New system, in place as of Sept. 14, has been streamlined, improving customer service.
Have you returned to campus to find that lights need to be replaced in your office? There is a leak in the ceiling? Broken furniture?
Starting Sept. 14, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Facilities and Operations portal used to request such work has been replaced and upgraded, helping to streamline the process for both customers and Facilities employees so that work can be completed quicker and more efficiently. You can find the new portal here.
The decision to switch to the new work order request portal was made when Operations and Maintenance (O&M) staff experienced various software issues with the old system in 2019. The issues resulted in employees having to input data manually, which can lead to purchasing and billing errors that create unaccounted-for costs.
O&M conducted more than a dozen focus groups in late 2019 that included representatives from UMB’s seven schools and departments across campus. O&M then conducted focus groups with nearly 100 members of its staff.
Both sets of groups requested software enhancements and improved business processes, while customers also sought improved customer service and O&M team members wanted better training.
The new system addresses all of these concerns, according to Anna Borgerding, PMP, one of the project managers who was recently named director of operational excellence and sustainability.
“In our current system, you have to submit multiple requests for the same issue,” she said, using the example of a leak that also requires patching the ceiling and wall. “Customers would have to submit one request for the leak and a second request for the patching.
“In the new system, you report the leak, we send out the staff, and then we can add different phases to that work order for different shops. The first phase is the plumbing shop: Please identify the leak and correct it. The second phase is for the multitrades or carpentry shop: Please repair the wall and replace the ceiling tile that’s damaged. We can do that with this new system and not have to submit multiple work orders, which is a burden on the customer. The customer doesn’t need to know all that goes into it, they just need to report the issue.”
She said customers also will notice that they will be asked for information upfront. Customers will first choose the type of issue from categories such as Lighting and Power, Plumbing, Elevator, and Furniture Repair and Assembly, among others. If the customer is unsure of which icon to select, they can type the issue in the search bar and the correct icon will populate. After choosing a category, they will be asked a series of questions such as their name, location, and problem. They will also be able to upload photographs and documents.
“We can better serve the customer with this information,” Borgerding said. “With the old form, which was a text box, people may just write that their light is out and not fill in the room or the building. It’s a lot of back and forth with the customer, and we don’t get the information we need so the service delivery is delayed.”
The new portal will also offer enhanced communication between customers and Facilities.
“Our staff can communicate with customers through the portal,” she said.
The system is from software company AssetWorks, which works with higher-education institutions including some in the University System of Maryland. In addition to the work order portal, it includes other desktop and mobile applications that Facilities managers and workers will use to communicate and ensure work is completed.
Borgerding said that while the project was underway before the pandemic and that it did not cause any delays, “COVID really allowed us to take a look at how we were operating.”
She said that when the University announced the date of Aug. 16 for when almost everyone would be back on campus most of the time, O&M took that into account when deciding on the go-live date in September.
“That’s a change for people who’ve been working from home for most of the pandemic,” she said. “We know that people are making a big change in their life, and we are also asking them to change by using this software. So those are massive things, especially if they’re returning to the office for the first time. We really need to give people some time to get used to being back on campus before launching.”
The new software will be integrated with other UMB systems such as Quantum Financials, the financial accounting and reporting system; Archibus, the space management system; and eUMB HRMS.
With the Quantum integration, the O&M website will also now outline what is billable.
“If your light is burned out, that’s maintenance, and we are funded to do that,” Borgerding said. “If you want to install bookshelves in your office, that’s an enhancement, and we will charge for that. In the new system, it will ask if you select something that’s billable for a SOAPF. That's one of the biggest things: It’s integrated with Quantum and can pull in accurate SOAPFs.”
In connecting with Archibus, “all those buildings, rooms, and floors are being pulled over so that we have one system,” said Borgerding, adding that this will allow customers to identify the location of the problem in the new software.
Employees have also been tagging about 8,000 pieces of equipment around campus so that there is a record in the software to associate parts, work orders, and preventative maintenance.
Technicians and managers as well as certain customers such as administrative assistants and building managers will be trained on the new system in August and September before the launch.
“We’re taking a very direct and deliberate approach when it comes to training,” Borgerding said.
The project managers — Borgerding and Theresa “Reese” Spindle, senior manager of maintenance administration — have been receiving feedback from O&M employees.
“We have received input from technicians and managers throughout the project,” Borgerding said. “They’ve been integral, and we’ve had group meetings every three to four months to give them updates on the project as well as individual meetings to include them in this process. We know it’s a huge change, and we want them to not just feel included but be included.”