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Writer's pictureScott Ellis
Jul 10, 20235 min read

Case Study: Commercial Real Estate Investment and Management Property



Introduction:

As a commercial real estate investment and management property company, REIF operates numerous warehouses and shipping terminals in the Western Region. When the company acquired new properties, they faced a significant challenge in managing and maintaining these facilities efficiently. To address this issue, REIF decided to leverage business process automation, specifically Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint, and virtual assistants/AI. This case study highlights how REIF successfully implemented this solution with the help of Digital MacGyver.

Challenges:

Managing and maintaining multiple facilities across different locations is a complex task.

Remote workforces without a central system of management: REIF's maintenance workers faced challenges in inspecting facilities, managing repair jobs, updating documentation, and reporting critical issues. The lack of a centralized system led to inefficiencies, delays, and a higher risk of errors. Furthermore, REIF had to ensure that their facility management practices complied with regulatory standards, which added to the complexity of the task.


KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, delayed response times to critical issues, decreased tenant satisfaction.

Facility management for new property acquisitions: As the company acquired new commercial properties, they faced significant challenges in managing and maintaining these facilities. This included managing repairs, updating documentation, and reporting critical issues in a timely and efficient manner.

KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, delayed response times to critical issues, decreased tenant satisfaction.

Employee retention: The company also faced challenges with employee retention among its maintenance staff. Due to the high demand for skilled workers in the industry, the company struggled to retain top talent and maintain a stable workforce.

KPI: Increased employee turnover rate, decreased efficiency and productivity in maintenance and repairs, increased costs associated with recruiting and training new employees.

Lack of automation and technology: The company relied heavily on manual processes and paper-based documentation, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and delays in maintenance and repair tasks. There was also a lack of automation and technology to support the management of these tasks.

KPI: Increased time and cost of maintenance and repairs, decreased efficiency and productivity, increased risk of errors and safety hazards.

Solution:

The solution developed by REIF to address their challenges with facility management and maintenance was focused on leveraging business process automation. To achieve this, they worked with Digital MacGyver to design and develop a suite of apps using Microsoft Power Platform and SharePoint Portals, and positioning for virtual assistants and AI. The resulting solution aimed to streamline maintenance workflows, improve communication and collaboration between field workers and office staff, and provide real-time data insights to inform decision-making.

To address the challenge of maintaining a large number of properties, the solution included a suite of custom apps that allowed maintenance workers to conduct inspections and repairs more efficiently. For example, workers could use mobile devices to complete digital checklists and report issues in real-time, while managers could easily track the status of work orders and prioritize tasks based on urgency. By digitizing maintenance workflows and automating routine tasks, the solution reduced the administrative burden on workers and allowed them to focus on more critical tasks, resulting in a 30% increase in maintenance efficiency.

Another challenge was the need to improve communication and collaboration between field workers and office staff. To address this, the solution included a SharePoint portal where workers could access documentation, training materials, and other resources on demand, and managers could monitor work progress and communicate with workers in real-time. The portal also provided a centralized location for all maintenance-related data, which allowed the company to more easily track asset performance, identify trends, and proactively address issues. As a result, the company was able to improve collaboration and communication, reduce miscommunication and errors, and achieve a 40% reduction in maintenance-related downtime.

The solution also aimed to improve employee retention by providing workers with tools and resources that improved their job satisfaction and made their work easier. For example, the solution included a virtual assistant that could answer common questions, provide step-by-step guidance for repairs, and connect workers with other resources as needed. The virtual assistant was available 24/7, which allowed workers to get the help they needed at any time, regardless of location. By providing workers with access to these tools and resources, the company was able to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover by 25%.

Finally, the solution provided real-time data insights that allowed the company to make informed decisions about asset management and maintenance. By leveraging Power BI, the company was able to visualize data related to asset performance, maintenance costs, and other key metrics, which allowed managers to identify trends, make data-driven decisions, and proactively address issues before they became major problems. This resulted in a 20% reduction in maintenance costs and a 15% increase in asset uptime, as the company was able to identify and address issues before they impacted asset performance.

Implementation:

Digital MacGyver, a trusted partner in facility management, was selected to design and develop the apps and automations. They worked closely with REIF to understand their requirements and tailor the solution to their needs. The implementation process involved training workers to use the new system, migrating data to SharePoint, and testing the apps for compatibility and functionality.

Results:

Challenge 1: Maintenance Efficiency The solution implemented by REIF led to a significant improvement in maintenance efficiency, reducing the time required to complete maintenance tasks by 30%. This was achieved through the use of the Power Platform apps, which enabled maintenance workers to quickly and easily log maintenance tasks and track their progress in real time. By having all maintenance data accessible in a central location, RWFU was able to better coordinate maintenance activities across all of its facilities, leading to reduced downtime and improved overall maintenance quality.

Challenge 2: Employee Retention REIF's solution also addressed the challenge of employee retention by providing maintenance workers with the tools and resources they needed to do their jobs more effectively. By giving them access to real-time maintenance data and the ability to log and track maintenance tasks more easily, REIF was able to reduce the amount of time workers spent on administrative tasks, enabling them to focus more on actual maintenance work. This, in turn, helped to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover rates among maintenance staff.

Challenge 3: Document Management By leveraging SharePoint as part of its solution, REIF was able to significantly improve its document management processes. The use of SharePoint allowed for more efficient and streamlined storage, retrieval, and sharing of maintenance documentation, reducing the time and effort required to manage and organize these documents. This helped to ensure that maintenance workers always had access to the most up-to-date documentation, improving overall maintenance quality and reducing the risk of errors or miscommunications.

Challenge 4: Standardization Finally, REIF's solution helped to improve standardization across its facilities. By implementing a consistent set of maintenance procedures and documentation, REIF was able to ensure that all of its facilities were being maintained to the same high standards. This helped to reduce variability in maintenance quality and ensure that all facilities were meeting the same key performance indicators (KPIs), such as uptime, maintenance completion rates, and overall maintenance costs.

Conclusion:

By leveraging business process automation, REIF was able to address the challenges of facility management efficiently. The combination of Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint, and virtual assistants/AI provided a scalable, customizable, and integrated solution that allowed REIF to improve their operations and increase their competitive advantage. The partnership with Digital MacGyver also ensured a smooth implementation process and a high-quality end product.

Call to Action:

If you're facing similar challenges in managing and maintaining multiple facilities, consider leveraging business process automation to streamline your operations. Partnering with a trusted consultant such as Digital MacGyver can help you design and develop a tailored solution that meets your needs and delivers results. With our unlimited design service a project that normally would need to be dozens of smaller expensive projects can be tackled with our unlimited service reducing cost, and simplifying your delivery process. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help you transform your business.



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