Maintenance Management

5 Best Facility Scheduling Software: Features & Benefits [2024]

Automate your boring and labor-intensive administrative tasks by using facility scheduling software. Learn why facilities scheduling software is critical to improving service quality and client satisfaction and discover the best tools in the market.

Manaswini Rao

Nov 13, 2024 • 14 min read

Gone are the days when facility managers had to manually schedule tasks and resolve conflicts.

Let's face it: coordinating with stakeholders via email and managing schedules with endless spreadsheets is a nightmare.

Imagine struggling to find an available meeting room at the last minute or manually aligning technicians' schedules for urgent maintenance tasks. Relying on traditional and outdated methods for facility scheduling is a huge mistake.

Let’s explore why facility scheduling software, or field service management software is important for every integrated facility management service provider (IFMSP) and facility manager out there and the top software options they have.

What is facility scheduling software, and why is it important?

Facilities scheduling software is a specialized tool designed to streamline your facility’s operations and maintenance.

This software helps in everything from scheduling a maintenance task to reserving facility spaces to assigning maintenance tasks to the next available vendor or technician.

Think reduced administrative workload, more flexibility, better task management and adherence to deadlines, and fewer scheduling conflicts.

Imagine you want to quickly reschedule the start time of a maintenance task due to an unexpected delay. Manually checking technician availability and assigning tasks is time-consuming and prone to errors.

A facility scheduling management (FSM) software allows you to curb these excessive manual efforts but the problem is the traditional FSM software being used today is incompatible with your CMMS software.

This is the silent friction point. Your FSM software sits in its own isolated bubble, completely detached and non-integrable with your CMMS. These systems don’t communicate, and this separation leads to inefficiencies that ripple through your operations giving problems like:

Double data entry and sync problems: Without integration, facility managers often have to enter the same information twice. Once in the field scheduling software to allocate a technician and then in the CMMS to ensure if the technician has all the tools they need for the maintenance checks or repairs.
Gaps in preventive maintenance: Legacy FSM softwares often doesn’t account for the wear and tear caused by regular usage. For example, a sports facility might schedule back-to-back events without realizing that equipment or rooms need regular maintenance. If FSM were part of the CMMS, this would be flagged automatically, scheduling repairs or inspections at optimal times.
Delays in maintenance: Without FSM integrated into your CMMS, maintenance teams might not get alerted when a space or equipment is scheduled for heavy use, which means they can’t plan maintenance windows around these peak times.
Lack of visibility and reporting: When your facility scheduling software operates as a separate tool, you lose the ability to see the bigger picture. You can't easily pull reports that give you insights into not just what’s scheduled, but how maintenance activities have impacted space availability and asset performance. You’re flying blind, unable to make informed decisions.

Clearly, the separation of FSM and CMMS softwares creates a fragmented experience that leads to miscommunication and overlooked details. So, why not integrate these two systems? FSM should be part of your CMMS, working together, not in parallel.

Advanced solutions that integrate FSM into its CMMS gives you one clean unified view of everything—rooms, equipment, people—so there are no more conflicts or double-bookings.

You can plan maintenance smarter, spot gaps in advance, and keep things running smoothly without endless back-and-forth or resource clashes.

It cuts the confusion, slashes downtime, and keeps your team in sync, ensuring both operations and maintenance flow without hiccups.

The ultimate goal of facility scheduling software is to ensure that all your resources and physical spaces are properly utilized and everything is running smoothly.

Importance of facility scheduling software

1. Slash contractual penalties with predictive maintenance integration: As an enterprise-grade FMSP, you undoubtedly face pressure to evade hefty penalties for failing to meet contractual obligations around service levels. Most especially when it comes to the facility’s uptime.

Facility scheduling softwares that can also integrate predictive maintenance solutions can reduce equipment breakdowns by 70% (less breakdowns, lower downtime rates). With this feature you can proactively schedule maintenance for your clients when it’s needed, rather than after a failure where reactionary measures take up so much time and resource to get back running.

2. Deliver real-time transparency for client trust: 39% of consumers rank transparency as their top trust factor. Clients want to track real-time progress, ensuring you're delivering on promises and keeping everything on the up-and-up. Simple, clear, and accountable—that’s what they’re after.

