Our technology platform and data-centric approach to expert consultation created dramatic efficiencies for the nationwide brand.
The problem
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.
A deeper look
| Work order management | Technology and data | Standards and practices |
| 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. | 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. | 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. |
The solution
SMS Assist brought fresh new thinking to the health care retailer’s facilities management program.
Our technology platform, domain expertise, and strategic vision made the difference. We generated long-term savings, improved operational efficiency, and transformed the retailer’s approach to data management. As a result, the company had time to focus on ongoing capital projects, strategic work aligned with larger company goals, and brand experience.
Here’s how we did it:
One by SMS Assist™: Our 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. And 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 SMS Assist implementation process, we 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. We rolled out training processes to resolve many common issues without the need for service dispatch. Our data enabled us to present 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.
The result
10% savings in direct work order costs
73% reduction in indirect work order costs—including excess trip charges, process inefficiencies, redundant spending, and management overhead
$250,000 in annual savings related to software costs
