On-Demand Facilities Management is a data-driven solution that delivers facility services—such as cleaning and maintenance—based on real-time building usage and occupant demand, rather than routine schedules. Too often, time and resources are wasted maintaining spaces that are rarely used—simply because a fixed schedule demands it. The workplace has evolved—and facilities management needs to evolve with it. In today’s hybrid workplace, space usage varies by the day or hour. Yet many organizations still clean and maintain spaces that go unused—simply because outdated schedules say so. This leads to wasted time, labor, and money.

With On-Demand FM, occupancy data—from sensors, badge swipes, or room bookings—shows what’s being used, when, and how often. That data triggers services only where they’re needed, helping smaller, more agile teams do more with less while enhancing the occupant experience.

What Does That Actually Look Like?

Instead of relying on fixed routines, maintenance and cleaning teams respond dynamically to space usage and real-time occupant feedback.

• A meeting room used by five people today? It gets cleaned tonight.
• A workstation that hasn’t been booked all week? It’s skipped.
• A restroom seeing high traffic? It gets restocked more frequently—automatically.

Occupancy sensors, mobile apps, and integrated platforms make this possible. Occupants can report issues directly from their phones, triggering work orders in real-time. Staff use the same system to receive, complete, and confirm tasks—creating a seamless, closed-loop workflow.

This approach replaces outdated routines with data-informed scheduling. While some periodic checks may still serve as a safety net, most work is now initiated by real-time triggers—ensuring tasks are only performed when needed, resources are used efficiently, and service quality remains consistently high.

Why should you implement it?

Shifting to an On-Demand Facilities Management model unlocks real, measurable value for your organization. By aligning services with actual usage and occupant needs creates benefits that improves both operational efficiency and user experience. Here are a few:

• Significantly reduce costs: Aligning services with actual space usage eliminates unnecessary labor and allows resources to be reassigned to where they’re truly needed—helping you do more with less.
• Enable faster response times: Issues are identified instantly through real-time data or mobile reporting and sent directly to the appropriate team, improving operational efficiency and reducing downtime.
• Create a better occupant experience: Spaces are cleaner, better maintained, and more responsive to real needs—not outdated schedules. Occupants feel supported, which boosts satisfaction, comfort, and productivity.

How to implement it:

Successfully transitioning to an On-Demand model requires more than just installing sensors—it’s about aligning people, processes, and technology to work together. Here are the key components you'll need:

• Choosing the right occupancy and activity tracking technologies. 
  
  • Collect accurate, real-time data that tells you what spaces are being used, when, and by whom. This usage data becomes the foundation for triggering work only where it’s needed. This can come from:
    
    • Occupancy sensors (motion, infrared, desk/room sensors)
    • Badge scans or access control systems
    • Room and desk booking platforms

• Identify Issues and Usage Triggers
  
  • Next, you need ways to identify when a service is required. That includes both automated triggers and manual feedback:
    
    • An occupant uses a space → occupancy data flags it for cleaning
    • An occupant reports an issue → submitted through a mobile app
    • Sensor data shows high usage → triggers restocking or maintenance

• Trigger and Assign the Right Work
  
  • Once an action is needed, work must be automatically routed to the right team with clear details:
    
    • What needs to be done (cleaning, restocking, repair)
    • Where it needs to be done (specific room, floor, or asset)
    • Who is responsible (automatically assigned based on location or skill)

(This is managed through work order systems or cleaning ops platforms that integrate with your occupancy tools.)

• Complete and Confirm the Task
  
  • Once work is performed, it must be confirmed as completed:
    
    • Mobile apps allow frontline staff to receive, perform, and close out tasks on the go
    • Photos, timestamps, or checklists ensure quality and accountability
    • Supervisors can monitor status in real time and reassign if needed

• Use Centralized Data Platforms to Manage It All
  
  • To bring it all together, a centralized platform is critical. This system should:
    
    • Consolidate occupancy and activity data
    • Provide real-time dashboards for task status and space usage
    • Enable reporting, analytics, and insights for continuous improvement

• Prioritize Buy-In from Staff & Teams 
  
  • Even the best tech and processes will fail without the support of the people who use them. Training and equipping your teams to adopt new tools and engaging them early in the transition process will reduce resistance to change.

Final Thoughts:

On-Demand Facilities Management represents a smarter, more agile approach to managing buildings in the modern workplace. By using real-time data, mobile technology, and occupant feedback, organizations can reduce waste, improve response times, and create cleaner environments—all while operating more efficiently. As hybrid work continues to redefine how and when spaces are used, transitioning to a demand-based model isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic necessity. With the right tools, processes, and team engagement in place, any organization can begin the shift toward a more responsive, cost-effective, and future-ready facilities operation.