EcoOnline > Case Studies > Streamlining Property Management Processes at Northgate with IoT

Streamlining Property Management Processes at Northgate with IoT

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

Applicable Industries

Buildings

Applicable Functions

Maintenance

Use Cases

Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Northgate PLC is the largest commercial vehicle rental provider in the UK. The company is based in Darlington, County Durham, and operates a fleet of over 100,000 vehicles in the UK and Spain. As a large commercial organization, Northgate receives a high volume of property-related requests, averaging around 40 per day and totaling 800 a month. The company strives to provide a high-quality service and aims to acknowledge these requests within the first 10 minutes of receipt.

The Challenge

Northgate PLC, the UK’s largest commercial vehicle rental provider, was facing a significant challenge in managing a high volume of property-related requests. With an average of 40 requests per day, totaling 800 a month, the company was struggling to manage these requests effectively through their manual approach. The requests varied greatly, from flooded customer toilets to roof repairs, adding to the complexity of the task. The company recognized the need for a system that would allow them to manage tickets more effectively, coordinate the required actions, and monitor the progress of these jobs through to completion. The lack of a streamlined process resulted in ambiguity and inefficiency, hindering Northgate's ability to provide high-quality service.

The Solution

Northgate turned to Info Exchange’s CAFM module to address their challenges. The software solution enabled the Northgate team to manage their workload far more effectively and capture much more detail relating to each job. This provided them with greater transparency over the requests they received, reducing ambiguity and enabling Northgate to provide a better service. The software allowed them to add photographs, supporting documentation, email conversations, purchase orders, and costings to a job, giving everyone involved visibility of much more supporting detail associated with each request. The use of software also minimized the amount of time spent dealing with the requests, allowing site managers to concentrate on the task in hand and reducing their administrative burden. The implementation of remote forms also made it much quicker for users to log on to the system and record property maintenance tickets, regardless of their location.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Info Exchange’s CAFM module has significantly improved Northgate's property management processes. The software has not only reduced the administrative burden for staff but also streamlined the reporting process, resulting in more accurate and detailed tickets. This has enabled the property maintenance team to plan their responses more effectively, leading to further efficiencies for the organization as a whole. Moreover, the ability to add supporting details to each job has increased transparency and reduced ambiguity, enabling Northgate to provide a better service to its customers. The use of remote forms has also made it easier for users to log on to the system and record property maintenance tickets, regardless of their location, further enhancing the company's operational efficiency.

Quantitative Benefit

Reduced time spent dealing with property-related requests, allowing site managers to focus on their primary tasks
Increased efficiency in logging and managing property maintenance tickets
Greater detail and accuracy in ticket creation, providing a clearer basis for planning responses