From Buzzwords to Business Impact: AI’s Role in Facilities Management
with Rigvi Chevala, CPTO at ServiceChannel
Rigvi breaks down what truly useful AI looks like and why it won’t replace FM professionals. It will finally let them do the job they were meant to do.
Listen now:
ServiceChannel
Rigvi breaks down what truly useful AI looks like, grounded in outcomes like spend optimization, revenue protection, and predictive maintenance, not just convenience features or marketing buzz. He also makes the case that AI won’t replace FM professionals, it will finally let them do the job they were always meant to do.
Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar.
A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.
On today’s episode, we talk with Rigvi Chevala, Chief Product and Technology Officer at ServiceChannel. With over 20 years in B2B SaaS across industries ranging from local marketing to trucking to real estate, Rigvi brings a uniquely cross-industry lens to the challenges and opportunities facing facilities management today.
About the Guest
Rigvi is an experienced management executive with strong leadership skills and over 20 years of experience in software and product development and has led multiple product lines with >$200M in ARR. He manages and and executes product roadmaps and organizational strategy with experience in evolving B2B SaaS products and reusable digital platforms
“ AI has the opportunity to flip the entire industry on its head to say, instead of reacting, you only plan for it ahead of time. Now, you’re talking millions of records of information. There’s so many ways that this data, then, can be leveraged to predict and simulate and you can even plan for your 2028 budget right now.”
— Rigvi Chevala
TIMESTAMPS
**00:52 – About ServiceChannel
**04:19 – What surprised Rigvi about facilities
**08:47 – Key unsolved challenges in the industry
**11:37 – Defining useful AI vs. marketing noise
**15:08 – Breaking down AI types (generative, agentic, computer vision)
**28:33 – Why 90% of AI initiatives fail
**33:54 – Will AI replace FM roles?
**39:37 – Advice for leaders evaluating AI tools
SPONSOR:
ServiceChannel brings you peace of mind through peak facilities performance.
Rest easy knowing your locations are:
- Offering the best possible guest experience
- Living up to brand standards
- Operating with minimal downtime
ServiceChannel partners with more than 500 leading brands globally to provide visibility across operations, the flexibility to grow and adapt to consumer expectations, and accelerated performance from their asset fleet and service providers.
