Time is money, especially in the world of a maintenance manager

If you’re fairly involved in the process of managing a property, you’re probably aware that one of the most effective ways to increase NOI is by cutting unnecessary operating expenses. A Facilities IoT Solution can be a great way to help maintenance teams identify malfunctioning equipment that could present a risk for necessary repairs – but it’s important to know the cost-reduction aspect doesn’t only come into play by helping properties avoid tapping into their budget for repair costs. Another notable reduction in expenses can be attributed to the amount of man-hours that are saved during maintenance service calls.

As with most businesses in the maintenance and repair industry, after-hours appointments are typically charged at a significantly higher rate than appointments requested during normal business hours. Ever had an overflowing kitchen sink at 9pm and desperately needed a plumber to come out and fix the problem before it started to flood the whole house? Some maintenance issues can’t wait, and if a service call is requested after 5pm, it’s usually not cheap.

The same holds true in the Student Housing industry. If Frank the maintenance manager goes home after a long day at work, sits down for dinner with his family and gets an urgent phone call from a disgruntled tenant demanding that he go back to the property to tend to a broken AC unit  – you can bet Frank is going to charge Mr. Property Manager at the over-time rate for that “after-hours” emergency service call.

On the other hand, what about those maintenance calls that are requested during business hours?

In many cases, a maintenance manager will arrive at a residence with little to no information at hand aside from being directed to go and fix something doesn’t seem to be functioning properly. Therefore, the first step of a service call usually consists of doing a thorough analyzation of the area and testing different variables in an attempt to identify the root of the problem. This diagnosis process can sometimes take hours in itself, especially if the source of the maintenance issue isn’t obvious.

So where do the cost savings occur in those instances?

Think of it like this: when HVAC equipment is being remotely monitored in real-time, maintenance teams have constant visibility into key metrics such as historical data, graphs, and performance trends for all units. This empowers them to rapidly diagnose an issue prior to entering a unit, cutting out all of the time that’s usually spent trying to identify the problem and thereby reducing time to resolution. When a maintenance manager turns up to the property already aware of what needs to be dealt with, it optimizes the efficiency of the service call and helps to streamline the overall work order process. Not to mention – the quicker the problem is fixed, the happier the tenant.

The TrustHab Solution equips property teams with the tools to help them reduce costs in a multitude of areas. If you’d like to chat with our team about how the Platform could benefit your property, feel free to reach out to us at contact@trusthab.com.

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