With extra folks anticipated again on the workplace over the subsequent 12 months, enterprise-level corporations are dealing with new operational challenges. The truth is, 34% of corporations plan to extend in-office days, placing extra strain on office and facility managers to strike the steadiness between enhancing the worker expertise and optimizing effectivity, in response to Eptura’s 2025 Office Index report.
In our April 2025 product announcement, we unveiled updates designed to assist organizations meet these challenges by means of improved technician productiveness and automatic office operations. By laying the fitting groundwork and establishing a strategic partnership with the fitting software program answer supplier, office and facility leaders can guarantee a profitable rollout that positions their organizations to maximise its return on funding.
Embody the fitting stakeholders
As a result of each group they work with is totally different, the supplier’s groups will want entry to the fitting knowledge and workflows to make sure all the pieces is ready up within the system correctly.
Begin by contemplating the important thing departments and roles that can routinely work together with the new software program. This usually contains IT, administration, and end-users from varied areas and departments. For IT, contain your system directors, community engineers, and any builders who will probably be liable for the technical facets of the implementation. From administration, embrace mission sponsors, division heads, and any executives who might want to approve the mission or present assets. You doubtless want to incorporate facility and upkeep managers, for instance, as a result of they supply vital knowledge about property, gear, and schedules. You too can think about together with representatives from human assets, finance, and the authorized division as a result of they might have particular necessities or points associated to compliance.
An skilled, proactive skilled companies group will even need “escalation contacts,” which is only a listing of the folks at your organization that handle the stakeholders. For instance, the escalation contact for the upkeep lead may be the ability supervisor. For the office supervisor, it may very well be the top of HR. The worth of the listing is that if there’s ever a problem the skilled companies group can’t resolve with a stakeholder, they know precisely the place to go subsequent.
The proper variety of stakeholders for a rollout
A profitable plan meets the group’s particular state of affairs and wishes, so there’s no excellent quantity or mixture of stakeholders that work for each rollout. In lots of instances, trade and firm dimension have an effect on who you possibly can embrace.
At bigger corporations, there’s elevated specialization, with roles and obligations divided amongst extra folks, so accumulating the fitting knowledge and workflow insights means working with an even bigger group. At smaller corporations, although, the primary stakeholder is somebody from the IT group. They’re the one who will administer the software program and guarantee it’s correctly linked to the remainder of the group’s IT stack.
There are additionally variations throughout industries. In some, end-users are extra concerned, whereas in others, they’re not. For instance, rollouts at fleet-based corporations usually don’t embrace the drivers as stakeholders, though they may be those on the software program most. At a producing plant, although, the groups that run and keep the property and gear on the manufacturing line are intently concerned in most levels of the rollout.
Create a definition of success
There are commonplace units of trade finest practices and associated key efficiency indicators (KPIs) for office and asset administration. Facility managers have a look at, for instance, preventive upkeep inspections and duties accomplished on time, uptime, and upkeep prices. Office leaders concentrate on overhead prices and utilization numbers. However many corporations even have particular objectives associated to previous efficiency and present challenges. A upkeep supervisor seeing a whole lot of inconsistencies in inspections and duties may be extra fascinated about discovering dependable methods to seize and share tribal data. A office chief who finds themselves fielding fixed complaints in regards to the workplace format would need more room planning instruments.
The extra concretely you possibly can articulate your objectives, the higher your software program supplier’s skilled companies group can arrange the software program that can assist you attain them. If there’s something you wish to observe, it’s vital to make that clear in the course of the implementation course of.
Some corporations come into the method already realizing precisely what they need and want. Organizations implement software program to deal with particular challenges, in order that they doubtless know precisely what knowledge they wish to seize to allow them to observe enchancment. It’s typically the case, although, the businesses don’t have a transparent definition of success. In these instances, it’s vital for them to work with the skilled companies group to create a shared imaginative and prescient.
The method can begin with asking a key query: “On the finish of the day, if you log in, what would you like it to inform you?”
Eptura’s studies and dashboards
On the product announcement occasion in April, e launched a number of new methods to trace and report on knowledge, together with
- Individuals and Locations KPI Dashboard: Combines reservation and lease knowledge to assist actual property leaders assess area utilization and refine hybrid work methods, offering insights into occupancy charges, reserving developments, and area effectivity, which permits higher decision-making
- Enterprise Overview Dashboard: Aggregates asset, reserving, and customer knowledge to create a single supply of reality for efficiency administration, providing a complete view of useful resource utilization throughout the group, which helps leaders monitor and optimize operations
- International Admin Dashboard for Customer Administration: Simplifies oversight throughout a number of areas with region-specific settings and audit controls, permitting directors to handle customer insurance policies, observe customer exercise, and guarantee compliance with safety protocols, which makes it simpler to keep up constant and safe customer administration practices
They’re examples of how having established objectives and KPIs—a definition of success — helps when implementing new options. If corporations know what they wish to observe and enhance, the skilled companies group may also help them correctly populate these extremely configurable dashboards, so management will get the numbers they want within the codecs that work finest for his or her workflows and reporting necessities.
Think about working a pilot program
For enterprise-level organizations with a number of areas, initiating a pilot program at one facility can supply a number of benefits. One of many major advantages is the chance to totally check the software program’s performance in a real-world atmosphere, permitting you to establish and tackle any technical points earlier than a full-scale rollout. By gathering suggestions from a smaller, extra manageable group, you can also make mandatory changes and enhancements, guaranteeing a smoother and extra environment friendly deployment throughout the complete group.
