Exclusive Interaction - Prabhu Ramachandran, CEO Co-Founder, Facilio

Facilio is a SaaS based start-up which provides service to enterprises.   Prabhu Ramachandran, CEO and Co-Founder, talks to us in this exclusive interaction.

Can you give a brief on the impact of COVID-19 in Facilio’s business and what is the recovery plan?

Businesses are trying to stay afloat and sail through the pandemic. SaaS software that are critical to run operations efficiently with a renewed focus on health and remote capabilities are top of mind for property owners, operators and corporates today. In the past few months, tenant expectations have drastically changed due to which hygiene and wellness have taken a front seat in the post-COVID-19 era. This led Facilio to newer areas to address, such as enabling touchless journeys for visitors, increasing the frequency of disinfection activities, improving Indoor Air Quality and better ventilation.

We launched REbuild, a remote operations toolkit, to helps real estate owners drive efficiency, boost productivity and improve operating margin.  The REbuild programme from Facilio is aimed at revitalizing the CRE industry, empowering it to survive and thrive in the aftermath of the pandemic. With the economic downturn post-pandemic, many CRE owners and operators are looking at cost-effective methods of operations by adapting cloud-based property operations to remotely control spaces, equipment and overall performance.

The REbuild toolkit was developed from Facilio experience in working with clients and industry experts. The result is the launch of a flexible set of solutions (Hygiene Management, Visitor Management, Touch-less Occupant Controls, Portfolio Analytics and Compliance, Portfolio Automation, and operational Command Center)  that helps the owners adapt to a constantly changing reality and operate with agility.

 Can you share some figures and insights on how ICD Brookfield place will be benefited through Facilio technology? How will this drive business for them? 

ICD Brookfield Place, a joint venture between the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) and Brookfield Properties, is one of Dubai’s premier lifestyle and business destinations.  With over 4 acres of curated dining, retail, and community space, alongside 990,000 square feet of Grade A office space in the heart of Dubai’s Commercial Business District, ICDBP sets the benchmark in addressing the changing well being, environmental and productivity needs of today’s workforce. ICDBP selected Facilio after an extensive process to support this objective. Facilio’s cloud platform will allow ICDBP to -

• Gain real-time insights into building performance
• Control spaces, equipment and multiple building systems remotely from a “single pane of glass”
• Exceed sustainability goals by leveraging embedded AI capabilities
• Automate operations and equipment maintenance
• Introduce new experiences for tenants 

Facilio’s property operations cloud platform will allow ICD Brookfield Place to centrally monitor, control and operate every operational aspect of their buildings. This includes gaining granular real-time insights into building performance, as well as the ability to manage spaces, equipment, and multiple building systems remotely, using a single-window view of operations.

These advantages are not just a matter of easing the operations and management process, although such operations are very significantly empowered. Commercial office spaces such as ICD Brookfield Place will exceed their sustainability goals, by leveraging embedded AI capabilities. Managers will not only be able to automate on-going operations but will also be able to implement a predictive maintenance model.

How can SaaS help real estate in India in 2020?

Technology will be a key pillar, in adapting to the new normal. We have already seen operatives that had a digital structure in place respond better to the pandemic, in comparison to those who didn't. Being able to make data-informed decisions, in real-time and at a portfolio scale, will be a powerful enabler for CRE operatives looking to adopt the agile operational model they will need to succeed in today's new normal.

Some of the key ways in which CRE businesses will need to differentiate themselves will be through proactive hygiene management, enabling a touchless digital journey for occupants, and adhering strictly to indoor air quality and ventilation guidelines. A data-driven and proactive approach optimizes sustainability, enables cost-effective operations, and empowers facilities management work forces through mobility and collaboration. This ultimately translates into personalized and exceptional tenant experiences, as a result of significantly lower downtime, and the ability to deliver a consistently optimal, safe and comfortable environment. In years to come, this business model will simply be the default standard, which tenants will demand and expect. 

Please elaborate on your marketing strategy during the pandemic

When the pandemic first broke out, our thoughts immediately went to how the property operations community can get through the crisis and what is awaiting us on the other side of the tunnel. While there were many resources on how people can tackle the spread of viruses in general, we couldn’t find any exhaustive sources on what the situation meant for the global commercial real estate and property operations community in particular.

So we decided to bridge the gap by curating answers to questions in the minds of the real estate leaders through the launch of the REbuild virtual knowledge-sharing series that provided a powerful launchpad for the industry to facilitate the exchange of practical insights with the global community and learn from each other. Out goal was to help the industry reassess their operational roadmap and get clarity on how to not only survive but thrive in the downturn economy. We created a platform of useful resources - with practical insights from leaders, video sessions with industry experts, E-books and checklists, and actionable blogs - on how to respond, reopen, and rebuild property operations for the new reality.