This blog was originally published on August 3rd, 2016.
“We started using Veoci to help us manage emergency management response. For instance, as a virtual communication tool to collaborate with various members of the University and external agencies. Most recently, with the support of the Veoci team, we are now using Veoci to help us manage some of the facilities operational functions for the 24/7 Facilities Operations Service Center. As a result, the service center team members now have nearly all of the information they need in one place as opposed to searching for documents in binders, sharing handwritten notes, or information verbally passed onto them.”
Veoci’s foundation in emergency management remains a cornerstone for institutions across the country, with colleges and universities continuing to rely on the platform to activate emergency plans, coordinate responses, and keep campus communities safe. With Yale University as the first higher education customer, Veoci’s roots in academia run deep, and the platform continues to support institutions as they expand beyond emergency response into integrated, campus-wide operations management.
However, with a platform this flexible, it would be limiting to view it only as software meant for when everything goes wrong.
Yale University quickly recognized Veoci’s flexibility when they needed a solution to manage inventory for campus lighting. They were ready to move beyond their paper-based system. Shortly after implementing Veoci, interns began walking the campus equipped with mobile phones and tablets, using the Veoci App to log each light fixture directly into the platform.
When they encountered a broken light, they created a work order on the spot through the Mobile App. The system automatically displayed this data on a map with color-coded icons showing the status of each light, the progress of associated work orders, and any additional details such as the building the light belongs to, the light type, required equipment for repairs, and photos. This live, centralized view helped Yale streamline maintenance and modernize how they manage campus infrastructure.
Yale also implemented Veoci for documentation and visualization of building information. They mapped building parameters and power sources, and uploaded each building’s corresponding contact list of grounds crews and supervisors. These two solutions led Yale to create a complete system for their facility operations management.
“As an example, we were able to create custom rooms that provide facility operations members with the ability to enter real-time information, which in turn updates the dashboard in the Facilities Operations Service Center side room.” – Carlos Mercado
Be prepared for the back-to-school bustle
After these unique implementations with Yale and with insights from other customers, a clear pattern emerged. Every day brings a new set of challenges, alongside the recurring, time-consuming tasks that demand cross-team coordination. These efforts require timely execution and a clear, big-picture view of what’s happening, where it’s happening, and who’s involved.
With summer coming to an end and back to school just around the corner, colleges and universities are gearing up for the annual mass influx of students. Managers and operations teams must be in constant communication, collaborating to ensure that the welcome-back process runs safely and smoothly. Campus operations, facilities management, and emergency management and response departments rely on each other for:
- Recording and maintaining accurate data: Emergency management, as well as all management and response teams, need access to data such as floor plans, power sources, and hazardous material information in each building on campus.
- System status: Should an elevator be out of service, or any other resource or piece of equipment be compromised, this information needs to be shared from facilities to EM teams.
- Preliminary assessments: Anything that can cause damage to campus, like flooding or other weather-related damage, needs to be reported on, evaluated and, should it become of real danger to students and faculty, emergency management must be notified to potentially activate the EOC and track the cost of damage.
How Veoci can help
With the constant need for seamless coordination and timely communication, Veoci enables colleges and universities to stay organized, efficient, and safe. The platform brings together real-time messaging, digital forms, dynamic workflows, plan execution, and centralized record-keeping to support a wide range of campus operations through dedicated solutions, including:
Core Solutions for Higher Education:
Flagship
Comprehensive Emergency and Operations Management for Higher Ed
Flagship is Veoci’s all-encompassing solution designed specifically for colleges and universities to manage both emergency response and day-to-day operations. It helps institutions build resilience by providing the tools needed to prepare, respond, recover, and continuously improve.
Key Capabilities:
- Emergency planning and activation: Digitize emergency plans and activate response workflows with automated task assignments, real-time dashboards, and notifications.
- Event logging and documentation: Log incidents, decisions, and activities in real time during emergencies or drills to support after-action reporting and compliance.
- EOC management: Establish a fully digital Emergency Operations Center (EOC), accessible from any device, with situational awareness, communication threads, and task tracking.
- Continuity of Operations (COOP): Build, manage, and activate continuity plans for departments, services, and critical infrastructure.
- Mass notifications and alerts: Coordinate messaging across departments or campus-wide, integrated with notification systems for timely alerts.
Game Day
Event Management and Operational Coordination for Campus Gatherings
Game Day enables institutions to manage large-scale events like athletic games, commencement ceremonies, or concerts by turning siloed preparations into a unified command and response structure.
Key Capabilities:
- Pre-event planning: Coordinate logistics across departments including public safety, facilities, athletics, health services, and administration.
- Day-of event operations: Monitor live dashboards showing team assignments, radio channels, reported issues, and the overall status of key checkpoints and response teams.
- Field reporting: Allow on-site personnel to submit real-time reports, photos, and incident updates via the mobile app.
- Communication hub: Centralize communication between dispatch, event managers, and incident responders through chat, call logs, and task updates.
EH&S Management
Environmental Health and Safety Compliance and Risk Mitigation
The EH&S Management solution helps universities proactively track risks, ensure compliance, and streamline health and safety processes. It’s especially useful for facilities teams, laboratories, and compliance officers.
Key Capabilities:
- Incident reporting and response: Create mobile-friendly forms for reporting spills, injuries, exposures, or violations, and initiate automated follow-up workflows.
- Inspections and audits: Schedule, conduct, and track inspections for labs, mechanical rooms, fire extinguishers, or hazardous material storage.
- Hazard and asset tracking: Maintain inventories of hazardous substances, PPE, safety equipment, and storage areas with GIS visibility and lifecycle records.
- Training and compliance tracking: Track required trainings, certifications, or safety briefings for staff, students, or contractors.
- Regulatory documentation: Centralize MSDS sheets, OSHA forms, environmental permits, and compliance checklists.
Platform Capabilities:
- Work order creation, assignment, and tracking
- Asset and facilities management
- Centralized equipment and resource databases
- Real-time accountability and personnel tracking
- Inspections, assessments, and compliance reporting
- Situational awareness and event coordination
- Interactive GIS maps for visibility of operations, logistics, and resources
- Data-informed decision-making support
- Continuity, emergency, and operations planning
- Plan execution and monitoring
- Campus safety communications and incident management
Everything that we do at Veoci, both for our customers and for each other, is a team effort. We never fail to recognize that nothing great can be accomplished alone, so when it became clear that we could connect our original emergency management processes with the critical daily processes of other teams, we ran with it. With each new school year, our solution and our ability to help universities stay organized, proactive, and safe, continues to grow and improve.
