ENHow A Facility Management App Cleans Up
Water, Water Everywhere! The right bespoke app will simplify even your most complex Facility Management tasks.
Water is amazing. It digs huge canyons. It carves caves. It is refreshing on a hot day. And it makes up 60% of a human body.
But what about when a pipe bursts in a bathroom? Or an upper-floor tenant inadvertently leaves the water running all night? Or, in the case of natural disasters, the nearby river overflows. That is when water is not so great.
Damage caused by water is at or near the top of the list of most complex tasks for Facility Management professionals. Someone has to fix the pipes. Someone has to dry the carpets. Someone has to paint the walls. And, hopefully, an insurance company will pay for a lot of it.
Keeping all the balls in the air is tricky.
That is where software — like an efficient Facility Management app — really helps.
Here is a good example of how one company focuses on facility and damage management, particularly when it comes to issues that are related to water damage.
vielWerk
vielWerk is a multi-faceted company that works closely with a property management company in Kiel, Germany. Whenever damage is reported, they jump into action to fix the broken window, unjam the entrance door, clean off the graffiti, or, in this example, deal with water damage.
vielWerk uses Facility Management software, which was developed by Alfaveo on the Jetveo Platform and App Builder, to handle the steps of the complex process. It was customized to vielWerk's exacting requirements. The app does the following:
- Each building has its own detailed page to pin-point the location of the damage.
- Communication channels connect tenants, internal staff, the property management company, third-party contractors, and insurance companies so that everyone is on the same page.
- Damage reports can be created by employees, who have a comprehensive space to detail the damage, including photos.
- Tenants are also able to report damage directly, with notifications that are sent to internal staff whenever a new report has been added.
- Management can quickly evaluate and assign the damage task to either internal staff or external contractors, with instructions, warnings, recommendations, and images.
- Scheduling employee time, while balancing vacation and sick time, is a foundational task that is made easier by the app.
- Employees clock in and clock out for each task.
- Contractors, if necessary, receive notifications. Each third-party company (e.g., painters, water-damage professionals, cleaners) has its own listing with contact information and invoice history. They can access the app to obtain additional information to provide a cost estimate, confirm the repair date, and make the repairs.
- An associated app has a public page to keep tenants apprised of the situation, with automated messages and announcements that, in extreme cases, can be printed out for bulletin boards. A QR code provides a link to that public page for more information.
- There is also a private page that has internal notes for vielWerk. (Security Claims segregate access to the app for each user type.)
- Once the water damage is contained and normalcy is returned, contractors, if they were used, upload their invoices directly into the app.
- Documents are maintained for each task.
- Insurance companies are brought into the loop with an invoice to handle the costs.
- For the future, a search feature enables users to locate information quickly and efficiently.
The app is available both on desktop computers in the office and on mobile phones out in the field. It is comprehensive, and the step-by-step process simplifies the task from the wet-and-messy beginning to the dry-and-clean ending.
Besides dealing with damage, there is much more that can be added to a Facility Management app like the one vielWerk uses on a daily basis. The app is adaptable and customizable. Tasks can be made for any number of projects, like replacing lightbulbs or preparing for a snowstorm. In fact, vielWerk adjusted the app to organize a side project to reconstruct the interior of a preschool.
Certifications and inspections, a common and annoying task, can be maintained with notification warnings. Detailed personnel pages can be added for each employee. And a clock in and clock out feature can be added to maintain workhours according to different projects.
In short, there are many different ways to make facility management more efficient because of the Jetveo low-code programming system used by Alfaveo to develop bespoke software solutions.
If a Facility Management app would help you to simplify your to-do list, go to for more information and to gain access to a demo app.
