CommonGrounds Workplace improves asset management and tracking

Challenge

Prior to implementing UpKeep, CommonGrounds Workplace was using Monday.com to manage its maintenance-related communications.

“It was more of a task-based project management system that really had nothing to do with facilities, maintenance or inventory-control,” said Brian Caputo, facilities manager at 

CommonGrounds Workplace. “I needed something a little more in-depth, something that was more than a digital checklist.”

Solution

CommonGrounds Workplace chose UpKeep to centralize all its maintenance-related information for its team. Currently, 20 employees of the company’s 60 staff members are on the system.

“I needed something that was user-friendly, not really so much for myself, but for my workplace teams at each of our locations,” Brian said. “I needed something that was easy for them to use to cut down on training time and errors. I liked UpKeep’s user functionality.”

A Unique Application

Since CommonGrounds Workplace operates shared office space locations, the company has found a unique application of UpKeep’s system.

“We’re kind of using the system a little differently,” Brian said. “We don’t really have maintenance technicians that are on site. We use outside vendors, so our workplace teams are actually the acting technicians. They take the work orders and then have our vendors perform the actual maintenance work. I get updated accordingly.”

CommonGrounds Workplace uses UpKeep’s work order and inventory and asset management modules most frequently.

Streamlining Communication

Before implementing UpKeep, most of the communication about maintenance was handled through email, Monday.com or Slack.

“UpKeep has helped us streamline a lot of things rather than going through emails and these other disparate systems,” Brian said. “We use Upkeep to keep all the information in one place. It consolidates our communication and helps us be more efficient.”

Today, CommonGrounds Workplace can attach labor costs, pricing data, related files and images, and tagged assets directly to a work order, which allows transparency and visibility into current work and assets across all its locations.

Managing and Tracking Assets

For CommonGrounds Workplace, its primary assets are things like furniture, mechanical equipment, and IT equipment.

“We build out our office spaces as assets and also any rooms that have mechanical equipment in them,” Brian explained. “We basically see our furniture as assets as well as other mechanical  and IT items.”

The company uses UpKeep to track needed repairs as well as movement of furniture and other equipment between locations. “It’s great to be able to see what we have in each location right now,” Brian said. “Before, I didn’t have that level of transparency. It was just looking at a list on an Excel spreadsheet.”

Efficient, Accepted Solution

Although the company had to build a great deal of its data from scratch, CommonGrounds Workplace was able to implement UpKeep throughout its locations quickly with minimal training. “UpKeep’s implementation team was very helpful,” Brian said. “They walked us through everything. It was a fluid process.”

During the first several months of use, the company’s workplace teams have been pleased with the system. “Everyone likes the functionality of UpKeep,” Brian said. “They all see the benefit of it and how it will help us streamline our work. Overall, the feedback has been very positive.”