The 3-Minute Guide to Work Order Software

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November 26, 2024 | 10 min read time Written By: Abby Quillen

Imagine a world where maintenance requests don't keep you up at night. Where work orders flow seamlessly, residents feel heard and your team operates with precision that rivals a well-oiled machine.

The 2024 Zego Resident Experience Management Report reveals a critical truth: Nearly half of renters (47%) rank maintenance as the most important aspect of their living experience-outranking community security, appearance and customer service combined.

Work order management software isn't just a tool. It's your secret weapon for transforming maintenance operations from a potential pain point into a competitive advantage. By simplifying and streamlining maintenance operations, you can dramatically improve organizational efficiency, boost resident satisfaction, increase occupancy and drive retention.

In the next three minutes, you'll discover the essential features, game-changing benefits and best practices that can revolutionize how you manage maintenance requests.

Understanding work order management

Maintaining a community isn't easy. From HVAC problems and clogged drains to roof leaks and tripped circuit breakers, maintenance teams work tirelessly to keep communities in top shape. Maintenance work orders are the foundation of maintenance operations, keeping teams organized and efficient. They document instructions for performing repairs, installations, inspections and other maintenance tasks.

A typical work order includes:

• Work description

• Required tasks

• Job location

• Assigned technician

• Required tools and materials

• Estimated cost of completion

• Expected completion date

• Priority level

• Photos of the issue

• Actual completion date

Work order management offers a centralized, systematic approach to creating, assigning, tracking and completing work orders. With a structured work order management process, maintenance teams can better prioritize maintenance tasks, allocate resources and streamline maintenance activities.

Property managers, maintenance teams and facility managers can't afford to rely on a paper work order management system or on spreadsheets or email chains. User-friendly work order management software is vital for streamlining operations and avoiding unnecessary downtime.

Key features of effective work order software

Not all work order software is created equal. Prioritize these features when evaluating software.

Work order creation and customization

Choose software that lets you create and customize work orders for your specific needs. You should be able to tailor templates, priority levels and deadlines and include specific instructions for your team.

Real-time tracking and monitoring

Real-time work order tracking helps managers and maintenance teams monitor live status updates. Dashboards provide an overview of all active work orders in one place, showing which tasks are pending, in progress and completed. Notifications when technicians start or complete work orders help keep managers informed.

Automated scheduling and reminders

Automation features reduce errors and ensure tasks are completed quickly. Automated scheduling assigns tasks based on technician availability, skill and location. Reminders alert managers and team members about deadlines to keep maintenance operations on track.

Mobile access and remote capabilities

Maintenance field service teams need the ability to access work orders, communicate, and update task statuses from their mobile devices. Remote tools keep teams connected and improve response times. Residents also appreciate the ability to use a mobile app to complete work request forms. In the Zego study, 54% of renters submitted maintenance service requests via mobile app.

Configurable workflows

Your software should make it easy to customize workflows and tailor steps, dependencies, approval processes, escalation protocols and notifications. Configurable workflows help align software with an organization's processes.

Inventory and asset management integration

Ideally, opt for a software solution that integrates with your inventory management and asset management software systems. This integration helps maintenance teams monitor their parts inventory and maintain appliances and tools more effectively. Also, consider software with QR code integration to help your team instantly access stock levels and maintenance history to improve efficiency.

Benefits of using work order software

Many companies underestimate the importance of efficient maintenance operations. In the Zego study, poor maintenance ranked as the third most common reason residents chose not to renew their lease, but managers incorrectly assumed it ranked thirteenth.

Here are some signs your work order management system needs improvement:

• Long resolution times

• Unplanned downtime

• Maintenance miscommunications

• Frequent emergency repairs

• Low resident satisfaction.

The good news? The right work order software helps property and facilities management teams tackle these challenges while delivering the following benefits.

Increased efficiency and productivity

Software automates work order creation, assignment and tracking, which can save technicians 10 to 15 minutes per work order. Say goodbye to managing piles of paperwork or manually tracking requests. Your team can focus on completing tasks.

Better visibility and tracking

Real-time tracking lets managers oversee tasks at a glance, including team member assignments, progress updates and completion dates. With a window into team performance, equipment usage and delays, managers can keep operations running more smoothly.

Reduced downtime and faster response times

Work order software reduces downtime and speeds up response times by helping managers prioritize urgent issues and by automatically assigning nearby team members for jobs. Plus, technicians receive updates on the go to resolve issues more quickly.

Enhanced communication and collaboration

Forget miscommunications and duplicate efforts. Work order management software keeps everyone in the same system-and on the same page. Team members communicate directly in one place, look at the same dashboards and receive notifications when tasks are assigned, updated or completed.

Data-driven decision making

Work order software organizes information in one place and provides robust reporting and analytics tools. For example, you can identify properties that generate the most maintenance requests and equipment that frequently needs repairs. These insights can help you allocate resources more efficiently to reduce downtime and cut costs.

Preventive and predictive maintenance support

Work order software automatically schedules HVAC inspections, filter replacements, fire alarm tests, gutter cleanings, water heater maintenance and other preventative maintenance tasks. It also uses historical data patterns to predict problems. For example, if a part typically needs to be replaced every six months, the system may suggest scheduling its replacement proactively. By staying ahead of maintenance duties, teams reduce unexpected breakdowns and extend the asset lifespans.

