FM Innovations Continues To Grow!

Update from Kris Greenwood, Director

The last year has seen FMI move up to a new level in the FM & Property industry. We were fortunate in that we did not feel the adverse impacts of the GFC crunch as badly as some, and that is because we adapted to the economic downturn by adapting our marketing approach and product mix.

The first thing we did was put together a Relationship Management plan which enabled us to approach some of our key customers and talk to them about how we could achieve savings for them over this GFC period, by streamlining and growing their FM solutions. Each customer is different, some of them had budget they did not want to lose and this was an excellent opportunity to invest in business solutions that improve the bottom line; some of them were told to cut costs and our challenge was to find a way for them to cut major costs by investing with a small outlay on the right product or service mix. The result was a win/win for FMI and our customers – they could prove savings gained by having the right tools, and we could fund our business and stick to our software development plan without having to forfeit any staff. In fact we grew during this time.

Most of these key customers have been clients of FMI for many years with whom we have a strong and stable business relationship. We are proud to have such a loyal and prestigious customer base and some of these clients who worked with FMI during the GFC were CBRE, UMS, Victoria University, Siemens, Savills, Box Hill TAFE, Holmesglen TAFE, Rio Tinto, Swinburne University, Kador Property Group, WorkCover NSW, Department of Primary Industries (Vic), Department of Sustainability and Environment (Vic), Central Queensland University and Bendigo Regional TAFE.

Victoria University, Swinburne University, NICTA and Melbourne Facilities Management are amongst our generous referees who have often hosted potential clients at their site and supported FMI and our FM solutions. Thank you to all of our clients for your support over the last year.

Our marketing campaigns backed up by our informative and constantly updated website has meant that both our customers and our prospective clients have been able to gain additional benefits from working with FMI during times of economic stress and gain valuable shared insights into better processes and solutions.  FMI has expanded its product line, during these tough times, from four components to seven, as well as moving into two additional vertical markets. This has meant specialised marketing and product development to meet these market needs. This would not have been possible without practical industry input and advice from our customers and our innovative development team who make these solutions work.   

It was because of this continued work stream that we were able to continue to improve the functionality and usability of our WSMenterprise® suite of software and introduce new modules to the family. WSM V4.5 was released late last year and this was a major upgrade – most of the functionality coming from customer requests. As well as continued improvements to existing functions, there were some major new product component releases that came with V4.5. They included:

•    Vehicle Management module – a new standalone or fully integrated module which enables the booking and management of vehicles via the web
•    Document Library
•    New Report writer and customized reports

Our client base continued to grow and over the past 12 months and amongst them we welcomed:

•    The Salvation Army
•    AMES
•    South West TAFE
•    Kador Property Group
•    WorkCover NSW
•    Box Hill TAFE
•    Wodonga TAFE
•    Fortescue Metals
•    Vision Australia

Earlier this year we released the next upgrade, V4.6. Once again, some major new functionality was introduced to our software suite:

•    Contract Management module – a new standalone or fully integrated module which enables our clients to manage every aspect of their contracts and contractors.
•    The next generation Property module

The FMI team has been stable and united over the past 12 months and we have achieved much as a team. We have also recently welcomed two new members to our team and are looking forward to working with them for many years to come.

Our two new team members are:

Lauren Prince



Marketing and Accounts Coordinator
Lauren has joined the FMI family as Marketing and Accounts Coordinator. With over 3 years of experience in the property industry she brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm. As an experienced marketer she is tasked with maintaining the FMI website, creating the company newsletter and liaising with clients to ensure innovative and effective account management strategies. Lauren is also responsible for writing articles for industry magazines and getting the FMI name out there. She is in the process of completing a Bachelor of Communication to expand her skill set. Lauren is glad to be working for a company that values their employees and strives for perfection in all areas of business.

Elango Sivarajan



Elango Sivarajan works at FM Innovations as Project Coordinator. He works alongside Maree, our Project Solutions Manager, to ensure smooth project implementations and transitions from beginning to end. Elango possesses a Master of Business (Information Systems) and a solid background in project coordination in the IT industry. He is committed to meeting and exceeding client expectations through his vast knowledge and experience. Elango is pleased to be working for a forward thinking and friendly company.

My fellow director, Ray Lodge, and I are looking forward to another successful year which already promises to be our best one yet! We have achieved some key goals this year and internally we have streamlined our business processes by setting up a dedicated FMI customer support team and processes, as well as a substantial financial investment in a new software development system and methodology.

Some of the exciting projects we have this coming year include:

•    Our major release WSMenterprise® V5 which will challenge our FM software competitors and set a new benchmark in the FM software industry
•    A new Client Forum with the latest news, tips and information for our clients – enabling them to share with fellow users
•    A new SaaS model which will take the pain away from clients who can’t host their own FM systems
•    A new CRM system will be implemented to further improve our Account Management
•    The development of industry specific solutions development forums
•    Additional support and education services 

Please do contact us should you wish to talk to us about your FM business challenges and how FMI can work with you to address them.

Kris Greenwood

Email Kris