The 10 asset management software features every maintenance manager needs

Many industrial manufacturers are facing a threat that will only grow over time: aging equipment. As we mentioned in our 2025 State of Industrial Maintenance Report, the average age of industrial assets is 24 years, which is the highest it’s been since 1947. 

While this problem isn’t going away anytime soon, more maintenance managers are turning towards asset management software to better care for their aging equipment. And none too soon—according to a recent report by Siemens, unplanned downtime now costs the world’s 500 biggest companies 11% of their revenues. 

When chosen well, asset management software can extend the useful life of assets, predict breakdowns before they occur, and reduce maintenance costs by helping managers improve their maintenance strategies. 

In this article, we’ll highlight the top 10 asset management software features you should be looking for as a maintenance manager to drive results, keep your workforce happy, and keep your assets running at peak performance. 

Key takeaways

• Asset tracking, work order management, and parts inventory management features are the building blocks that make effective asset management possible. Make sure you’re choosing a software solution that lets you carry out these activities easily and at scale.
• Having clear insights into machine data is essential. Asset management software should let you view daily maintenance activities and create robust reports that help you track assets over time and prove ROI to your executives. 
• Asset management software features aren’t limited to “hard” features. Choosing a solution that’s easy to use, offers an AI assistant that’s actually helpful, and comes along with game-changing customer and implementation support can take your experience from good to outstanding. 

The top 10 asset management features for maintenance teams

1. Asset tracking

We’ll start with the most obvious feature an asset management software solution needs: asset tracking capabilities. If your main goal with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is to manage your assets, it’s essential to choose one that allows you to do that easily, completely, and with as shallow a learning curve as possible.

Key capabilities: A CMMS should let you transfer asset data easily from your existing systems and create deep asset hierarchies. It should also allow you to capture asset health, set up PMs for critical assets, turn alerts into automated work orders, and easily store and access important asset information.

Example: Without the right software in place, maintenance managers don’t know an asset’s status unless there’s something wrong with it. With asset management software, it’s easy to check asset status, view any upcoming work orders, look back on past work orders, and see the overall maintenance plan for a specific asset. This makes it much easier to know what your maintenance team needs to focus on. 

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for asset tracking

“MaintainX has made asset management much simpler across our plant. Its user-friendly design means that even members of the older generation, with only a basic level of technical skill, can easily follow the process.” - Eddie R., Maintenance Supervisor, G2 Review

“MaintainX offers the best user experience for asset management… I have worked for a couple of fortune 100 companies, and each one used a different software package to manage/schedule maintenance activities. MaintainX is by far the best system I have experienced.” - Cody C., Executive Director of Operations, Capterra Review

2. Work order management

In the world of asset management, work orders are the engine that makes everything move forward. Your asset management software should allow you to easily create, schedule, manage, and close work orders to maintain asset health.

Key capabilities: Your CMMS should allow you to easily assign tasks, create automated work orders based on asset alerts, track progress easily in real-time, and add comments, photos, and checklists to work orders for further context. 

Example: For maintenance managers, the best-case work order management scenario is one in which nothing has to be manually managed. 

A CMMS that’s integrated with machine sensors and available on technicians’ mobile devices can send an alert the moment a critical asset’s condition changes. From there, your CMMS can assign a work order to the appropriate technician, along with the right checklists, SOPs, photos, and asset information they need. Your technician can complete and close out the work order, all without you ever having to intervene. 

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for work order management:

“MaintainX’s mobile app is fantastic; having the ability to view and manage work orders while out in the field is incredibly useful.” - Brian P., MRO Inventory Specialist, G2 Review

“MaintainX is very easy to use and helps keep all maintenance work organized in one place. Work orders are clear, photos and notes can be added quickly, and technicians receive updates in real time. It improves communication, accountability, and response time across the maintenance team.” - Alberto V., Manager, Capterra Review

3. An operations dashboard

Managing individual work orders is one thing. Keeping a wide-angle view of maintenance operations is another. Asset management software that allows you to view daily workloads, possible issues, and work order completion rates through an operations dashboard makes asset management much easier. 

Key capabilities: An activity dashboard should provide real-time visibility into technician productivity, asset and work order issues, and week-over-week benchmarking to flag any emerging trends.

Example: Operations dashboards tell a useful, ongoing story for maintenance managers. For example, a manager can configure their dashboard to show how mean time between failures (MTBF) is trending for a critical asset or asset group. If that number starts trending down, it’s much easier to catch it early and adjust any factors that may be contributing before it becomes a significant problem.

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for tracking work orders:

“I love MaintainX’s dashboard section, where you can see an overview of everything.” - CHL H., Handyman Division Manager, G2 Review

“MaintainX’s dashboard gives a great overview [of everything].” - User in Primary/Secondary Education, G2 Review

4. Parts inventory management

Making sure you have the right—and right amount of—parts on hand in the event of an unexpected repair or breakdown is essential, as is finding a software solution that will help you manage inventory easily. 

