CMMS vs Spreadsheets
Managing your maintenance and facilities operations using spreadsheets can be costing you more money than you think!
A lot of organizations start out by managing their maintenance and facilities using spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are part of a standard computer software package and are easily available. As businesses grow, keeping ahead of the competition, spreadsheets may not be the most effective way to keep up with the complicated demands of managing operations. How is using and filling out spreadsheets affecting your organization’s time, accuracy, money, customer satisfaction and overall business?
CMMS or Spreadsheets? The number one concern of implementing a CMMS software solution is the expense. But is it really more expensive than a spreadsheet? Let’s compare the advantages and disadvantages so that you can make the right business decision, improve operations, and save money!
Function | CMMS | Spreadsheets |
Functionality | More powerful tools, reports, features, providing real-time information for more in-depth analysis. | Manual process with limited analysis capabilities and tools. |
Data Reliability | Data is entered into a centralized database that is accessible by many individuals. Always having real-time and updated information. | Manually updating and merging spreadsheets leads to errors which cause miscommunications, wasted resources, additional costs and delays. |
Labor Intensive | Maintenance and facility teams can update information from anywhere and at any time. Information is always updated and current. Limited resources are needed to use this system. | Manual labor is time-consuming to enter and merge data. Additional resources may be required to manage and analyze data. |
Work Orders | Electronically updated from anywhere in real-time. Information, documents, images, manuals, etc. are stored and accessible in one centralized database. | Paper copies tend to get lost, misplaced or damaged. Verifying that data is the most current can be difficult and time-consuming. Manuals, pictures, and other documents are not easily accessible. |
Preventive Maintenance | With CMMS software, users can easily schedule preventive maintenance work and automatically notify technicians when work needs to be done. | Spreadsheets have no notification process to help technicians manage their assignments. |
Inventory Control & | Automatic updates to inventory, parts, vendors, etc. | Spreadsheets are not flexible and counts of inventory and spare parts are manual and not automatically kept up-to-date. |
Communications | Work Orders are automatically sent to the appropriate technician. Re-prioritization and distribution of work orders are done in real-time. | Communication is limited and requires a manual process to contact technicians with any changes. Manually updated spreadsheets are prone to errors and information is not updated in real-time. |
Centralized Database | 24/7 access to data from anywhere at any time. | Compiling and locating data from spreadsheets is a manual process. Data is not current and prone to errors. |
Real-Time Updates | Instant access to work order activity and status. | No real-time updates. |
Reports & Analysis | Hundreds of reports to filter and extract the data that is pertinent to organizations. Reports are available at any time with the most current data. Calculations and analysis are done within the reporting structure. | Information needs to be manually updated, so reports may not reflect the most current data. Calculations and analyses are manual and are prone to errors or mistakes. |
Audits & Inspections | Real-time work order updates. Data is electronically updated and maintained in one centralized database. Easy access to create and extract accurate data for critical audits and inspections. | Manual labor and time-consuming. Updates are not in real-time, prone to errors and misplaced spreadsheets. Reports are a manual process and information may not be available. |
Customer Satisfaction | Customers can submit a service request from anywhere at any time. Customers can be kept up-to-date with emailed status updates and progress. | Spreadsheets cannot provide the same customer interaction as CMMS. Notifications are all manual processes. |
Why CMMS Instead of Spreadsheets?
• Spreadsheets have been around for a long time but doesn’t provide the flexibility and accuracy of a CMMS software solution.
• CMMS streamlines and automates processes to accommodate your organization’s maintenance operations.
• CMMS saves organizations time, money and increases productivity.
• A CMMS is easily accessible from a computer or mobile device, giving users the tools to update information in real-time.
• The flexibility of a CMMS gives organizations a system that will adapt to any size enterprise, in any industry.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Is keeping ahead of the competition important?
• Do you want your team to work faster?
• Do you want your team to be more efficient?
• Is managing assets important?
• Do you want to save time and money?
• Is responding to customer issues important?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, why not contact us today for a free demo and speak with one of our CMMS Specialists?
