This is it…the 5th and final segment in our discussion about the positive attributes of utilizing a facility management software solution for your church or ministry. The other segments can be viewed on our blog page.

Today, as we wrap this up, I want to give you some features that you should consider as you are looking for the right system for your use.  As I have mentioned prior, there are several good products on the market…so do the due diligence and find the right solutions for you.

So….what are the features you should consider?

Minimum Features:

1. Produce and asses Service Requests: We believe that as a minimum, your system should allow your staff/personnel to notify you of the need for service.  The Service Request should provide enough information to the recipient to make an assessment of the issue before they physically explore it further.

2. Prioritize the Service Requests: As part the Service Request process, the sender should be able to establish a “priority” of the Service Request…at least in their minds.  This will give the recipient a heads-up as to how the sender perceives this issue.

3. Track work orders: Most of the better products on the market allow you to track each work order that is generated…through its entire life cycle.

4. Historical data: This is very important…what is the historical data associated with your equipment?  When was the last time it was serviced and what was the issues then?  If  the system does not track this, then you will have to do it manually…which seems redundant.

Upgraded features:

1. Track vendors and assign work orders directly to them (even if they are in-house or volunteers): The better systems on the market will provide for the tracking of the subcontractors, suppliers and vendors associated with the care of your facilities.  Who are they?  What service categories do they work in? How do I reach them?  Who is my primary contact?  Are they a volunteer group in the church? In addition, the ability to have an automated process for sending work orders can save you valuable time and money…not to mention a reduction in misunderstandings.

2. E-mail notification process for all work: The best systems on the market have automated notification process. These should include notification for when a Service Request is issued, when an ETA is established by the Vendor, when the work is complete and if the work is going to exceed the agreed to projected cost. As it is said….time is money…and these systems are meant to save time.

3. Asset tracking and assigning of work orders to specific equipment: As we explored in a previous segment, it is ideal to be able to track all of the equipment in your facility. It is best if you can catalog all of your equipment and then be able to tie a work order to a specific piece of equipment.  If you can not catalog the equipment and track it…then it may not be the right product for you.

4. Assessment tools such as life cycle projections, energy usage, defective equipment tracking, Capital Improvement tracking and projections: How are you currently projecting the life cycle cost of your equipment?  Do you have an on going list of capital improvements that need to be made?  How do you track your utility costs?  Having the ability to track these items in one centralized place will make the long term management of your facilities much better

There is more that we could discuss…but let’s leave it at that for now…if you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact us direct.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Most of you know that we are the developers of ministrEspace, room scheduling software.  Well…coming in April 2010, we will be offering our FOREVER FREE version of ministrEspace.  It will be completely free and is ideal for smaller churches or those that do not need all of the features that ministrEspace offers.If you would like to learn more, please  click HERE and we will let you know when it goes live.  

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Tags: church, facilities, facilities management, room scheduling, software, work order