So you have finally decided to move ahead from the old age Microsoft excels and paper work and adapt a more digitally equipped tool to manage your business. Well, that’s good news. By adapting the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), you are sure to experience a more systematic, cheaper and effective method of managing your company assets.
Before you go ahead and spend an amount purchasing the tool, it is important to know what works best for your business. To make things simpler, let’s look at few easy ways to select the right CMMS service for your type of business.
Know your Business Size
Evaluate the kind of software that you need on the basis of the market in which you operate. For instance, if the size of your company is small and it does not involve the use of critical features, them a simple software with the basic features should work well with you. On the other hand if your business size is large and the amount of assets are more, then a more updated software is required to meet the business needs.
Also it is important to see if the software can be adaptable and is highly flexible to adapt to the changing technology needs of your company.
The ease of using the Software
This is one of the most important aspects that must be kept in mind, before picking the right product. Check if the software is easy to use, ask for training on the software for all your technicians. You can also refer to the self-help training videos to understand the software.
However, do not invest until your team is completely trained on using the software at your end.
What is the Price of the Software?
Another important factor that must be considered is price. So before investing on the software, it is important to calculate the ROI that the software would generate and also the cost of using the software over a lifetime.
These costs involve the annual renewal charges, the cost of upgrades, cost to be paid for training and crisis handling and most importantly calculate the amount that can be saved by using the software.
Your choice of software should always match your needs, only then it will be beneficial for your company.
Is the Software Mobile?
Irrespective of the industry, today most businesses operate on mobile devices. There are a lot of employees working on the field who are connected to the company assets, through their mobile devices. Therefore it is important that the CMMS software is equipped with an app through which technicians can easily submit their work order and the management can instantly scan assets using a QR code to access the company’s maintenance history at one glance.
Is the CMMS API enabled?
API or the application programming interface acts as a software intermediary that enables two applications to talk to each other. So this software can empower the CMMS service to communicate with other computers, devices, applications and other forms of technology. Using the API, you can easily and instantly match the data from your CMMS to an ERP system.
So, now that you know how to select the right software for your business, it’s time for you to adapt the CMMS technology and change the mind-set from being reactive maintenance to preventive maintenance.