Key capabilities: Asset management software should allow managers to set up inventory management in a way that works best for the organization. It’s important to be abel to connect to ERP systems to track inventory data and streamline parts reordering. So is automatically triggering low stock alerts and seeing inventory levels across sites.

Example: When a part failure causes a machine malfunction that triggers an alert, it should be easy for technicians to identify what needs to be replaced, access the right steps to replace it, and find the necessary spare parts quickly and easily. A connected asset management software makes this possible by offering robust integrations, parts inventory tracking, and documentation.

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for parts inventory management:

“Inventory management is a strong point of MaintainX. Being able to view parts availability across facilities and easily request transfers is incredibly useful.” - Davyd B., Maintenance Manager, G2 Review

“[With MaintainX], cloud-based inventory is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. The inventory management and communication platform is also very robust.” - Phat V., Director of Diagnostic and Optical Equipment, Capterra Review

5. Reporting capabilities

Keeping an eye on real-time updates is important, but asset reporting can reveal insights and trends that aren’t visible from the shop floor. Asset management software should come with reporting capabilities that allow maintenance managers to track KPIs and historical asset performance  to gain insights and make impactful decisions. 

Key capabilities: Asset management software should come with out-of-the-box reports that can be set up easily and generated automatically. Maintenance managers should also be able to set up custom dashboards that allow them to go deep on specific assets or asset groups.

Example: Regular reports that show improvements in maintenance costs, downtime, availability, and reliability are a great way to show executives how an asset management software is making an impact. Asset reports can also be grouped by specific assets, asset groups, or sites, making it much easier to drill down and make any granular changes. 

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for maintenance reporting:

“MaintainX allows you to source work orders and track and report on everything meaningful to any business. This system makes everything more efficient. It is simple and easy to use for anyone.” - Stephen W., G2 Review

“MaintainX’s reporting tools are excellent. We have access to metrics like time utilization, MTTR, MTBF, OEE, and PM vs RM across all locations. This visibility helps us identify areas that need improvement and take corrective action.” - Davyd B., Maintenance Manager, G2 Review

6. A user-friendly mobile app

Real-time data is the secret weapon that takes asset management software from good-enough to great. Choosing one that’s mobile-first makes that possible. When technicians can use their own devices to access asset information, update work order status, and add their own context to work orders, both your frontline and machine data will improve.

Key capabilities: An asset management mobile app should include all the tools technicians need to do their jobs with as little friction as possible. That means choosing one that’s intuitive (and enjoyable) to use, quick and easy to execute tasks with (even in offline mode), and simple to both input and access data with. 

Example: In time-sensitive situations like unexpected downtime, time is money. This is where choosing the right mobile asset management software is most important. Technicians should be able to retrieve and record all the data they need to get critical machines up and running quickly. 

A mobile app that allows for QR code scanning, comes with checklists that are easy to access and complete, and assigns work to the right people at the right time will cut both downtime and labor hours significantly. 

Why MaintainX is the best mobile CMMS for technicians:

“MaintainX’s mobile app is especially valuable for technicians in the field, and the visibility it provides to leadership helps drive accountability, consistency, and faster issue resolution across multiple locations.” - National Facilities Manager, Capterra Review

“The mobile app is where MaintainX really shines for us. Our techs can open and close work orders on the production floor, attach photos of issues, and complete sanitation-safe checklists without carrying paper around the plant. That alone has cut down a ton of wasted time and improved traceability for audits.” - Dale R., Senior Maintenance Manager, Capterra Review

7. AI assistant

Many asset management software solutions claim to come with AI capabilities, but few deliver in ways that are actually helpful. An AI assistant should help surface information, simplify workflows, and reveal insights that make asset management easier and more effective.

Key capabilities: An AI assistant that creates workflows and digital maintenance documents is both a time-saver and a way to tap into institutional knowledge instantly. Some AI assistants (like MaintainX CoPilot) can also help upload new assets by nameplate or spec sheet, identify asset issues from a photo, and create detailed work summaries from voice notes.

‍Example: Creating procedures is a necessary but time-consuming aspect of asset management. Choosing a software solution that can generate procedures just from a photo, manual, or user-generated question can both cut down on time and let workers access information more easily. 

