Is a CMMS Worth It for Small Businesses? Everything to Know

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a cloud-based software that integrates all maintenance data within one centralized platform to help a business automate maintenance tasks and collect tangible, real-time data about the status of every asset. 

A CMMS supports organizations in work order generation, managing maintenance and inspection scheduling, asset monitoring, inventory management and data collection. Businesses that invested in their repair and maintenance programs leveraging a CMMS reported a 44 percent decrease in asset downtime, maximizing efficiency and reducing costly breakdowns. 

So, is a CMMS worth it for small business owners? Let us break it down for you.

How a CMMS Helps Small Businesses

For small businesses, every dollar and minute counts. Yet, many still depend on paper systems or spreadsheets to manage work orders, asset inventory management and other key maintenance tasks. While on the surface this approach may seem cost-effective, it can actually lead to costly mistakes like missed tasks, unplanned downtime and disorganized filing. 

That’s why using a CMMS software like Coast is the more efficient and modern approach. Even with a free or entry-level plan, equipment maintenance software gives small businesses like yours the capabilities needed to boost transparency, extend equipment lifespans, streamline operations and most importantly, boost your bottom line. 

Business owners no longer need to chase down paperwork or guess when equipment was last serviced due to core features like remote access, simplified digital work order creation and automated scheduling. The result? Less chaos, fewer breakdowns and more time to focus on growing the business.

Let’s dive into the core benefits of implementing a CMMS like Coast into your maintenance workflows:

Cost Savings

Using a CMMS for small businesses can simultaneously reduce excessive spending while increasing revenue by:

• Extending the lifespan of key assets by ensuring consistent routine maintenance is performed.
• Automatically monitoring sensors to notify maintenance technicians when issues arise that could lead to part or equipment failure.
• Integrating maintenance data into reports for leadership to make smart decisions around big-picture objectives for the business. 
• Eliminating wasted time previously spent searching for disorganized paperwork spreadsheets. 

Ease of Use

Your maintenance team doesn’t have time to integrate and learn about convoluted software, and with Coast, you won’t have to. The CMMS was designed to be intuitive and customizable, making it easy to create work orders, file maintenance reports and check asset inventories in just a few simple clicks. 

And with mobile accessibility, maintenance teams can access step-by-step processes for completing maintenance tasks right from their mobile device or tablet. They can also record when an inspection or maintenance project is completed without needing to return to an office. 

Asset Management

Monitoring the status of your equipment and parts inventory is essential to maximizing efficiency at your small business. With Coast, asset management is simplified with:

• Centralized asset records: See detailed information on each asset like purchase dates, service history and warranty information within a few clicks. 
• Maintenance history logs: Inform future repairs and part or equipment replacements based on a comprehensive record of all previous servicing tasks. 
• Preventive maintenance scheduling: Automated preventive maintenance scheduling based on a certain amount of usage or time passing ensures assets are inspected and minor issues are addressed long before breakdowns and failures occur. 
• Real-time status tracking: Instant notification when sensors detect an issue ensures that no problem goes undetected. Thanks to mobile accessibility, these notifications will be submitted to the right people every time, even if they’re not on site. 
• Inventory management: Have full transparency around which parts and tools are currently being stored at your facility, and automatically order new ones as needed so that you’re never delayed while waiting on a part. 

Work Order Management 

While manual management of maintenance tasks can lead to disorganization and key processes getting missed, automating your small business’ work orders with a CMMS simplifies scheduling and holds everyone accountable. 

With Coast, digital work orders are assigned in just a few clicks (or automatically for routine maintenance) with straightforward checklists, process documents and historical records included. Once assigned, automated notifications ensure the technicians are held accountable to get the task done. And status updates and timestamps keep management informed on how projects are coming along to ensure accountability and refined process management. 

Preventative Maintenance Scheduling 

Preventive maintenance is one of the most effective ways small businesses can avoid costly breakdowns and extend the lifespan of their equipment. With a CMMS, it’s easy to identify and address minor issues before they worsen and disrupt operations. 

Instead of applying a reactive maintenance approach to dealing with problems after they occur, you can set up recurring proactive maintenance tasks based on time intervals, usage or manufacturer recommendations. With this approach, equipment is frequently serviced to mitigate the risk of unexpected failures and save on the costs of expensive emergency maintenance. 

For small businesses dealing with limited budgets and lean teams, preventive maintenance is a smart way to protect your bottom line and keep things running smoothly by keeping your team on track without constant oversight and maximizing the value of every asset with frequent inspections and maintenance. 

Examples of Small Businesses Using a CMMS

Small businesses across industries leverage Coast to make the most of their budgets and staff. Here are some real-life case studies about how a CMMS transformed small businesses for the better:

iTrip

When iTrip Annapolis expanded from managing 20 to 75 short-term rental properties, their old approach of using text message threads quickly grew disorganized and inefficient. Greg Hudson and Jason Junge turned to Coast for a better way to manage maintenance and inspections. 

With Coast, they centralized property details, uploaded images and notes and gave their whole team real-time access to property details 24/7. Coast’s checklist feature standardized property inspections, while inventory alerts and QR codes improved supply tracking. Since switching, they’ve successfully completed over 900 work orders, drastically improved turnaround times and minimized guest complaints leveraging the simplified mobile platform.

Largo Facility Management

Founder Scott Mairs opened Largo Facility Management to deliver efficient, metric-driven results for clients after working for decades managing public and private facilities, but the company’s previous software platform didn’t offer enough flexibility to properly oversee multiple sites and varying client needs. Coast, however, made it easy to customize work request forms for each client, tie assets and locations to every work order and generate maintenance reports with real-time data to assist clients in budgeting wisely and monitoring performance.

Largo has streamlined operations leveraging Coast’s intuitive design and strong support team, and it plans to expand its use of advanced features like cost tracking and downtime analytics.

Jamestown Housing Authority

When Joseph Gerace took over as executive director of the Jamestown Housing Authority, he quickly identified the need to replace its outdated, paper-based maintenance system. 

With Coast, Gerace introduced a mobile-friendly solution that improved accountability, streamlined work order management and eliminated the need for technicians to return to the office multiple times a day. Coast’s user-friendly platform allowed staff of all tech levels to adapt with ease, as features like real-time notifications, time tracking and detailed reporting gave Gerace complete oversight and helped him analyze staff performance, track progress and deliver data-driven updates to the board.

Transform Your Small Business With a Modern CMMS

Small businesses no longer need to juggle spreadsheets, sticky notes or endless text messages to stay on top of maintenance tasks. Using Coast’s CMMS makes it easy to manage assets, streamline work orders, schedule preventive maintenance and gain real-time insights from a simple, remote-friendly platform. 

Improve efficiency, reduce costs and extend asset life spans by making the switch to a CMMS today. Book a free demo with Coast to get started.