A comfortable, healthy, happy environment helps people stay productive. And yet, according to a study by HBR, the number one environmental factor employees cite as important to their workplace wellness is better air quality—not access to a gym or other company office perks like snacks or tech-based health tools. Only a third of survey respondents “characterized their office temperature as ideal.”
Employee productivity within your facility may not be the first concern for facility managers, who are already preoccupied with costs, maintenance, and efficiency. However, while productivity might seem more relevant to leadership of the company operating within the building, the truth is that productivity hinges on a comfortable, optimal work environment. Air quality, temperature, humidity, ventilation, light levels, and more all play into this equation.
A truly remote management system makes it much easier to track and optimize the facility’s BAS for peak productivity. If you manage multiple sites or need access to resolve an issue while you’re otherwise away from the building, a remote management system makes it simple and instant to keep the building comfortably and help the occupants stay productive.
Some remote facilities management systems already purport to give you “remote” access through your phone, but as long as you’re required to be connected to the on-site building network, it’s not truly a remote monitoring software. But lack of remote access is a common issue. Most buildings in the U.S. are older than the Cold Way and “still using legacy control systems that weren’t designed with remote operations in mind.” In fact, “15% of buildings don’t have a building management system (BMS) in place at all,” according to Facility Executive, and fewer than half of those that do “have the tools in place to access or view it remotely.” This means that remote management systems are more important than ever and powerful tools for instant productivity boosts.
Remote access to your facility’s BAS gives you a simple way to immediately impact building energy efficiency and system performance, which will also improve comfort. You’ll be able to track trends and resolve problems before they start—without needing to deploy human technicians or manually investigate the system. Unexpected issues can arise within the facility at any time of day or night, so it pays to have instant access to the trends and performance data on your system.
With a remote management system like ODIN, a “trends” feature helps managers and HVAC engineers to monitor, in real-time, which floors are most active, when they’re active, how heating or cooling energy is allocated, and how comfortable each area within the facility is for the occupants.
ODIN’s “Trends” feature helps managers and HVAC engineers see the story their building is telling. What floors are most active, when they’re active, how much heating (or cooling) they use on a daily basis, and ultimately how comfortable the occupants are; with ODIN at your side, you’ll have access to all of this data whenever you want it.
Finally, a remote facility management system provides a hands-off, 24/7 set of watchful eyes in case something needs your attention. Automated alarms and notifications that proactively get your attention through the remote application mean you don’t need to divide your attention and remember to constantly check in. It’s easier for everyone in the facility to stay productive—including you—when people can keep their focus on the task at hand and not wonder what’s going on with the heat, AC, or anything else. Email notifications are effective, but push notifications on a mobile device can be even more convenient.
Contact us today to learn more about the ODIN remote management system, including our ODINbasic package that gives facility managers a perfect introduction to ODIN’s features at an excellent value.