According to a recent survey, users of computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) software are more effective and more satisfied with their systems' overall quality and features than professionals who use custom or enterprise suite software systems to manage maintenance projects.
The 2013 CMMS UserView report, which was conducted by Software Advice, compiled responses from more than 100 maintenance professionals to discover how effectively software is being used within the maintenance field while gauging adoption, feature satisfaction, future investment plans, top benefits and challenges encountered by maintenance-management software users.
For organizations unable to purchase stand-alone CMMS software, the survey found that enterprise asset management (EAM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software with maintenance-management capabilities were the next most effective technology utilized by maintenance professionals.
At a minimum, companies should ensure they have some kind of software application in place that can assist with the management of maintenance projects, as the report showed that professionals who use some type of software obtain better results than professionals who do not use any software.
In recent years, mobile functionality has been a leading differentiator for maintenance software vendors, but it is now expected by many professionals evaluating new systems. Vendors should continue to invest in mobile application development and focus on improving their offering, as the survey found mobile support leads to highly satisfied users. Interestingly, 13 percent of respondents were unaware if their systems supported mobile devices.
"Maintenance software vendors should be focused on developing feature-rich and easy-to-use mobile applications if they want happy customers," said Michael Koploy, managing editor at Software Advice. "The increasing user demand for mobile software, as well as continuing efforts by CMMS vendors to develop better mobile applications, will increase the penetration of mobile technology in this space."
Survey participants were asked to complete a 20-question poll online. Approximately 116 maintenance professionals responded. Sixteen percent of the respondents worked in oil, gas, mining or metals industries, which was the largest segment represented in the survey. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of the professionals sampled were employed by companies with more than 500 employees.
The full report can be viewed at http://blog.softwareadvice.com/articles/maintenance-management/2013-cmms-benchmark-report-0713/.