With the constant need to adapt to changing situations and the pressure to work efficiently, workers across all employment sectors are looking for ways to streamline daily tasks. With more and more work being completed away from the desk, employees are forced to find the necessary amenities in remote locations. FM:Systems has responded to these needs by implementing an array of new features in FM:Interact 8.3. Documenting these features over the past six months has familiarized me with them, and like a teacher with new students, I’ve grown to have my favorites. Therefore, because FM:Interact 8.3 includes too many new features to introduce succinctly, I have decided to highlight my five favorite FM:Interact 8.3 features and explain how they help workers meet growing efficiency and adaptability standards.
1. Hoteling
Hoteling allows designated spaces to be reserved temporarily, with the system automatically vacating the spaces at the end of the reservation duration.
Why I love it: Hoteling gives traveling workers access to the office amenities they use on a daily basis, making their transition from city to city (or even building to building) seamless. Not only does it improve efficiency by helping them complete work without skipping a beat, but it also improves space utilization as many companies transition from traditional assigned spaces to Hoteling spaces to accommodate business on the go.
2. Exportable data grids
The export feature allows designated users to export the contents of any view’s data grid with a few simple clicks.
Why I love it: Exportable data grids expand on the reporting capability of FM:Interact. This vastly increases the speed with which people can gather data and provide managers with information.
3. Color coding
The color coding functionality that was applied to the Move Management and Facility Management status views has now been extended for use in all FM:Interact views.
Why I love it: I can now easily differentiate between data values simply by looking at a color-coded view. By strategically creating query-based color codes, I can digest information without needing to first filter through it and dissect it.
4. First tab display above the tab set
This view option enables fields in tab position one to display above the rest of the tabs, consequently preserving their visibility regardless of what tab a user selects.
Why I love it: When I’m moving from tab to tab, I can now keep some fields visible at all times. This helps me retain context and quickly gather and assess data without needing to continually click back to remember important details.
5. Silverlight mapping
This interactive map that is traditionally set as a role’s home page visually depicts the company’s real estate portfolio and allows users to access a building’s information page simply by clicking the building on the map.
Why I love it: Instead of clicking through the FM:Interact navigation tree to get to a building’s information page, I can now quickly zoom into my desired location on a map, click the building, and access building details. Plus, I can configure which building details display in the tooltip text for a building, giving me a quick summary of building information.
To learn more about FM:Interact 8.3 and its new features, please visit the customer portal and the FM:Systems website.
Once at the portal, log in and click the “Learn More” link under the Downloads section of the home page.
