Tech skills may not be the first attributes people think of when pondering the characteristics they need to succeed as facilities managers. However, having the knowledge and experience to interact with facilities management technology can set these professionals apart, increasing their likelihood of getting promotions or landing highly competitive roles. How and why are technological capabilities critical in today’s workforce?

1. Role Readiness

A well-equipped facilities manager needs fundamental skills that allow them to thrive in their roles with limited oversight. Whether the facility is a hospital or a sports stadium, it almost certainly has associated digital records to maintain and store.

A 2023 study also highlighted the undeniable importance of digital skills among today’s workforce. The data indicated that 92% of job ads definitely or likely required candidates with digital skills. The research broke these skills down into two types: foundational and industry-specific.

While those in the first category included capabilities such as using simple spreadsheets and time-tracking tools, the latter group got more specific. In the case of facilities management technology, it could consist of software to create work orders or interact with predictive maintenance sensors.

2. Accurate Recordkeeping

Maintaining and retrieving reliable records about buildings and facility portfolios are increasingly important for facilities managers’ daily productivity. That is especially true when external partners depend on that data to conduct their work.

For example, facility condition assessments (FCAs) support clients in asset management, risk mitigation, and capital planning. Scheduling them every three years or so reduces system failures. Those handling the FCA need various building documents, from safety inspection details to product warranties.

Possessing the necessary tech skills to find and share those records helps clients who have requested these assessments work efficiently. They can gather the required material within an hour or less instead of over several days. They can also use automated tools to capture information from smart sensors, building management systems, and access control technologies.

3. Tool and Service Provider Research

Everyday tech skills allow professionals to understand how systems, platforms, and applications should work and what benefits they will bring. That knowledge can prepare them to ask the right questions when preparing for building upgrades or other plans that involve new technologies or platforms.

Facilities management technology extends to apps that allow users to track trends or get real-time information. For example, people can use apps to monitor solar panel power generation. Compared to fossil fuels, solar energy creates one-and-a-half times more jobs on average. Some positions are for installations, but others involve developing tech tools that show information in apps or dashboards.

Facilities managers may also need to select cloud-based tools, such as project management suites. Those products’ websites and other marketing materials will include tech-based details and specifications. Anyone interested in purchasing them must be able to compare different offerings and know which are most appropriate for an organization’s current and future requirements.

4. Troubleshooting Capabilities

Technology is fantastic when it works well, but things can go wrong. When they do, facilities managers will likely need tech skills to handle those situations. That could mean following a product manual and going through the recommended steps or speaking with a support representative by phone to describe what is happening and when it started. Tech skills will make things go smoothly and increase the likelihood of being productive and resolving the issue.

Troubleshooting also involves responding to feedback about problems that make it challenging for staff to do their jobs well. Alarm fatigue is one example. Everything from doors to chillers can have alarms intended to make people act quickly to respond to genuine problems. However, sometimes, they sound so frequently that workers ignore the alerts, learning to tune them out.

Fortunately, facilities managers can use their tech skills to adjust alarmed systems, prioritizing the most critical ones and determining what caused them to be too sensitive. Applying tech skills to troubleshooting can save time and money by avoiding calling specialists to resolve matters and charge for their services. Such expertise is not always immediately available, so facilities managers should ideally know how to start working through possible solutions themselves.

5. Tech-Enabled Progress

Facilities management technology is often central to the most profitable and reliably operated buildings. Professionals overseeing them need sufficient skills and knowledge to determine when to use tech platforms or other offerings to meet specific needs.

One university example involved feeding a building’s live operational data into a calibrated digital twin. The project’s participants wanted to identify the necessary improvements to maximize energy efficiency. They examined various refurbishment scenarios, searching for those that saved the most energy, emissions, and costs.

The digital twin revealed the best way forward, responding to operational data and making hourly adjustments. This approach enabled 23% energy savings and showed the real-time impacts of refurbishments in progress.

Tech skills help facilities management professionals communicate effectively with those offering or installing such advanced upgrades. They also assist people in recognizing when technology is essential to conquer an identified challenge. Without a digital twin, those working on this project would have had to make educated guesses about how to achieve the desired savings. The digital twin allowed them to test specific options before spending the time and money implementing them in real life.

Tech Skills Will Remain Important

More professionals use facilities management technology such as artificial intelligence and smart thermostats. Tech-savviness will be a valuable characteristic that helps those in this field excel in their roles and competently interact with appropriate service providers.

However, the best results will occur when people show the initiative to expand and strengthen their tech skills, including taking relevant professional development courses or earning certifications. That will better prepare them for the future of facilities management.

Emily Newton combines her passion for operations management with her expertise to deliver content that resonates with facilities managers. Newton has been published by several industry publications.

The post 5 Reasons Why Tech Skills Set You Apart as a Facilities Manager appeared first on Facilities Management Advisor.