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3 Signs Your Government Agency Needs An Asset Management System

There are many things that affect your state or local government organizations, and one of them is the time and cost required to manage assets. With so many processes and procedures to manage, it's no surprise that the biggest challenge for state and local government agencies is trying to get a handle on it all. Without proper processes, government agencies can try and attempt to organize their assets manually, but without a single, reliable resource that provides visibility into the entire asset life cycle – such as an asset management system -- this approach is incomplete at best. Plus, more than likely you're using many different tools, resulting in more time spent entering data and comparing data across multiple systems rather than making better business decisions.

If one or more of the following indicators apply to your company, you should consider how asset management software can address your challenges and create value for your government agency or organization.

1. Your Organization Frequently Misplaces or Loses Assets

Is your organization constantly losing track of physical assets and/or still manually tracking assets? If so, it's safe to say that doing things manually (or with the wrong system) will not help you or your business, and it's a sign that your organization should invest in the right technology. 

As we all know, manual asset management is time-consuming and prone to errors; there is also the possibility of missed or lost items. A comprehensive system that manages assets and records is the only way to ensure that won't happen.

Managing your organization's high-value assets and equipment is more important than ever. With the right asset management system, your organization can save hours of manual reporting and collect data anywhere at any time. Proper asset management also equips your organization with the tools to save time, improve accuracy and deliver better service overall.

2. Your Organization's Assets are Regularly Breaking Down or Performing Poorly

Your organization's physical assets must maintain performance standards in order to achieve maximum efficiency. Unplanned downtime, declines in performance, and irregular maintenance cycles increase maintenance expenses and also hinder productivity, which can lead to a decrease in overall profit. Essentially, each suboptimal asset is detrimental to your organization. So, how can your organization avoid this?

Proper asset management makes it easy to prevent asset breakdown, maintain performance standards, and keep track of maintenance schedules. Because governments need to maintain condition and maintenance histories for their assets, it's even more important that this information lives in one centralized, easily accessible location. Access to this detailed data makes it possible to schedule regular maintenance, optimize time-consuming processes, maximize staff efficiency, enhance worker safety and improve workflows.

3. Your Organization's Reporting Process has Little Visibility and is Inefficient

Government budget cuts continue to affect agencies' ability to maintain accurate asset records. As agencies struggle to do more with less, they are faced with the challenge of complying with the regulations that require these records, while still also reporting internally. 

To ensure that your organization and its' assets are meeting your regulatory compliance and insurance policies, along with organizational standards, you should have these records in place. As discussed earlier, asset management can grant greater visibility into the monitoring and maintenance of assets. With greater transparency into asset inventory, organizations can avoid things like ghost assets or theft. 

State and local governments can also use the reporting capabilities of asset management software to gain insights into future needs by documenting the conditions, locations, and inventories of physical assets. Additionally, by using mobile solutions from Zebra Technologies alongside asset management software, organizations are provided the security and accuracy needed for accurate reporting, and the ability to obtain asset data quickly and hassle-free.

Take Control of Your Agency's Valuable Property

If any of the above sounds like your government agency or organization, then it's time to consider an asset management system. Asset management, when done correctly, can increase asset utilization, locate equipment faster, plan for and improve asset lifecycle management, reduce duplicate purchases, improve the accuracy of maintenance records and audits, provide more accurate forecasting, and strengthen employee communication. 

RedBeam Asset Tracking Software is a tool for government agencies and organizations to store and manage information about their assets. RedBeam can help employees record, store, and share that data, so everyone in the organization knows what assets they have and how to manage them more efficiently and effectively, all while increasing accountability. To explore an asset management solution for your government organization, visit our Government Asset Tracking page.

This content was originally published on zebra.com.