Now, lack of real-time updates can lead to miscommunication, misunderstandings, and dissatisfaction when services are delayed or incomplete.

Advanced facility scheduling software resolves these issues by offering real-time progress tracking. Your clients can log into dashboards that show live updates on task completion, facility availability, and ongoing services.

For FMSPs, this also means fewer inquiries, complaints, and administrative burdens, as clients can self-service their information needs.

3. Drastically reduce administrative overhead without compromising control:
For multisite portfolios, oversight is critical, but when the administrative workload becomes overwhelming, it can be difficult to maintain control.

Scheduling software eliminates manual scheduling conflicts, reduces human error, and automates notifications—all while providing full oversight.

This frees up time and resources that can be reinvested into higher-value strategic initiatives, giving FMSPs a competitive edge.

4. Boost client retention with tailored service customization: Scheduling software with customizable options enables providers to offer tailored services to individual clients, creating a more personal experience.

Personalization and customization drive brand growth and consumer engagement. According to Boston Consulting Group, companies that nail personalization can increase growth 10%.

5. Improve win rate for RFP bids and get the upper hand in negotiations: Most bids focus on service delivery, but an FMSP leveraging advanced facility scheduling software can provide predictive capacity planning as part of the proposal.

By showcasing data-driven projections on staff availability, resource allocation, and peak workload times, FMSPs can demonstrate their ability to prevent overbooking and downtime well in advance.

5 best facility scheduling software in 2024

1. Facilio for facility scheduling management

Facilio, built with a platform-based approach, is a facility scheduling software designed to streamline and optimize the management of diverse facilities.

Its unified software platform accommodates the unique needs of large-scale and multi-site facilities, adjusts to the evolving needs of buildings and their occupants, and scales seamlessly as your business grows.

Benefits

Reduced administrative workload

Imagine this: Work orders magically assign themselves to the right person or team. No more manual shuffling! With Facilio, you can finally say goodbye to paperwork and hello to more strategic thinking.

By automating this process, you’re not just saving time and reducing your administrative burden, but also preventing costly errors.

Facility scheduling for IFMSPs and facility managers transforms into a streamlined, automated process, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual effort.
Example: When the air conditioning unit in your office requires maintenance, the facility scheduling software automatically assigns the task to the next available qualified technician, ensuring timely repairs and reducing downtime.

Let’s consider another scenario. If a technician is delayed, the system can quickly reschedule the task to a new time slot, notify all relevant parties, and update the timeline, ensuring the maintenance schedule remains on track with minimal disruption.

Optimized technician allocation

Facilio's scheduling software ensures technicians are assigned to tasks according to their shifts, availability, and skill sets. This optimization leads to better resource utilization and ensures that the most suitable technician is assigned to each task, improving service quality and efficiency.

Facility managers can easily view and adjust technician schedules to accommodate changes, ensuring seamless operations.
Example: Let's say an MRI machine in a busy hospital breaks down unexpectedly. An FM scheduling software would quickly assign the nearest/available technician with the right expertise to handle the repair.

If that technician is tied up with another emergency or is out of office, the system instantly reallocates the task to another qualified professional. This smart allocation means no delays in critical diagnostics and minimal disruption to patient care.

Real-time visibility and interactive timeline view

Facilio offers an intuitive timeline view that allows facility managers to see all scheduled tasks at a glance. This real-time visibility helps monitor task progress, identify potential conflicts, and make informed decisions.

The timeline's interactive nature means that managers can easily reschedule or reassign tasks as needed, ensuring that all activities are completed on time.
Example: In a university campus where multiple maintenance tasks are scheduled across different building sites—HVAC repairs in the library, plumbing fixes in the dorms, and lighting upgrades in lecture halls. Facilio’s real-time timeline view lets the facility manager see all these tasks all at once, at a glance.

If a critical maintenance task needs to be rescheduled, the facility manager can quickly view available time slots and make adjustments without disrupting other planned activities.

Flexible rescheduling and reassigning

With Facilio, rescheduling tasks and reassigning work orders becomes straightforward. Facility managers can quickly adjust schedules to address urgent priorities or unexpected delays.