Beginning the pilot program on the firm headquarters offers an opportunity to construct extra buy-in from the C-suite and different key management figures. When prime executives see the direct advantages of the brand new system, corresponding to improved effectivity, enhanced productiveness, and higher reporting, they’re much extra prone to assist and advocate for enterprise-wide implementation. An early endorsement from management may also help safe the mandatory assets and funding, in addition to foster a constructive angle and enthusiasm amongst workers.
The variations between a pilot program and a phased rollout
The advantages of a pilot program come out of your skill to use classes discovered to subsequent areas. So, if in the course of the first rollout you found the upkeep division wanted a particular sort of monitoring or reporting for stock, you could possibly preemptively set it up when rolling out at future areas. Meaning pilot applications work finest when the areas have related budgeting processes, compliance necessities, and governance constructions. You’ll be able to’t apply insights from a workflow from one facility except it additionally exists at different areas.
It’s vital to grasp how pilot applications are totally different from phased rollouts.
A pilot program is a small-scale, preliminary check of the software program in a managed atmosphere. It usually entails a single location or a small group of customers throughout the group. The first purpose is to judge the software program’s performance, efficiency, and person acceptance. You’ll be able to collect detailed suggestions, establish any points, and make the mandatory changes. The strategy helps mitigate dangers and ensures that the software program meets the group’s wants earlier than committing to a full-scale deployment.
A phased rollout, then again, is a extra structured and gradual strategy to deploying the software program throughout the complete group. Every section could have its personal set of aims and timelines, permitting the group to handle the transition extra successfully. Phased rollouts assist unfold out the workload, lowering the affect on day by day operations, and offering ongoing alternatives for suggestions and refinement. It may be significantly helpful for big, complicated organizations the place a sudden, full-scale deployment may result in important disruptions and challenges. By breaking the rollout into manageable steps, you possibly can guarantee a smoother and extra managed transition, in the end resulting in a extra profitable and sustainable implementation.
Present immediate assist and role-specific coaching
Two vital KPIs for software program implementation are person adoption fee and person engagement fee, so it’s vital to spend money on ongoing coaching and assist to assist customers acquire proficiency. Tackle considerations and questions promptly to construct confidence and scale back resistance.
Additionally be sure that coaching and assist are tailor-made to the totally different roles and obligations inside every location. When creating coaching applications for various roles, ask your self, “What does somebody on this position want to perform?” and “What knowledge and workflows do they want to try this?” Based mostly on the solutions, you can begin to make knowledgeable selections in regards to the coaching they require.
Eptura’s cellular apps for technicians
Eptura’s cellular app for upkeep technicians featured within the product announcement occasion is an instance of how coaching ought to match the end-user’s workflows. By creating clear communication channels and entry to vital knowledge within the discipline — each with and with out Wi-Fi or cell service — the app improves technician effectivity whereas guaranteeing the division has the info it wants for actionable insights.
Technicians can immediately entry and replace assigned work orders, asset knowledge like location and restore and upkeep histories, and related components and supplies. With real-time knowledge enter even exterior of Wi-Fi and cell service, they don’t must depend on reminiscence, which implies extra dependable knowledge seize. The truth is, the app has voice-enabled help that helps hands-free knowledge entry, in order that they don’t even must sort.
The work they do ties on to many different vital workflows. For instance, all of the work orders the technicians entry and replace by means of the app are additionally reviewed, accredited, prioritized, assigned, and tracked by the upkeep result in allocate assets and observe KPIs. The work order knowledge additionally updates components and supplies ranges, which the upkeep and procurement groups can use to regulate stock. No matter what number of different workflows knowledge from the app helps and improves, although, technicians solely must know easy methods to use the app.
Success begins with the fitting software program supplier
Choosing and rolling out the fitting office and asset administration software program answer is a multistep, cross-functional course of that may contain departments from throughout the group. This complete journey contains wants analyses, purposes for funding, requests for proposals, demonstrations, and thorough vetting. Selecting the correct platform means extra than simply checking off an inventory of desired options. It additionally entails discovering a supplier that may turn into a real companion, guaranteeing the rollout is clean and profitable.
When evaluating suppliers, you need to ask particular questions on implementation to gauge their capabilities and dedication, together with:
- What’s your implementation course of?
- What are the everyday timelines for implementation?
- Have you ever applied software program for different corporations in our trade?
- What are the {qualifications} and expertise ranges of your implementation group?
A well-defined course of may also help you anticipate what to anticipate and be sure that all mandatory steps are lined, from preliminary setup to last deployment, whereas realizing the anticipated period of the implementation may also help you propose your assets and timelines successfully. Components such because the complexity of your necessities and the scale of your group can affect these timelines, so it’s vital to get a transparent estimate.
Suppliers who’ve labored with related corporations can supply worthwhile insights and finest practices, serving to to mitigate dangers and guarantee a extra tailor-made answer. Additionally ensure to inquire in regards to the group’s common tenure, seniority ranges, and particular certifications or trade experience. A group with a robust background and related expertise can present higher assist and simpler options.
Ultimately, the muse of a profitable implementation is your partnership together with your supplier. A supplier that acts as a strategic companion won’t solely ship the software program but additionally information you thru the complete course of, providing assist, experience, and a dedication to your long-term success. They need to be capable of adapt to your distinctive wants, talk successfully, and supply ongoing help to make sure that the software program integrates seamlessly into your operations and meets your organizational objectives.
By Erin Sevitz
Erin has 15 years of expertise, together with 10 years in thought management on office administration and the constructed atmosphere. In her present position she oversees groups liable for worktech insights and fascinating Eptura’s 16,000 prospects worldwide. Beforehand she led communications for the Worldwide Facility Administration Affiliation, a world trade nonprofit devoted to skilled growth for office strategists, constructing managers, and company actual property.
