Turning a New Page: How a Public Library System Transformed its Maintenance Operations with Asset Essentials

Streamlining maintenance operations

Before leveling up its maintenance operations to Brightly’s Asset Essentials, the Operations Department of the Public Library relied on an outdated email-based workflow. Without a digital asset database or work order tracking system, the team faced significant limitations. Siloed information often led to missed deadlines, an inefficient use of resources, and a lack of transparency. 

Asset Essentials has transformed the process from the beginning. The migration “went very smoothly,” according to the Manager of Buildings and Grounds. “Any questions or issues were resolved with a quick reach-out to support.” 

The Operations Department can now organize requests in one central location, configure work orders according to their needs, and automate preventive maintenance scheduling to avoid unplanned asset downtime, and that’s just the beginning. 

This digitized system has been a tremendous time-saver for the Buildings and Grounds Manager, relieving him of the day-to-day trafficking, follow-ups, and management of work orders. “Most of the requests go through Asset Essentials, and I don’t touch them or have to know about them – that is my goal,” the Buildings and Grounds Manager states. “It keeps the workflow moving and gets the requests out to vendors.”

Building a reliable asset repository

Access to enhanced maintenance information and documentation has been one of the biggest advantages of Asset Essentials for the Operations Department. 

For the Operations Services Technical Assistant, having all maintenance information in one place and being able to track work orders is invaluable. Asset Essentials allows the team to reference asset condition and maintenance history to make evidence-based decisions. This data can be turned into actionable insights to identify trends, areas for improvement, and potential failures to help avoid breakdowns causing branch interruptions or closures.

Another major breakthrough the team had was the ability to save images within work orders in the Asset Essential system. Whether it’s a spot on a carpet or a downed tree limb, “being able to put screenshots and images into the work description dramatically helps to demonstrate the scope of work,” the Buildings and Grounds Manager shares. This capability can enable effective troubleshooting up front, clearer work instructions, and on-site documentation of the work completed. 

Asset Essentials also offers a mobile app, making it easier for the maintenance technicians to update work orders and capture real-time conditions at the different locations.

Driving productivity with data insights

One of the biggest challenges for the Maintenance Department was the time it took to close out work orders. Common causes included technicians failing to update critical jobs in the system or work orders being sent to vendors and sitting for long periods of time. 

“I have had requests from leaders who want to know about the time to close work orders. We’re trying to get updates done closer to real-time,” The manager says. 

Asset Essentials empowers operations leaders to track KPIs with detailed dashboards and sharable reports. The team can measure progress made toward their goals, helping to increase accountability, foster continuous improvement, and align their efforts with operational objectives. “One of the goals is to keep status current by having KPIs that show time to close and also follow up on ones that have been open for extended periods,” the manager notes. 

These improvements can not only boost efficiency and visibility but also increase communication and collaboration across the library branches. If a request will be open for 30 days or more – for example, a major piece of equipment won’t be delivered for months – technicians can add the expected asset date to the work order. 

This way, branch managers can have a reasonable expectation for when their maintenance request will be completed. The Buildings and Ground Manager says, “If we’re not going to get that rooftop unit in for nine months, then we can all know,” and that lets managers plan accordingly going forward.