Preventive maintenance (PM) is the practice of fixing small problems before they become big ones. The philosophy is especially important to profit-driven companies for one reason: Big problems come with big price tags.

Studies show organizations can save 12 to 18 percent in costs by implementing preventive maintenance programs. The combination of slowing down asset deterioration, reducing downtime, and increasing productivity caused one telecommunications firm to experience a 545% ROI after committing to preventive maintenance programs. 

While approximately half of all organizations follow preventive maintenance programs, many SMBs still get by with reactive maintenance operations. Understandably, most complex organizations can’t pull off preventive maintenance without a Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS) in place.

Managers who juggle work orders and maintenance operations for hundreds of assets with Excel spreadsheets often feel overwhelmed. And those who rely upon whiteboards or paper stacks may forgo asset tracking altogether.

Unfortunately, traditional CMMS solutions come with steep learning curves, complex interfaces, and expensive invoices. The good news? Modern free CMMS software programs are removing such obstacles for industries across the board. In fact, one of the best digital maintenance solutions available right now is free for organizations of all sizes: 

7 Reasons You Should Try MaintainX’s Free CMMS Software Program

Are you feeling skeptical? We understand. 

We were also trained to believe that more expensive equals better:

Filet mignons taste juicer than ribeyes. Lamborghinis drive smoother than Hondas. And Bose headphones sound richer than Walmart’s earbuds. 

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees with these statements. As the saying goes: You get what you pay for. 

However, the cost-quality rule doesn’t always apply to modern software programs. Today’s cloud-based solutions are often cheaper AND more user-friendly than traditional legacy options. MaintainX is 2020’s top-rated maintenance management solution designed for mobile devices. 

While the MaintainX paid version contains powerful premium features, our free CMMS software program packs a strong punch. We’ve combined the functionality of traditional solutions with the simplicity of modern smartphone apps to deliver what we believe to be the best maintenance product on the market―free or not. 

Here are seven reasons you should give MaintainX a try:

1. Super Easy to Use

For something that appears to be simple, MaintainX does a lot. When designing our mobile app for iOS and Android, our primary goal was to create an intuitive user experience. Translation: No one should need a Ph.D. to navigate software that’s supposed to make life easier. 

Alternatively, that’s exactly what we discovered after surveying the CMMS marketplace. Most of today’s digital maintenance apps were built for desktop computers, before later being reprogrammed for smartphones. 

Unsurprisingly, these user experiences are clunky, dated, and complicated. With MaintainX, users don’t have to sacrifice features for simplicity. Our smartphone, iPad, and desktop app allows managers to: 

• Create reactive and preventive maintenance work orders.
• Assign recurring work orders to both teams and individuals (paid plan). 
• Monitor progress by maintenance category, priority level, and worker.
• Analyze maintenance costs for greater efficiency and savings. 
• Hold text conversations with team members in real time. 

When we say that anyone with a smartphone can download the app and get started now, we aren’t kidding. The app really is that easy to use.

Click here to download the app for free.

2. Chat with Workers in Real Time 

How does your maintenance team communicate? Do important messages or maintenance requests ever get lost in email threads, voice mails, or text messages? Do managers ever waste time repeating the same information over and over again? 

With MaintainX, team members can now chat with one another in real time. Conversations can be organized between individuals, groups, and projects. 

Communication can also take place within specific work orders via the app’s comment feature. This type of organization allows workers to quickly reference important notes, ask questions, and keep track of various project guidelines. 

Of all of MaintainX’s capabilities, messaging pleasantly surprises our users the most. Put simply, this will become the communication hub of your team; you won’t know how you managed your team without it. 

3. Upload Unlimited Assets into the Cloud

Another compelling reason to try MaintainX? Whether your organization has 20 assets or 2,000 assets, you catalog them in our cloud-based software for free. 

Are your assets currently organized in an Excel spreadsheet? We will even help you import the information to our platform for you. Comparatively, most CMMS providers charge a monthly fee to catalog more than a couple of dozen assets.

4. Upload Photos and Collect eSignatures

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the maintenance world, the phrase takes on fresh meaning. Every worker will eventually run into an unanticipated equipment failure they don’t know how to handle or don’t want to describe in a lengthy email. 

Photos can convey what can’t easily be explained. MaintainX allows workers to upload photos directly into digital chat threads for real-time troubleshooting. Managers can also further clarify procedures by uploading equipment photos directly into individual work orders.

5. Conduct Cost Analysis with Robust Reporting

Thorough cost analysis programs are often what separate standard maintenance teams from world-class maintenance teams. While reporting is a paid feature, it’s worth revisiting down the line after experiencing gains with our freemium plan.

MaintainX Reporting 2.0 provides advanced analysis capabilities that allow leadership to track metrics like:

• Mean-Time-to-Repair (MTTR)
• Inspection Results
• Preventive Maintenance vs. Reactive Maintenance
• Work Orders by Assets/Categories/Locations/Users

Track costs over time, and you will begin to identify spending patterns, root causes, and savings opportunities. Note: Reporting is only accessible on desktop. 

6. Use Well-Designed Forms

Are you a sucker for beautiful checklists? Yeah, we are too. However, it’s not only about aesthetics for us. Research shows that people pay more attention to documents that are legible, organized, and visually appealing. 

MaintainX provides several form item options for managers wanting a versatile solution that can capture important information across your operation. The app also includes a template library with the ability to customize and save your favorites.

At the risk of sounding over-confident, these will probably be the easiest procedures and checklists you have ever made. 

7. Experience Foolproof Accountability 

Finally, MaintainX provides maintenance teams with the foolproof accountability of digital audit trails. Managers can see team members sign off in real time, and maintenance workers can experience the satisfaction of digitally completing action items (i.e. no more time-consuming paper trails)! 

MaintainX: Where Simplicity Meets Quality 

As you know, expensive doesn’t always mean better. Some might even say that “the best things in life are always free.” MaintainX’s more advanced features are fee-based. However, our free CMMS software program provides as much, or more, value than similar paid platform providers in the marketplace. However, don’t take our word for it. 

Download MaintainX now, and try us out for yourself. It’s free!