Customizing views based on specific criteria like available skill set, task priority, location, or type of equipment. This further enhances management efficiency, for better tracking and control over all scheduled activities.

Example: If the refrigeration unit needs emergency repair, the facility manager can quickly adjust the existing schedule to prioritize the urgent task, ensuring that it is handled promptly while minimizing disruption to other planned activities.

Seamless integration and compliance

Facilio integrates seamlessly with 60+ vendor portals, allowing for smooth communication and coordination with external vendors. Automated compliance checks ensure all legal and regulatory requirements are met without additional manual effort.
This integration and automation simplify the management process and reduce non-compliance risk.
Example: Facilio's integration features make assigning work orders to vendors a seamless process.

If a store's fire alarm system needs inspection, the system automatically connects with the preferred local vendor, schedules the inspection, and ensures all compliance checks are completed. Automated compliance checks then verify that the inspection meets all legal and operational standards.

Features

Resource scheduler and calendar: This intuitive tool allows for quick adjustments to maintenance tasks, ensuring that urgent priorities are promptly addressed without causing significant disruptions.

The Resource Scheduler reduces the likelihood of miscommunication and scheduling conflicts by streamlining the rescheduling process, resulting in a more efficient and responsive facility management system.

Image displaying the dashboard view of Facilio’s scheduling software Resource Planner — **Dashboard view of Facilio’s Resource Planner**

Centralized dashboard for easy management: The platform’s centralized dashboard offers a comprehensive view of all building spaces and assets. This unified interface makes it easy for IFMSPs to manage multiple facilities, track occupancy, and oversee resource allocation from a single point.

Image showing a comprehensive overview of a FAHU unit’s maintenance data — **Facilio centralized view of asset location**

Image showing a comprehensive overview of real-time occupancy data — **Facilio overhead view of multi-site facilities**

Automated notifications and reminders: Facilio sends users automated notifications and reminders about their reservations, changes, or cancellations. This feature ensures that everyone stays informed and helps reduce administrative burden.

Facilio facility scheduling software showing automated action-trigger system that sends notifications and executes corresponding tasks — **Facilio automated notifications feature**

Integration with existing systems: Facilio seamlessly integrates with existing IT infrastructure, including calendar systems, building management systems, and IoT devices. This ensures smooth operations and enhances the overall user experience.
Detailed analytics and reporting: Facilio provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that offer insights into space utilization, booking patterns, and resource allocation. IFMSPs can use this data to make informed decisions and optimize facility operations.
Space and asset visualization: Facilio lets users view floor and space availability, track occupancy, and plan for future space constraints. It also allows for easy booking of meeting rooms and includes accessories and assets, from furniture to electronics and stationery.

UI representation of Facilio reservation conditional booking system managing space allocation — **Facilio space scheduling system**

Suitable for

Facilio is ideal for large enterprises, facility management companies, and organizations looking for a scalable and flexible scheduling solution.

Its connected CMMS features make it suitable for managing diverse facilities, including corporate offices, healthcare institutions, educational establishments, and retail and commercial property spaces.

🌟Feature Highlight🌟

By leveraging IoT integration, Facilio provides real-time data on space usage, environmental conditions, and equipment status, allowing for proactive management and maintenance.

The cloud-based architecture offers the flexibility to access and manage facilities from anywhere, ensuring continuous oversight and quick response to any issues.

This combination enhances operational efficiency and supports scalability, making Facilio an ideal choice for organizations looking to future-proof their facility management processes.

Explore how Facilio can transform your facility scheduling system by reducing administrative workload, reducing miscommunication, improving flexibility, eliminating scheduling conflicts, ensuring timely maintenance and continuity in task assignments, and reducing asset downtime.

Pricing

Custom pricing based on several factors, including the number of users/buildings, portfolio size, training sessions, and integration requirements.

Get your custom quote here.

Ratings and reviews

Rating - 4.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐(Based on Capterra reviews )

2. FMX for booking and event management

FMX offers a streamlined approach to managing events and resources. It simplifies the booking and payment processes, allowing users to handle reservations through a self-service portal. With features like integrated calendar views and real-time location availability, it helps organizations efficiently coordinate events and optimize space usage.