Guide to selecting the right Enterprise Asset Management Software

Here are a few questions you must ask yourself (and your team) before settling on an Enterprise Asset Management Software.

• User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX): How easy is it to use? Can you onboard your team without extensive training?
• Core Work Order Functionality: Can you easily create, assign, track, and close work orders? Can you add notes, photos, attachments?
• Reporting and Analytics: Does the free version offer any way to see completed work, track time, or analyze common issues?
• Mobile Accessibility: Need to manage work orders on the go? How good are the mobile apps (iOS and Android)?
• Integration Possibilities: While less common in free versions, does the software offer an API or offer integrations with other tools you use, for example CRM, Accounting, etc.
• Limits of the Free Plan: Is the free plan just a bait to lure you in or is a genuine one. Is there an open source version?

Almost all Asset Management Software’s have a free plan. In all probability you will start out by signing up for the free plan with a few of them. But remember, free may not exactly be free. Asset Management is such a software that it becomes very difficult to untangle yourself once you are embedded in it. Free trials are designed to bait and lock you in.

Here are some things you must really research into.

• “Free Forever” vs. “Free Trial”? Make sure the Asset Management Software is genuinely free forever and not just a time-limited or feature-limited one that will force you to upgrade.
• Crippled Features? Many Asset Management Software’s severely limit feature usage - like they might allow you to create only 10 recurring work orders. These limitations are not immediately evident and you will recognize them only after after a few weeks of usage. That’s a significant waste of your time.
• Forced Upgrades? Understand the path towards moving to paid plans. You do not want to be a victim of price gouging.

That’s about it. Good luck choosing a Enterprise Asset Management Software. If you’re not satisfied with anything out there we welcome you to SuperCMMS.

An Enterprise Asset Management Software has to work for the whole organization, not only for one team. If you run more than one site, ask these questions as well.

• Can each site have its own locations, assets and people, all in one account?
• Can you give a contractor access to one site only, and only to the parts they need?
• Can parts be kept in more than one warehouse and moved between them?
• Can you see every action taken on a work order, by whom and when?
• Can readings from your IOT or SCADA systems raise work orders on their own?
• What will the plan cost when you add your hundredth user, not your fifth?