Like everything else, the world of FM systems has evolved over the years to meet the demands of the busy, ever-expanding, acute trusts it supports. But our story starts back in the early days when FM software was costly and, as a result, most NHS trusts were opting to monitor their estates and facilities work using spreadsheets or the Works Management Information System, a simple system developed by a keen group of facilities management staff.
However, the group were not developers, and at Asckey we effectively became their technical arm, managing the product and eventually shaping it into our first FM system, Eclipse.
Forging strong relationships
One of our first NHS clients was the Countess of Chester Hospital (COCH) who began working with us in 2008. The trust was looking for a different FM system, they took on Eclipse, and our working relationship with the team continues today.
For us, although Eclipse was successful, over the years we evolved and eventually decided that cloud-based was definitely the way to go for our software products. The flexibility of the cloud-based system is undeniable, it provides the capability to work with clients in real-time, using real data, and vastly improves the speed which we are able to deal with technical issues and provide updates and add-ons as we enhance and improve our software offering.
As we were making those changes, our colleagues in the facilities team at COCH were also growing acutely aware of the need for a more advanced, intuitive system that could help them streamline the way they were operating, with a particular focus on how they managed and monitored their cleaning. Being a software package that they could buy as a module but with the capability to expand and bolt on to it as finances permitted, our FM Cleaning software was the ideal solution.
Many of our clients begin their journey with us by purchasing our FM Cleaning package as this particular piece of software is configured around the standards required to meet the National Cleaning Standards Audit. For COCH this was a perfect place to start, the guarantee it brings around compliance is a huge selling point for teams who are juggling so many demands on their time.
Pick and mix
Any new technology comes at a cost and it’s just not always possible to buy an entire package in one go, especially when you might not be using the majority of its functionality on a regular basis. This is why we took the decision fairly early on in our journey to the cloud, to make our software products modular instead of one big FM system. For many organisations it is a more cost-effective option, in both the short and long term, to buy just the part you need when you need it and retain the flexibility and financial control to add-on other parts of the software package as and when the time is right, or budgets allow.
A tale of two halves
Every one of our FM software packages comprises of two parts, we’ll keep things simple and call them the operational part and the data bank. For most clients, once they’re up and running with the system, the operational, day-to-day bit that appears on their tablets or handheld devices is the part they’re most concerned with. It’s how they audit what they’ve done, find their task sheet, and monitor outstanding work. It keeps things simple and easy to manage.
The second part of the software, the data bank, is the real hub of any of our programs, and whether you’re buying our cleaning software or tasking and auditing, they will all use this same central vault of information. Depending on the software you purchase that vault can include anything from details of every specific cleaning location that you’ve identified within your trust right down to room numbers and areas within rooms that require specific focus. It could host a comprehensive list of audit points that your team’s output will be regularly measured against or a complete set of tasks that need to be completed by each member of a facilities team on a rotational basis.
Futureproofing
With the level of detail involved, it will come as no surprise that inputting this information at the outset takes time and needs to be done accurately. The good news is, that it only needs doing once because anytime you purchase an additional module from us the new program will automatically access the data sets it requires within the data bank, so not only is it quicker to install it’s also cheaper to purchase as you are only buying the operational part of any future Asckey software programme.
Helping you transition
Shifting to a cloud-based modular system was a huge leap for us, having originated as a Microsoft-based software solution, so we understand the considerations and complications involved when you’re embracing a new way of working. We get that time is short and budgets are tight, that’s why we’ve built our systems the way we have, to be flexible and affordable but have the capability to grow and meet the demands of your organisation. Most importantly, when it comes to support our team is second to none. We pride ourselves on our customer service, no call centres, and no queueing, you’re straight through to a developer who can get started on troubleshooting immediately.
If you’re ready for something new, but not sure where to start why not get in touch and find out how we could support your organisation.
