Results
Bridgeport Public Schools stands out as one of the nation’s top-run districts. Since improving its building operations, the school system achieved a 10,000% return on investment.
The catalyst? Insights turned into process improvements and funding opportunities.
In the first four months of leveraging FMX data, Bridgeport secured a $4M Department of Energy grant for smart school initiatives, beating thousands of applicants. The grant allowed them to replace old equipment with new, energy-efficient options.
They significantly reduced energy consumption and costs while improving indoor air quality and comfort. With newly leveraged insights, they secured an additional $3M in funding through their newly gathered FMX data.
Beyond the funding, the district increased efficiency to regain valuable time. With FMX implementation, the district estimates their new rental workflows are 80% more efficient.
“It puts a lot of time back on the clock for our admin team,” said the district’s Special Projects Coordinator. “It takes a lot of pressure off of us.”
Benefits after FMX implementation
80%
more efficient rental workflow
$7M
in additional funding based on reporting insights in FMX
$100
back for every $1 spent on FMX
Before FMX
But how did Bridgeport Public Schools achieve such monumental success? Like many school districts, their story begins with an inefficient system.
Before FMX, Bridgeport used another work order platform. It was inefficient and required the team to print paper work orders, making it manually intensive and time-consuming. The system also made it difficult to report data and subsequently secure funding.
The continued inefficiencies led them to search for a new system.
“So, one of the things that was unique with FMX was the reporting and day-to-day real-time blips,” said Jorge Garcia, COO of Bridgeport Public Schools. “We really need to start looking at how we make investments and bring in additional resources based on current data.”
With FMX, Bridgeport standardized reporting, reduced meetings, saved employee time, and gathered actionable insights.
“We want to be as transparent as an organization as possible,” continued Jorge. “We pride ourselves on the fact that if you ask us something we’re going to be able to quickly get you that data.”
Switching to FMX and implementation
Despite the clear need for a new system, some Bridgeport employees were anxious about switching to FMX. However, the FMX sales and onboarding process helped Jorge get the buy-in he needed to convince his more hesitant peers.
“We constantly met when there was a question, and you guys answered it,” he explained. “There was no issue getting folks on the phone. People spent the time they needed to spend to give people comfort.”
To get the most out of the new software, Jorge Garcia brought in Kiki Orski, a consultant and author, to guide Bridgeport through change management and set them up for success.
“Working alongside Jorge Garcia and his Executive Team in Bridgeport has been a truly rewarding experience, Kiki said. “Despite the inherent challenges of any change initiative, this team showed remarkable openness to moving beyond established practices and embracing the innovations necessary for a successful FMX Software implementation.”
Throughout the sales process, all stakeholders were involved in discussions, and implementation went smoothly.
“This is an ecosystem. You cant have silos, those walls that people put up and those silos that people want to operate in, that doesn’t work if you’re going to build,” Jorge said.
“We worked together here. We all stayed on one accord. We didn’t really divert or point the finger at one another. It was pretty seamless, and, you know, having [FMX’s] support at my fingertips was really a big thing,” said the district’s Special Projects Coordinator.
This powerful leadership paved the way for success at Bridgeport.
Benefits of FMX
FMX enabled Bridgeport to act on real-time data. It has also improved communication and helped to motivate staff.
A unified events calendar gave Bridgeport an easy-to-access, single source of truth.
They were also able to analyze each employee’s individual output and ensure they had all the tools they needed to work efficiently.
“Instead of letting things get so far out and then reacting to it, we’re being proactive,” Jorge said.
With FMX, they have streamlined their internal communication to ensure requestors know they’re heard and when their ask will be addressed. This strengthened trust in the facilities department and gave employees time back.
Through more balanced and efficient processes, they’ve been able to better motivate their staff.
“There’s time back on the clock; it’s a big thing with FMX,” Jorge said. “The mental well-being of people is a big deal. And through technology, we’ve been able to create balance.”