Purchasing maintenance management software is a big step for any organization and it places you on the path to improved operational efficiencies. Using a CMMS extends the life of your assets, lowers your equipment costs, eliminates paperwork, and reduces downtime. Consider yourself on the fast track for greater employee accountability pointing your company in the right direction for elevated success.

In evaluating CMMS software, you may find that many of the potential solutions appear very similar in functionality and might provide an adequate solution. Before making this critical purchase give serious consideration and due diligence to identifying your organizational challenges and specific goals and measurement of success. Have clear understanding of your company needs, research multiple possible CMMS solutions and participated in several software demonstrations. Many times, evaluation criteria comes down to personal preference. Though various software solutions are similar, it is often the unseen that merits additional consideration before the right decision can be made. This is where the years of experience and expertise of a CMMS partner takes valuable precedence. Your trusted CMMS partner must showcase their Proven Plan of Success for onboarding prior to any purchasing decision. This is critical for proper implementation, employee adoption and organizational acceptance. It should be a major consideration point when selecting a CMMS partner and ultimately a major key to ensure CMMS success.

You will put a lot of effort and time into selecting your CMMS solution, but once that major decision has been made there is no time to relax. Take charge in the relationship with your software provider and formalize your onboarding and implementation plan. This will require an adequate amount of time and discussion for discovery, scoping, planning, data importing, and goal setting. The most important thing that must happen after purchase, and is vital to ensure success is the onboarding and implementation planning process.

Know your point-of-contact

  • Get to know your onboarding CSM point-of-contact. Please note: in most cases, this will not be your Sales Rep
  • Commit to your success well beyond the initial purchase. Get to know your point-of-contact immediately post sale or earlier if possible
  • Your onboarding specialist should become an extension of your company during the crucial period. Draw upon their experience, expertise and insights for a successful onboarding
  • Allow their vision along with your specific goals set the pathway to success

Be goal driven

  • Make timelines and milestones your focus
  • Implementation is not a quick process, but well worth taking the time to do it right
  • Correct software set-up will drive acceptance, adoption, and usage within your organization
  • Stephen R. Covey author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People taught that one must “begin with the end in mind”. Share your CMMS vision internally with your team and externally with your onboarding point of contact
  • Set goals and deadlines. Create an intense focus on small goals. By accomplishing the smaller goals your larger goals become attainable

Set up systematic training and roll-out

  • Share the company’s goals for the new CMMS. Get buy-in and acceptance from employees by creating excitement and enthusiasm for the new tools and resources
  • Implement internal training for all employees, and specialized training for those whose jobs will be impacted through usage of your CMMS
  • Utilize the materials provided to you such as a customer portal or learning center
  • If budget permits, leverage onsite training or live webinars for continuing education of your employees
  • Institute dashboards for tracking KPI’s, utilization, and keeping up on today’s best data practices

About the author

ManagerPlus

ManagerPlus is the preferred solution across the most asset-intensive industries, including Fortune 500 companies, to improve reliability and minimize downtime.
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