How does a senior living community go from paper
work orders to a digital, mobile system that helps them complete most work requests in two days — and improve their perception across the organization?
For Glenaire, a part of the Presbyterian Homes family, one software system has made all the difference in their added efficiencies: TheWorxHub.™ And that’s why they now use it as their “one-stop shop” for all things maintenance, housekeeping and facilities services.
Director of Facility Services Ryan Ferguson has been on staff for 14 years. Eight years ago, he helped combine maintenance and environmental services, which means he now manages maintenance, housekeeping, grounds, security, as well as ongoing and upcoming projects.
I don’t know why or how you would do work orders without having mobile.
Ryan Ferguson
Director of Facility Services
Glenaire was built in 1993, and they’re planning a $190 million expansion that is set to be completed in 2023. The new space will be a 6-story building with 192 independent living apartments, 38 assisted living units, an adult day center, public dining center, wellness center and multi- purpose gathering space.
Biggest Benefits of the Partnership
So, why does Glenaire continue to choose Brightly as their partner going into the future?
“I feel like Brightly listens, understands as a user how we use the product and how it can be better. And you’re willing to make it better,” Ryan says.
He says one of the biggest benefits of using TheWorxHub is the mobile capabilities and efficiency gains with technicians being able to easily pull up their work on a mobile phone.
“I don’t know why or how you would do work orders without having mobile,” he says. “And to be able to have so many things in one platform, that’s a benefit.”
Glenaire utilizes six modules of TheWorxHub™: Maintenance, Barcoding, Security, Housekeeping, Room Bookings, and Surveys & Inspections.
“What I like about TheWorxHub and all of the modules is that you only have to go to one platform to do the various things you want to do,” Ryan says. “Instead of piecemealing it with several companies, you have this one resource to go to, and it works.”
What I like about TheWorxHub and all of the modules is that you only have to go to one platform to do the various things you want to do.
Ryan Ferguson
Director of Facility Services
Two-Day Work Order Benchmark
In fact, it’s been a critical tool in helping the Glenaire staff complete most work orders within two days.
Ryan started reporting on their work order completion through TheWorxHub™ nearly a decade ago to help with a perception that the maintenance technicians were slow to get work done.
As years go on, that number (of average work order completion time) has gotten better and better. The perception is now maintenance is not slow and we get things done.
James Mugavero
Facilities Maintenance Manager
“I put parameters around our work orders and started prioritizing work. We made a goal to say if it is an average work order, it must be complete within two days. Every month, I run a report and then report to residents on the building and grounds committee and at our QA meeting. That way, the residents can see the facts.” Ryan says.
He has also used reports to further motivate his staff around work order completion and productivity by creating healthy competition between technicians.
“As years go on, that number (of average work order completion time) has gotten better and better. The perception is now maintenance is not slow and we get things done,” Ryan says. “Having all the tools and resources through TheWorxHub™ gives you the ability to do that.”
Departments Working Smarter Together
More transparency in their work and communication has also led to more cohesion between departments.
“I find less stress between departments and more transparency,” Ryan says. They also have departmental meetings for both housekeeping and maintenance every morning to answer these questions:
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What work do you have that is important today?
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What work do you have that fell behind and why?
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What do you need help with or what projects do you have?
This clarity helps them surface issues sooner and stick to that two-day work turnaround. They've seen wins in other departments with various modules and features of TheWorxHub™, as well:
Security
With the barcoding feature with security rounding in TheWorxHub, their officers have a new way to show their daily work and report any incidents, all on their mobile phone.
“It’s easy to use and not complicated,” Ryan says. “Because of the checkpoint system, we know that they’re doing their rounds and the perception is much improved.”
Room Bookings
To book rooms for special events, activities, meetings and more, they used to do everything through an Outlook calendar.
“It became so hard to manage when you have so many dates and rooms,” Ryan says. “Things were falling through the cracks, like a room wasn’t getting set up or taken down.”
Now, with Room Bookings for TheWorxHub™, they can plan everything through a shared calendar that is easy to adjust, manage and connect to work requests for those events.
Resident Service
Having a system to track their work also helps them reflect their corporate value of service. They have a large percentage of residents that put requests in online through a simple resident portal, and they like having the ability to track their requests through the process.
“When a resident turns in a work request to move this or that or hang pictures, TheWorxHub gives us that ability to manage it, schedule it and then always makes the resident happy,” Ryan says.
When a resident turns in a work request to move this or that or hang pictures, TheWorxHub gives us that ability to manage it, schedule it and then always makes the resident happy.
James Mugavero
Facilities Maintenance Manager
This is also apparent with the constant renovation projects they have for apartments. TheWorxHub’s project tasks help them easily track every step of the project to stay on schedule. They also rely on scheduled preventive maintenance to keep everything running better and longer.
Technician of Today
Overall, Ryan says TheWorxHub™ is the modern tool they need to keep up with the changing needs of their facilities, staff and residents.
“There’s a bridge between the old maintenance technician and the new maintenance technician. That generation would use their tool bag, their wrenches, etc. The new technician still has all that, but the phone becomes a new tool for them. The new maintenance technician understands technology better."
Learn more: Brightlysoftware.com
