For decades, facilities management has run on relationships, instinct, and experience. But as operating costs climb and customer expectations heighten, those same instincts are no longer enough. The facilities world is shifting from “reaction and repair” to “predict and prevent,” driven by data that tells a truer story of spend, performance, and opportunity.
Across retail, grocery, convenience, and restaurant segments, the cost of doing business is rising faster than revenue growth. According to NACS, direct store operating expenses increased 12.7% over the past two years, with repairs and maintenance up 17.3%. In grocery alone, facility expenses rose 11.8% in 2024, outpacing overall expense growth of 7.1%.
At the same time, work orders are taking longer and costing more. Benchmarking shows that many grocers average 14.7 days to complete a work order compared to a best-in-class 8.7-day benchmark, leaving efficiency and profitability on the table. Nearly 19% of all break-fix work orders happen within 30 days of a prior call in the same trade, signaling callback issues and workmanship gaps.
It’s not that teams are working less—it’s that they’re working blind. When every decision is made on gut feel instead of verified insight, cost overruns, callbacks, and downtime are inevitable.
Facilities leaders have been told for years that technology is the cure. Yet 80% of CMMS users never use all their software’s features because of cost barriers, limited integrations, or poor usability. Without the right data pipelines, AI models, and workflows to interpret the information, technology can actually create more noise instead of clarity.
The next generation of facilities management will rely on data-enabled collaboration—not just software adoption. It’s not enough to digitize. You must modernize.
Vixxo’s 40 years of work order history reveal an important truth: the FM programs that thrive are those that make decisions using actual time-on-site, validated pricing, and verified asset data. A data-first approach doesn’t eliminate the human touch; it enhances it. By blending analytics with boots-on-the-ground expertise, leaders can manage cost, quality, and scale all at once—the trifecta that traditional models force you to choose between.
Across more than 200,000 service providers and 3 million assets managed, data from every work order feeds into predictive algorithms that identify savings, prevent overages, and extend asset life. This data network has become the new backbone of facility operations.
One of the biggest drains on FM profitability is invoice overage. Labor rounding, part markups, and travel fees quietly eat away at margins. Vixxo’s proprietary audit engine, powered by its Continuously Analyzed Pricing System (CAPS), compares every provider invoice against 40 years of historical data in real time.
The results speak for themselves: in the last 12 months, dynamic invoice auditing delivered $2.6 million in direct cost savings for convenience and grocery clients. By verifying geo-fenced time-on-site, checking local tax compliance, and benchmarking material costs, CAPS finds hidden spend on every work order.
While cost auditing protects the back end, field technology like VITA—Vixxo Intelligent Tech Assistant— transforms the front line. Built into the VixxoLink platform, VITA is an AI assistant that acts like ChatGPT for technicians, trained on thousands of service manuals, part numbers, and error codes. It reduces “lookup labor” and helps techs resolve issues faster.
In pilot programs, technicians using VITA improved job completion times by 1.4%, representing significant time savings at scale. As one service partner put it, “It’s truly revolutionized my experience—I now feel confident taking on any call I’m dispatched to.”
VixxoLink, the company’s next-generation facility solutions platform, unifies data, providers, and people into one transparent ecosystem. It’s designed for both customers who bring their own work order management software and those who use Vixxo’s built-in solution.
By consolidating 1 billion data points across trades, assets, and geographies, VixxoLink provides visibility from the macro (portfolio trends) to the micro (single invoice accuracy). Its embedded cost validation and AI features simplify decision-making:
Duplicate ticket identification to eliminate redundancy
Quote and invoice review automation
Real-time technician tracking and ETA transparency
SmartGuide troubleshooting prompts for store teams
Dynamic reporting dashboards for actionable insight
The outcome is consistent service quality, proven cost reduction, and data-driven decisions that improve every KPI that matters—from first-time fix rate to total cost per work order.
Facilities leaders across all verticals are seeing measurable value from data-driven modernization:
5–10% average invoice savings through automated validation and negotiated provider rates
30% reduction in client administrative burden due to automation and streamlined workflows
60–70% of total cost controlled through performance analytics, including time to site, IVR compliance, and estimated completion dates
16.7% reduction in energy costs at sites that implemented proactive maintenance compared to control groups without PMs
35–40% fewer reactive work orders within two years for assets under preventive maintenance programs
In short, data turns facilities management from a cost center into a competitive advantage.
Modern FM is not just about sensors and algorithms—it’s about enabling people to work smarter. Vixxo’s network of 150,000+ vetted technicians across 40+ trades is continuously monitored through KPIs, client surveys, and quality reviews. High-performing providers are rewarded with more work, creating a virtuous cycle of accountability and excellence.
The company’s culture reinforces that balance. Core values like Wow the Customer and Do What’s Right ensure every work order is an opportunity to save clients time, money, and peace of mind. Each dollar saved isn’t just a metric—it’s trust earned.
Reactive maintenance will always be part of the job, but it no longer defines it. Data-first facilities programs use predictive insights to anticipate asset failures before they happen, and to plan capital reinvestments with confidence. Whether it’s refrigeration systems in grocery or HVAC units in restaurants, the combination of AI, analytics, and local expertise reduces unplanned downtime by multiples.
According to studies cited in Analytika and Brightly Software, unplanned maintenance costs three to nine times more than scheduled maintenance. Yet many retailers still spend the majority of their FM budget reacting instead of preventing. The companies that break that cycle—and align data, technology, and people—will lead the next decade of operational excellence.
For too long, FM data has lived in silos: invoices in one system, provider performance in another, asset histories in file cabinets. The future demands transparency across all three. Platforms like VixxoLink prove that with the right data and the right partner, organizations can scale faster, spend smarter, and deliver better experiences for customers and teams alike.
Because what got us here—manual audits, guesswork, and fragmented tools—won’t get us there.
The next era of facilities management will be defined by clarity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Those who embrace a data-first mindset today will define what “best in class” means tomorrow.
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