Why use a CMMS In Your Business
We’ve talked about what a computerized maintenance management system (or CMMS) is, but why should you start using one? We could keep you here all day with countless benefits, but saving you time is the whole point. We’ve narrowed it down to our top ten reasons to switch to a CMMS for asset and task management.
1. No more paperwork!
Raise your hand if you like sitting in your truck at the end of your shift doing forms! At the end of a long day, you’re tired, hungry, and ready to get home. The last thing you want is to fill out paperwork by the tiny light in your cab. Our very favorite thing about CMMS software is the time we get back for ourselves and our families. By entering job details as you go, you can get on the road at quitting time.
2. Make fewer mistakes with a CMMS System.
Detailed service logs and schedules help you see what happened and when so you can learn from past jobs. Every time information is captured manually, there is a lot of room for error. Finding the simplest and most direct ways to record and share data is what a good CMMS is all about. Your CMMS tracks what errors were made before, so you don’t make them again.
3. Easily and constructively capture issues when they happen.
No matter how much you prepare, problems still happen when you’re on the job. It’s easy to forget the details of an issue in the field, especially when everything happens quickly. With a mobile-ready, cloud-based CMMS, you can jot down details on your phone while they’re fresh—even if you’re in a spot without service.
4. Organize your asset and equipment records in your CMMS
When everything is recorded in one place, you can spot problems before they come up. Everyone knows that regulation and compliance documentation only seems to grow. It’s impractical to keep it stored away in case you ever need it for an audit or investigation. By having equipment records easily available online, you can quickly respond to certifications or requests. What’s more, you can actually use the data in real-time to make meaningful decisions for your company
5. Know ahead of time when repairs are due.
Get out of reactive maintenance mode and get ahead of the curve with preventive maintenance. CMMS software is intended to help you understand at a glance what maintenance has been done and what’s been overlooked. Reporting tools tell you how long repairs should take and how much time should pass between them, so you can always tell when something’s off.
6. Keep all your locations on the same page.
Whether you have a massive yard or mine site or factories across different time zones, we all know the struggle of getting multiple sites to communicate smoothly. A good CMMS system helps all your locations talk to each other in a single spot, no matter how far apart they are in distance. When one site gets updates, so do all the others.
7. Cut back on “phone tag.”
When you do need to get ahold of someone, you don’t have to worry about waiting for a call back once they’re somewhere quiet. Most CMMS solutions allow you to message one another within the app, and some even include texting and call history with the associated work order needed. Push notifications go straight to their phone with no calls necessary. If they need to reply, they can update the job with the details.
8. Improved communicate with a CMMS system in place.
With a mobile CMMS, there’s no need to wait until you’re at a desk to get updates. You can check in on jobs without interrupting them from wherever you are. You and your team can always know when things happen as they happen, instead of playing the waiting game. As the world of wearables (Apple Watches, Google Glasses, FitBits, etc.) continues to grow, your CMMS will find even more ways to keep you in the loop. This isn’t quite the sci-fi world of RoboCop or Transcendent Man, but it’s definitely a trend and the businesses that figure out how to stay in the loop are going to be way ahead of their competition.
9. Switch tasks without losing your place.
Things don’t always go according to plan. In fact, it often feels that they never go according to plan. When you need to drop one work order for another, your CMMS saves your place (and any notes you’ve written). If anyone comes to you with questions about the job you paused, you can pick up right where you left off.
10. Get organized.
Sick of forgetting which spreadsheet or notebook you used to keep track of a job? Nothing can be more frustrating in a compliance audit than trying to find some document that you know exists—but you don’t know where it is. CMMS solutions keep everything in a central hub so you can find information with a few taps. Search, filter, or sort to your heart’s content to get the details you need when you need them.
Redlist provides a CMMS solution that you can fit in your pocket. Our cloud-based system lets you make updates from wherever you are—even if you don’t have an internet connection.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can save you time, money, and effort!
