5 Ways Maintenance Management Software Can Change Your Small Business
Most people see the use of maintenance management software as reserved for companies, factories, plants, oil rigs, mines, and other industries that operate a large fleet of vehicles, use heavy equipment and machinery and require a big roster of technicians for maintenance, repair, and upkeep.
With such a view, it is easy to see why most small and medium enterprise operators don’t include or even think to invest in maintenance software for small business. The reality is that small businesses can benefit so much from maintenance management systems. The advantages these platforms present can really impact a small business’ efficiency and productivity, and ultimately its growth and profitability.
- Create and Implement Schedules for Preventative Maintenance
Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) provides you with tools to automate the scheduling of maintenance, inspections, and audit of all your vehicles, equipment, and other assets in your inventory. A simple CMMS for small businesses should include an adequate set of automation features to take the burden of creating and implementing schedules for preventive maintenance.
Preventive maintenance gives your business a huge boost. For one, it prolongs the service life of your assets. You get to maximize the performance of your equipment, machinery, and vehicles. Two, preventive maintenance results in substantial savings in repair costs. Three, you are able to track your assets’ service history, enabling you to determine when to retire/dispose of your assets and map out a plan to acquire new ones at the perfect time.
- Eliminate Paperwork
There are many ways a CMMS can help. Eliminating paperwork is one of them. Maintenance management entails a lot of paperwork. That said, the entry of maintenance management systems has almost completely taken the need for paper-based reporting out of the picture.
Majority of CMMS is built with powerful features that enable the quick storage, access, and sharing of data. These features include automated data capture, instant reporting, and image/video capture. Image capture is specifically highlighted in a list of major CMMS benefits to a small business.
All information is centralized and synchronized across departments and devices. Any change or update to the information automatically reflects across your entire organization. Everything is digital and transparent, rendering paper-based auditing, reporting, and other tasks completely obsolete.
- Allocate Resources, Equipment, and Manpower Efficiently
Having a small business maintenance management software helps you see clearly into your schedules and work orders in real-time. You know which tasks are being worked on at any given time and which ones are waiting in the pipeline.
The software helps you assign your resources, equipment, and manpower efficiently, ensuring that each task is well-addressed with the proper number of assets and expert hands while maintaining optimum performance.
It prevents you from designating 10 air conditioning technicians to the field when just one is enough for the job. Or using spare parts on a non-performing asset when a highly business-critical truck is in need of such spare parts.
- Reduce Downtime and Overtime
When your field agents can’t come to a client’s location because either their service truck is scheduled for repairs and there is no other vehicle or team available, your business is bleeding money and losing your client’s trust at the same time. When your employees have to work for a few more hours because you’re behind schedule due to an equipment malfunction, your losing money in overtime costs.
Unexpected shutdowns, downtime, and overtime are costly for your business. While these can’t be avoided, a decent CMMS for small business will help you plan and schedule downtime and overtime well ahead and keep potential losses to a minimum. The software will provide you a clear picture of all your assets and their health, giving you an idea when to schedule a potential downtime and activate mitigation measures to soften its impact on your business.
- Increase Safety in The Workplace
Keeping your fleet, machinery, equipment, and other assets in good condition makes your workplace a whole lot safer. A missing gasket, faulty brakes, and leaking pipes can cause serious damage to the workplace.
Faulty or obsolete equipment, as well as the lack or non-use of industry-approved assets, devices, and spare parts, are among the leading causes of work-related injuries and fatalities.
Deploying a CMMS for your business helps you monitor your assets and empower you to invest in equipment, devices, and machines that have satisfied the specific standards and regulations of your industry. It also compels you to observe occupational safety standards and procedures.
Occupational hazards do exist. Yet when you operate in compliance with safety regulations, you greatly reduce the risks in the workplace. Thus, it inspires confidence and productivity in your workers, knowing they are operating a well-functioning machine that is on par with industry standards.
A Worthwhile Investment
Expensive CMMS pricing is one of the few hindrances in the adoption of computerized maintenance management systems among small businesses and medium enterprises. A 2018 maintenance study by Plant Engineering revealed that while 53% of facilities implement CMMS for maintenance management, the other 47% said maintenance management systems are too costly.
One can argue that SMBs don’t invest as much in fleets, heavy machinery, and large assets as compared to their corporate and industrial counterparts. Hence, the need for a CMMS is not paramount. However, maintenance management is a core facet in any business operation, regardless of size and industry.
As your business grows, you will need to acquire additional assets, devices, and resources to keep up with your customers and their demands. Thus, maintaining your assets in tiptop shape and extending their service lives are in the best interest of your business. A CMMS can do that and more. It may be a significant investment on your part, yet it is a worthwhile investment that will yield great benefits in the long run.
