to focus on ongoing capital projects, strategic initiatives aligned with broader corporate goals, and an enriched brand experience.
These accomplishments translated into concrete outcomes:
- SMS Assist achieved a 10% reduction in direct work order costs, optimizing resource allocation.
- The company experienced an impressive 73% decrease in indirect work order costs through the use of centralized work order management, encompassing the elimination of unnecessary trip charges, process inefficiencies, redundant expenditures, and excessive management overhead.
- SMS Assist facilitated an annual savings of $250,000, primarily attributed to efficient software cost management.
SMS Assist’s innovative technology, industry knowledge, and strategic approach redefined the retailer’s operational landscape, fostering savings, optimizing efficiency, and enhancing the core business priorities.
A well-functioning maintenance strategy is essential to the success of any modern-day facilities portfolio. To make sure your facilities maintenance strategy is meeting your needs, request a demo to learn more about how our programs can help you.
