Why Your Company Should Upgrade From a Spreadsheet to a CMMS
Spreadsheets are some of the most ubiquitous software in the workplace. Whatever industry your business may be in, it is highly likely that you have used it at one point or another.
One key area where spreadsheets have been used extensively is facilities management and tracking, and there are a few notable reasons why.
For one, this type of software is readily available. Many laptops and desktop computers come with pre-installed software, including spreadsheets. Alternatively, you can use spreadsheets on the cloud.
Another primary reason why many companies still use spreadsheets despite the availability of more powerful tools is that many of their employees already know how to use it. This means that companies do not need to invest much in training people to use and configure spreadsheet software.
Also, it cannot be denied that spreadsheets are versatile and powerful in their own right, capable of doing a diverse array of tasks other types of software cannot do.
Upgrading from spreadsheets
Spreadsheets remain one of the most commonly used software in businesses, especially in the field of maintenance and project management. However, with the pace of the developments in the business world as well as technology, spreadsheets are fast becoming a thing of the past, especially when there are more powerful software that can surpass it in terms of capabilities.
One example of such software is the computerized maintenance management system or CMMS. The CMMS acts as a central hub for all works related to the maintenance and management of a company's assets and equipment.
This powerful software can be used for a wide variety of tasks, including work order tracking, task scheduling, recording of asset history, and managing of inventory.
Why make the switch?
Your company has used spreadsheets for asset and maintenance management without any hitch. Why should you invest in another software?
Simple — because what is good can be made better. Just imagine the things you might have been missing.
Here’s a brief list of benefits that only CMMS software can give:
Auto alerts
In order to make the most out of your investment in assets and equipment, your team's maintenance game must be on point. That means a substantial amount of maintenance work should be preventive.
With a CMMS, your team will be alerted automatically when a particular equipment needs to be scheduled for maintenance. This means minimal downtime, increased productivity, and even more savings over the long term.
A central hub
Another advantage of CMMS over spreadsheets is that all the information that your maintenance crew and other stakeholders need is held and organized in one place.
A CMMS can contain vital information on your assets, inventory, purchase, and maintenance history. Although it is possible to create a spreadsheet file for all of these, your team will need to create multiple files that will have to be updated together, creating additional work for the team.
Streamlined communication
Sans a CMMS, your maintenance crew will need a variety of communication platforms to compensate for a spreadsheet's limitation in that area. These platforms may include emails, communication apps, and even video calls.
With a CMMS, your maintenance crew, as well as other stakeholders in the team, can streamline communication, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. For example, when one team needs to schedule a piece of equipment for maintenance, they can use an asset management app which then forwards that same request to the maintenance crew through the CMMS.
Increased efficiency
The use of a CMMS can substantially reduce the number of steps required to complete a work order. In turn, this can translate to savings in both man-hours and costs.
With a CMMS, work requests are immediately converted into work orders, which in turn can be instantly assigned through an app. Once the work order has been assigned, your technicians can give a real-time report of the progress of the assigned task.
Higher accuracy
Due to the limitations of spreadsheets and the need for multiple users to access these at the same time, the risk for human errors runs high. Apart from miscommunication and file corruption, the use of spreadsheets means additional man hours needed just to check and back up spreadsheet files.
Take a leap forward
Often, companies adhere to the adage that if it something isn't broken, why fix it?
But sticking to what is familiar can mean denying your business of convenience, efficiency, productivity, and even productivity. If your company is still using spreadsheets, why not consider making the switch to CMMS?
AUTHOR BIO
Mohammad Daudi is the Chief Revenue Officer at SGE Group International, a multidisciplinary group of companies with core business interests in Asset Lifecycle Management, Land Development and Software. Aladdin is SGE's proprietary Asset Lifecycle Management software, designed to empower FM, Maintenance and Asset teams across multiple industry sectors.
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