FM:Systems > Case Studies > Maximizing Efficiency with IoT: A Case Study on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Maximizing Efficiency with IoT: A Case Study on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery
Healthcare & Hospitals

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Use Cases

Fleet Management
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) is a non-profit mutual insurance company and independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in Detroit, BCBSM is the largest health insurer in Michigan, serving 4.5 million people in Michigan and 1.6 million members who reside in other states. The company consists of 152 hospitals and more than 33,000 doctors, making BCBSM the largest such network in Michigan. BCBSM has a real estate portfolio of 15 properties throughout the state of Michigan, used by over 8,000 employees and multiple subsidiary businesses.

The Challenge

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), the largest health insurer in Michigan, faced significant challenges with their room booking process across their 15 properties used by over 8,000 employees and multiple subsidiary businesses. The Director of Facilities Administration, Kathy Lord, noticed that the room booking process was complicated and inefficient. Rooms would often get overbooked or not released properly when a meeting was canceled, leading to vacant rooms that could have been utilized by other groups. This resulted in significant frustration among employees and clear workspace efficiency issues. The company needed a solution to reduce unintentional double bookings or no-shows and streamline the company-wide system for managing room scheduling and desk bookings.

The Solution

To address these challenges, BCBSM turned to FMS:Employee, formerly Asure Resource Scheduler, a full-service room and desk booking solution. Initially, BCBSM started using FMS:Employee in 2000 to enhance the facilities experience from a room setup capability. The system made it easy for employees to schedule meeting rooms with the required AV and resources. A significant advantage of FMS:Employee was that employees could see a picture of the room they were looking to reserve. Later, the company installed the FMS:Employee’s Microsoft Outlook plugin to provide everyone at BCBSM access to the system. This was an easy first step in expanding the tool to more employees, as most were already used to booking meetings through their Outlook calendar. The system also offered the flexibility to activate other functions to respond to future organizational needs and an evolving workplace.

Operational Impact

Since implementing FMS:Employee in 2002, BCBSM has enjoyed a more streamlined and efficient room booking process. The system is used by all BCBSM employees and subsidiary companies, making it easy and quick to manage all their booking needs. This has resulted in a more productive and positive workplace experience. BCBSM also implemented the food service module of FMS:Employee for its catering and office coffee programs, which has greatly saved time with accuracy. The company has worked closely with the FM:Systems professional services group and internal IT teams to build an enterprise tool capable of meeting all requirements customized to their needs. All employees can access FMS:Employee and enjoy the benefits of the cloud-based platform, regardless of the infrastructure differences.

Quantitative Benefit