Breaking Down the Cost of Facility Management Software

Spotz August 3, 2021

If you’ve done any traveling over the last decade, odds are you are one of the 150 million users who have rented from a host on Airbnb. What if those sites didn’t exist? Imagine how much more difficult it would have been to find a room in downtown Dallas or an entire apartment for your visit to see grandma back in Massachusetts.

Now, consider how difficult it is for members of your community to find your spaces. They might have to find you through a Google search or social media, then pick up the phone, maybe play phone tag, wait for the paperwork, and mail you a check. Whew. You don’t want to imagine how much revenue those barriers to booking are costing you.

Here’s how your organization benefits when you invest in facility management software.

How Much Does Facility Management Software Cost?

Facility management software requires an upfront investment, but it’s not nearly as costly as using manual processes. Facilitating space booking using your current process may cost more than you think, cutting into your bottom line.

Say, for instance, you rent a field for $50 an hour. Your staff may spend two or more hours on the phone, emailing a customer, preparing paperwork, and chasing down payment to get it booked. If your staff member is making $15 an hour, it may cost you as much as $45 just to rent that field once. Now, if your team is using software, that cost can be as low as $10 per month for as many rentals of the field as you can book—and without the back and forth.

That field is just the beginning. Let’s say you have a meeting room that is sitting empty for most of the month. What if, by reaching more potential renters through software, you can fill that same room five, 10, or even 20 times a month? While cutting costs in the actual booking process, you’ve amped up your marketing to now turn that space from an empty lot into a steady resource generating $500–$2,000 a month or more.

What Are the Benefits of Facility Management Software?

Fortunately for managers of parks, sports facilities, schools, community centers—anyone who has rentable space—facility management software can do for you what Airbnb has done for its hosts.

With the right solution, you can amplify your marketing message to people looking to rent outdoor or indoor recreation space and make it easy for renters to book the space right away. You not only capture renters’ attention when they are looking for a space for their next event but also capture their booking (and their payment) without delay. This saves time, reduces the amount of empty space, and increases your revenue.

An automated management solution offers a smoother, more straightforward way of scheduling your spaces than doing it manually.

Post and monitor available spaces: Control approvals, your space bookings and inventory.
Set pricing and collect payment: Reduce staff time collecting payments and make it easier for community members to book and pay for space immediately.
Manage custom groups and unlimited space add-ons: You control booking priorities and encourage repeat business with a user-friendly interface.
Customize amenities to your space: Let the community discover what you have to offer that sets your spaces apart.

What’s the Investment in Space Management Software?

Getting started with facility management software requires less work than you think—especially when you consider a little time spent here will mean a lot more booked spaces, and that fewer wasted resources will boost your ROI.

1. Assess the current situation

Software cuts down the amount of time you’re paying staff to promote and book your spaces. But first, you’ll need to put together a list of spaces, amenities, and groups you want to target. Depending on the size of your organization, this could require a bit of time. You’ll want to make sure you capture as many details as possible to enter in step two. After the heavy lifting is complete, your staff will have more time to do the important work you hired them for.

2. Implement the solution

Once the initial work is done, you and your team will make the transition into the software system. This requires entering the information you collected in step one. It will also require training for staff and anyone else who will manage bookings on the back end.

3. Create a plan for ongoing success

Make sure you create a standard message for your employees to direct renters to your new online booking solution when they call, email, or reach out with booking inquiries. And, for any renters who might have loved the old way, delight them by scheduling their space for them!

4. Market your spaces (and your new technology)

When you’re ready to start managing online bookings, you’ll want to spread the word to maximize the return on your investment. Look for low- or no-cost ways to communicate to your community that they can now book easily online.

This could be as simple as adding a widget to your usual booking location on your website or launching a social media strategy. It’s also a great excuse to email to your list and rekindle relationships with community members.

Spotz Facilities Management Software

Investing time and money into switching to new software can seem daunting. With Spotz facilities management software, you'll spend less time promoting and booking space, quickly realizing your return on investment.