Centralized data and documentation

Teams can track progress, update task statuses and communicate within a single platform. Are you looking for maintenance requests, asset history or inspection reports? It's all in one place, so you know where to look. Everyone on your team works with the same updated data. Managers have a clear, real-time view of operations, allowing them to more effectively allocate resources and manage priorities.

Improved asset management

By integrating your work order and asset management systems, managers gain a complete view of each asset's performance, maintenance requirements and lifecycle. They can see maintenance histories and identify which assets need repairs or replacement.

Compliance and auditing

Work order software helps you comply with local, state and federal regulations by documenting maintenance tasks. The software logs details about every work order, including who performed the work, the completion date, and whether the work passed inspection. You're ready for internal audits and prepared for an audit by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or a local authority. Automated reminders help you stay on top of compliance deadlines.

Types of maintenance management

Integrating work order management into your broader maintenance strategy enhances operational efficiency, promotes safety and reduces unplanned downtime. Maintenance management is a systemic approach to planning and organizing the upkeep of physical assets, including equipment maintenance. It involves optimizing costs, extending asset life cycles and preventing unexpected breakdowns. Let's explore the different types of maintenance to better understand how maintenance management works.

Preventive maintenance

This regular maintenance keeps assets working well and prevents failure through scheduled tasks, including inspections, upgrades, adjustments and part replacements. For example, you may schedule quarterly inspections of an HVAC unit to replace filters and clean coils to prevent a system failure.

Scheduled maintenance

This maintenance is performed on a fixed timeline, regardless of the asset's state. While preventative maintenance aims to prevent breakdowns by addressing potential issues, scheduled maintenance focuses on routine tasks regardless of condition. For example, a property manager may inspect fire extinguishers annually.

Predictive maintenance

This maintenance uses sensors, data and analytics to predict when an asset will fail. For example, smart leak sensors detect humidity or moisture to prevent plumbing leaks before they happen.

Proactive maintenance

This maintenance goes beyond preventative and predictive maintenance by identifying and addressing the root causes of equipment failures before they lead to breakdowns. For example, you may invest in cleaning and lubricating elevator parts to address the root causes of elevator malfunctions.

Condition-based maintenance

This maintenance monitors the condition of assets and addresses issues based on their performance. For example, if an air conditioning unit shows reduced output, you may schedule a repair before it breaks down completely.

Reactive (corrective) maintenance

This maintenance restores equipment after it breaks or fails. For instance, a technician may attend to a broken dishwasher, diagnose and fix the problem. Effective maintenance management strives to reduce reactive maintenance, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Workflows and processes

Maintenance management requires detailed workflow processes to keep each step-from initial service request to follow-up-organized and efficient. Here's how work order maintenance software simplifies and automates every step, reducing manual intervention.

When you input preventative maintenance schedules or maintenance requests into the software, it automatically generates work orders. You assign priority levels to ensure urgent matters get immediate attention. For example, a broken security gate would receive priority over routine landscaping. The system can also incorporate service level agreements (SLAs) that define acceptable service levels and response times. For example, an SLA may require maintenance teams to acknowledge critical service requests within two hours and resolve them within 24 hours.

The software matches tasks with the most qualified technician based on skills, experience and proximity. For instance, if an HVAC-certified technician is near an apartment that needs an air conditioner repair, the software can automatically assign the task to them. This approach reduces travel expenses and speeds up response times. Meanwhile, technicians and managers receive work order status notifications to ensure everyone stays informed and on schedule.

Ideally, work order software provides flexible configuration options to help managers adapt workflows to the property size, number of assets and other needs. For example, SmartRent helps property managers customize assignments, integrate SLAs, prioritize specific repairs and align Work Management software with their needs.

Best practices for implementing work order software

It's essential to invest in planning, training and management to get the most out of work order software. Follow these best practices for success.

Audit existing processes

Before choosing software, assess your current work order processes-including how work orders are created, assigned and completed-to look for inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Once you understand the gaps in your current system, you can find software that solves them.

Define clear goals

Decide which priorities you want the software to solve. Your top concerns may be reducing downtime, improving asset management or speeding response times. Your priorities help you configure the software's tools and features. Plus, they lay the foundation for tracking the right metrics to determine success.

Focus on training

Choose a software provider committed to comprehensive training and 24/7 customer service. Commit to ensuring everyone on your team understands work order entry, task assignment, prioritization and reporting. Also, plan training sessions for new software features.

Track key performance indicators (KPIs)

Configure your system to track KPIs reflecting your company's goals. You may want to track average response time, work order completion rate, equipment uptime, cost per work order, preventative maintenance compliance, mean time to repair and other metrics. Review your data regularly and use it to improve your operations.

The bottom line

SmartRent's Work Management software goes beyond simple automation. It's a comprehensive solution designed to empower property managers with tools that:

• Automate work order creation

• Provide fully customizable workflows

• Centralize communication

• Streamline operational efficiency

Whether you're managing a single community or an extensive portfolio, our solution is engineered to drive your long-term success. Don't just manage maintenance-master it.

Ready to revolutionize your maintenance operations? Contact us today for a personalized demo and discover how SmartRent can elevate your property management game.