Managing a facility involves a lot of tasks that can be challenging to keep track of at times. Until recently, the situation was quite confusing, with all maintenance information scattered in piles of paper or through countless spreadsheets, making it difficult to obtain quick information about the processes performed.
Fortunately, digitizing these processes has opened up a whole new world for facility managers. New, modern software allows them to perform tasks more easily and efficiently. Today it is already possible to keep track of all aspects of a facility’s needs in one web-based platform, something unthinkable a few decades ago.
There are two major types of software in the market to perform these functions. One is called a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), and the other is facilities maintenance software (FMS). There are several differences between the two and who should be using each.
What is CMMS?
CMMS centralizes all the maintenance information of a facility. Because it’s predominantly focused on maintenance and repairs, this software is important for companies that depend on strong physical infrastructure.
The larger the operation, the more complex it is for a facility manager to be up to date on everything that happens: work orders, assigned tasks, completion forecasts, inspection tracking, etc.
By implementing CMMS, you can more easily manage the following processes:
- Assign specific tasks to certain teams
- Automate the generation and assignment of work orders
- Manage all repairs from start to finish
- Schedule the upkeep and preventative tasks of the facility
- Record and track information about each asset, such as its performance and downtime
- Track planned and actual costs
- Manage reserve materials and equipment in stock
- Generate reports with data from all maintenance services
Who Uses CMMS?
Due to its specific characteristics, CMMS is great for small businesses that want to save money, time, and wasted energy. CMMS is an important tool for facility managers, maintenance teams, custodial teams, technicians, and other facility personnel, mainly because it can organize processes and keep track of countless work orders. If your facility’s space, assets, and equipment are proving too challenging to keep up with, this system may be the right tool to organize tasks and avoid errors, saving time and money.
What is FMS?
While the CMMS works primarily with maintenance tasks at your facility, FMS offers some of the same tools while incorporating other unique applications that can benefit your entire organization.
In addition to being able to issue work orders and keep track of repair and maintenance tasks, with FMS the facility manager also has access to some of these additional tools:
- A database of qualified and insured vendors and contractors
- Settlement/payment processing, which allows you to issue invoices to contractors and suppliers easily
- Schedule, pricing, and authorize preventive maintenance (including all mandatory inspections)
- Location-based asset mapping
- Security services such as surveillance
- Book rooms and resources for events
- Easy-to-organize insurance and certification information
Who Uses FMS?
Again, this particular software is great for facility managers, maintenance teams, technicians, and custodial teams. In addition, leadership in all departments can benefit from the data and analytics pulled from an FMS report.
All data and analytics related to the facility’s management are stored in the system, allowing any authorized person to analyze how the budget is invested and forecast future spending. This can be useful for larger organizations and any company that wants to track costs and the situation of its assets effectively.
Systems to Save Time and Money
Facility management is an aspect that organizations should not minimize, regardless of their size, niche, or industry. Without adequate management, maintenance costs can get out of control, the crew can get completely lost, and important tasks can be abandoned in the middle or simply forgotten. This means not only an unnecessary waste of time and money but also several risks to your employees, customers, and suppliers. After all, an unmaintained environment can cause accidents or impact everyone’s quality of life.
There are several maintenance management software options on the market with varying costs. Therefore, there are no excuses for not investing in the modernization and organization of your organization’s processes. Once you’ve assessed whether CMMS or FMS is the best option for your facility, get ready to take advantage of digital and automated capabilities that will make your organization more efficient and cost-effective.
