Gated communities are known for their in-house amenities and facilities. These include a well-appointed clubhouse, sporting facilities, and banquet halls. From being perks, they are now increasingly seen as an essential part of residential complexes. Well-run facilities also increase the capital value of the property, raising both the rent and resale potential. 

However, facility management is more than just taking care of the occasional repair and maintenance. With many residents taking a keen interest in the running of these facilities, their management is a top priority for Management Committees (MCs), Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), community managers and administrators. 

Challenges in facility management 

A community’s facility management tasks range from scheduling maintenance to tracking inventory. Some of the common challenges include:

Lack of comprehensive overview

Managers have to be cognizant of the overall state of different amenities as well as an in-depth insight into their actual condition. However, legacy systems rely on different modules for different functions. For instance, facility bookings are recoded in a basic spreadsheet while expenses are logged on a different system. This fragmented view hampers managers from getting a full view or to extract any analytical data. 

Solution: The ApnaComplex ERP dashboard is designed to give community managers and admins a comprehensive overview of all facilities, consolidating features such as pending complaints. A booking calendar offers an overview of all reservations at a glance.

High demand during peak hours

Facilities tend to see heavy usage during specific times. For instance, aerobics rooms are in high demand in the morning while the badminton courts will have long queues in the evenings. Conflicts arise when some individuals monopolize facilities, such as occupying a squash court for an undue period. 

Facility booking on spreadsheets can cause gaps since residents cannot be informed of all available slots in real-time. Establishing appropriate schedules becomes even more complex when the management wants to restrict access.

Solution: ApnaComplex controls facility usage through a digital booking system. Residents have to choose their preferred time slot when reserving facilities. The booking system guarantees that no one can prolong their usage beyond the allocated time. Community administrators also have the option to limit access by temporarily suspending bookings for a specific duration. For instance, bookings were completely disabled during the COVID closedown. 

Read more about the benefits of facility booking in How Digitalisation Improves Access and Efficiency.

Gaps in invoicing 

One of the challenges in facility management is sending invoices and ensuring timely collections for paid facilities like banquet halls. Facilities are a lucrative source of revenue and can help in offsetting their operating costs. However, invoicing challenges include delayed or irregular invoicing, human errors, and late or failure in making payments. 

Solution: In the case of paid facilities, payments have to be completed when making the reservation. This removes the chances of errors and delays in sending invoices or collecting payments.

Lack of asset maintenance 

The timely maintenance of assets is critical in ensuring well-run facilities. These assets include HVAC systems, high-end machinery like fitness equipment as well as furnishings. Assets like gym equipment also have a direct impact on the safety of users. Despite its importance, many managers struggle with an orderly approach to asset management.

Solution: ApnaComplex facilitates preventive maintenance by setting a servicing schedule with timely reminders. It ensures that maintenance activities are carried out regularly. Managers can plan for asset downtime, reduce breakdown and improve its lifecycle. They can also scan the asset QR to gain important information, such as its service history.

High operational costs

Controlling operational costs is one of the persistent challenges in facility management. Other than utility and inventory bills, the treasurer must also allot sufficient funds for asset upkeep and repairs. Given that avenues for earning revenues are limited, reducing the running cost of facilities becomes imperative.  

Solution: ApnaComplex leverages different means including analytical tools to help managers reduce their operational costs. For instance, the expense tracker gives us a realistic picture of consumption. Similarly, the inventory tracker records purchases, consumption, and stock level of the inventory.

Advanced inventory reports help to further optimise consumption. Managers can also access comprehensive reports on bookings, usage, and revenue. Find out other avenues of How can ApnaComplex Help Reduce Society Management Costs.

You can read more in our article Facility Management: Challenges & Solutions. Learn more about how Centralisation is Changing the Game in Facility Management with ApnaComplex .

If you want to learn more about our facility management tools, get in touch with us at support@apnacomplex or call 80886 11229. Our team will help you understand the various features you can use for reducing operational costs while improving the administration of your facilities!