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In my position, I oversee 40 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic. I have yet to find an organizational tool that helps me keep their gazillion problems in an organized manner yet reminds me to follow up. I’ve tried Outlook, calendars, and traditional notebooks, but I need your advice. We already use a third party call center for the daily issues. I’m concerned about all the other issues that are my responsibility.

Michelle Williams
Regional Facilities Manager
Cosi, Inc.
mwilliams@getcosi.com

James Elledge replies ...

It sounds like you have the right idea, but possibly not the proper solution. If you want something you can create and customize yourself, I would recommend Microsoft Access. As a database, it can perform several functions and still interact between Word, Excel, and Outlook, and provide some Web capabilities.

If you decide to go the Access route, I would suggest starting out by creating a database of all the restaurants you oversee and then defining a corresponding “problems database” to track all of the items.

You could add a “completed” checkbox, which would allow you to generate a report displaying all “open” items. You could even sort the report by location, to see the number of items for each unit. I would also consider adding your service providers to the database, so you can track who is assigned to each issue or task.

As I previously mentioned, Access interfaces seamlessly with Word, so you can use the mail merge feature in Word to create custom work orders, bid requests, or RFPs as needed. In addition, Access allows you to post forms and reports on the Web, which comes in handy if you have an intranet. Depending on your network, the stores could check the status of their requests at any time.

Costs would also be easy to track, as you could record invoices by vendor and by store. This would then allow you to view the number of requests and costs for each restaurant. Depending on how much information you need to keep, you can add things like equipment, finishes, and other specific details to the database.

Another solution would be to purchase a general CMMS system. A listing of different programs is available from the TFM Quick Product Search (www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/soft_CMMS.php) or use a Web-based application hosted by a service provider. Your decision will be influenced by the volume of calls you receive and the budget you have.

Thanks for your question

Jim Elledge

Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM's Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “Ask The Expert” portion of the magazine’s Web site. To pose a question, visit www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/fm_viewexpert.asp.

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