Why MaintainX is the best AI-powered CMMS: 

“MaintainX’s AI integration for creating procedures is absolutely next level! This innovation removes a major hurdle to implementation by cutting down the time that we would have spent transcribing tasks from all of the various manuals. It is a direct money saver.” - Jerry D., Engineering Automation Consultant, G2 Review

“The AI ability [in MaintainX] is the best I have seen in a CMMS so far.” - William S., Maintenance & Reliability Manager, G2 Review

“[MaintainX] guided our frontline teams with AI-powered suggestions and insights to keep every job running smoothly” - User in Management Consulting, G2 Review

8. Ease of use

If your asset management software isn’t easy to use, it’s nearly useless. It should be easy for anyone using the software to find and input the information they need to do their job well, whether they’re getting onboarded, building and sending reports, creating custom dashboards, or adding information like asset manuals. 

Key capabilities: Asset management software should make it easy to import data, work on-site via the mobile app, access tutorials and help, provide AI assistance where it makes sense, and allow users to complete their work without having to ask for help. 

Example: The true test of ease of use comes after onboarding. Once your workers have completed training, they should be able to complete work orders correctly, find the information they need without asking for it, and add their own notes and data intuitively.

Why MaintainX is the best CMMS for ease of use:

“What I liked most about MaintainX is how easy it is to use across multiple locations and how well it keeps our operations organized. The reporting setup, automatic workflows, and visibility into all work orders have made our processes much more efficient.” - Elena G., Maintenance Manager, Capterra Review

“Easy to use software for both administrators and technicians. Assets and work orders are clearly laid out and easy to trace to find the information you are looking for.” - Rachel F., Pharmaceutical Quality Specialist, Capterra Review

“MaintainX is extremely easy to use and comes with a host of training and help documentation to make setup and use simple.” - Andrew B., Maintenance Engineer, Capterra Review

“Easy to use, navigation is simple, and setup is a breeze. Cross platform usability has greatly helped people who are accustomed to one style or another.” - Don S., Maintenance Manager, Capterra Review

9. Customer support

Maintenance teams of all sizes and at all stages of digital maturity implement asset management software. It’s important to find a solution that will work well with you where you are and continue to support you over time. 

Key capabilities: A good customer support team is one that meets you where you are. No matter the size of your team or level of familiarity with technology, your support team should help you become more digitally mature, step by step, in a way that feels doable.

Example: Let’s say you’re implementing asset management software after using spreadsheets to track and plan maintenance. A great customer support manager will start by helping you clean up your spreadsheet data so that it can be as useful as possible for your CMMS. From there, your team will need training to learn the software, from work order management to reporting. This is a step-by-step process that’s different for every team, and the plan should be properly tailored to reflect that. 

Why MaintainX is the CMMS with the best customer support:

“My account manager and customer success manager are fantastic and always available to assist. With the new investment of the Enterprise Level, my customer success manager has spent a lot of time helping us understand all the new functionality. They’ve also helped us with data pulls, reporting, and navigating more complex needs.” National Facilities Manager, Capterra Review

“From our rollout team to the Success Manager, and even the online support staff, I feel like we are never ‘forgotten about.’ The staff is all very knowledgeable about their products and are extremely helpful.” - Joe T., Plant Engineer, Capterra Review 

“Support is just an email/text away, most of the time with a two-minute wait. [MaintainX’s team] will stay with you until you are happy with the results. They truly want you to succeed!” - Frank H., Maintenance Manager, Capterra Review

“What I like best about MaintainX is how responsive and invested their team is in customer success. Their customer support is outstanding—issues are addressed quickly, and feedback is genuinely listened to rather than acknowledged and ignored. Over the three years I’ve used the platform, I’ve seen features evolve and improve based directly on real-world user input, which is rare in CMMS platforms.” - Jake S., Service and Support, G2 Review

10. Implementation support

Implementation is the most critical stage of setting up asset management software to succeed. When it’s done well, user adoption goes up, data is accurate, and maintenance can continue to improve overall. 

Key capabilities: Implementation teams should help with data migration, setup, change management, and training. Each of these pieces is critical to ongoing success.

Example: The last thing you want as a maintenance manager is to learn that your data migration went poorly. This is a tedious yet critical part of the implementation process, and an implementation expert can make sure your data is clean and accurate before migration so that you only have to go through the process once.

Why MaintainX is the CMMS with the best implementation support:

“The implementation process was excellent—the team made everything straightforward and accommodated our frequent schedule changes.” - Alana H., Quality Assurance, G2 Review

“MaintainX made implementation almost painless with the hands-on assistance to ensure each of our sites achieved a simple transition from our old system.” - John C., TPM Coordinator, G2 Review 

Many features make asset management software go above and beyond

Asset management today looks much different than it did 10 years ago. CMMS solutions allow maintenance teams to capture real-time machine data and use it to create a maintenance strategy that prevents downtime, drives down maintenance costs, frees up labor hours, and offers genuinely helpful insights that improve overall maintenance efforts. 

If you want to learn more about how MaintainX can help your asset management program, sign up for a free demo today.