5 Essential Practices

Hotels Must Adopt for their Engineering and Maintenance Efficiency

 

5 Essential Practices

Hotels Must Adopt for their Engineering and Maintenance Efficiency

 

Hotel maintenance and repair teams are arguably among the most critical employees necessary for a property to remain in business. Without them, amenities and services would inevitably cease to function, and guest dissatisfaction would certainly lead to a significant drop in future bookings.

Yet as a department tasked with replacing or updating equipment, hotel maintenance can produce considerable costs for property leadership. In addition, while often overburdened with a long list of daily tasks and responsibilities, maintenance employees are increasingly under pressure to complete assignments quickly in order to ensure guest satisfaction is not affected. For much of the industry’s history, such issues have been viewed as simply going hand-in-hand with the necessities of running maintenance operations.

With the rise of cloud-based technologies, however, growing numbers of hoteliers are turning to solutions that provide maintenance staff with the ability to save on time and labour resources, while simultaneously ensuring a high standard in service and keeping expenses to a minimum. For those considering the implementation of such platforms, the following key features must be present in any solution in order to ensure a fully efficient and effective maintenance department.

Engineers at work

1.  Making sure tasks get to the right person

Critical to any successful job dispatch system is the ability to automatically direct and assign a task to the appropriate personnel. If leveraging a skill-based matrix, an advanced dispatch platform can submit an assignment to the most qualified employee or team to make sure that professional servicing is rendered quickly and without needlessly interrupting the work of others not ideally suited to the task at hand.

2.  Getting the message to staff, regardless of their location

Also a priority for any effective engineering solution is the ability to alert staff members of any task the very moment it is created. With many solutions able to dispatch assignments to maintenance teams via email, those that take speed and efficiency to the next level are able to transmit task details to staff-held mobile devices via a downloadable app. This ability virtually guarantees that staff members are always informed on what the latest tasks are no matter where they may be.

3. Tracking every job efficiently, from start to finish

With maintenance departments typically inundated with countless job requests and responsibilities, it is vital for a platform to be in place that can notify each employee of the current status of each assignment in real-time. This feature not only safeguards against tasks from falling through the cracks but also ensures that team members do not lose any time by having to determine which jobs still require attention.

4. Reducing expenses with true preventative maintenance

A crucial cost-saving strategy for any hotel when it comes to maintenance operations is the ability to prevent the need for repairs in the first place. By employing a solution able to automatically schedule service check-ups for amenities and locations around a property, hoteliers can significantly increase the lifespan of their equipment and ensure that all services continue to run at optimal performance without the need for costly replacements.

5. Enhancing performance with detailed department data  

A maintenance task dispatch system that aims to offer above and beyond effectiveness should also be able to provide hoteliers with the ability to measure performance in a range of areas. With reporting abilities that can analyse issues such as individual employee performance, the frequency of times an item has been serviced, or specific costs involved in running the department, hoteliers can make informed decisions that lead to a more seamless and affordable operation.

Bonus:
Be ready for the New Normal

COVID-19 has changed the way we all work, and that is no different for the engineering and technical department. The essential tips mentioned above will always be important considerations when looking to efficiently complete engineering tasks. However, since contactless may be the new normal for the time being,  there are things hotels should implement to make the work process more effective while helping staff minimize physical contact. Implementing solutions specifically for the maintenance department will also help boost staff morale during these tough times and help them feel safe.

How can FCS Engineering help you adopt these essential practices

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Automate engineering job assignments to minimize manual paperwork

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Real-time overview of engineering jobs on web & mobile applications to increase productivity

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Optimize resources effectively with inventory management

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Increase safety and extend life span of assets and equipment with regularly scheduled preventive maintenance

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Use customizable checklists for quality execution of tasks

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Rationalize expenses with detailed reporting

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Improve work order communication with other departments via FCS Connect

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