We’ve been writing blog articles about why you need a CMMS, how to use a CMMS, and updates to our CMMS for many years now but we realized something: we’ve never written one explaining what a CMMS actually is!
If you don’t have a maintenance management system, this will be helpful article for you to learn what they are and what they can do. Even if you’re already using a CMMS in your facility, there’s always room to brush up on your CMMS knowledge.
A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is essentially a software that allows maintenance and facility managers to organize and track everything from work orders, to inventory, to asset tracking and reporting. It’s really a pretty amazing tool (yeah, we know we’re a little biased) that can help facilities in a variety of different industries to streamline, organize, and manage their maintenance activities.
Maintenance Management software first appeared online more than 50 years ago. Back then, it was only available with the most basic features for the largest manufacturing companies with the largest computers. Around the 1980s, when mini-computers became popular, the software became available to other business and really started going “mainstream.”
From there, CMMS continued to evolve into the feature-rich, comprehensive maintenance management software that we offer today. Now, there are various types of CMMS systems that allow you to perform different tasks, even for multiple facilities.
Speaking of performing tasks, if you’ve never used one before, you might be wondering, how does a CMMS work? Don’t worry, this article won’t serve as your only CMMS training, when you choose Maintenance Care, we can help teach you and your team exactly how to use your software.
Actually using your CMMS software is easy. You’ll be able to access it through a portal on our website (or on our mobile app for those on-the-go) where you’ll see all the features. How you end up using your maintenance management system comes down to the features themselves. A few of the CMMS tools available are:
Of course, the most important thing you want to know about using a CMMS is how will be benefit your company. Well, it mostly comes to down to productivity. You see, when your maintenance team has a maintenance management system, they’re better able to organize, plan, and report on their activities.
When the maintenance team has the ability to use the software rather than writing everything down, sending way too many emails, or trying to remember it all, they’ll be much more productive. And a more productive maintenance team means you’ll be getting a higher maintenance ROI – who doesn’t want that!
If you’re interested in learning more about what a CMMS is, how to use it, and some valuable tips and tricks, you should check out our CMMS Guide. This comprehensive guidebook will tell you everything you need to know about using CMMS to increase efficiency and productivity in your facilities.