What is Mobile Maintenance Software: Making the Most of a Mobile Team

What are the three things people carry around at all times? We guess that you will say wallet, keys, and – of course – a smartphone. The maintenance sector is taking advantage of this convenient, in-your-pocket technology with mobile maintenance software.

There are many practical benefits of coordinating your maintenance workflows through a mobile CMMS. We will show you how. 

What is mobile maintenance software?

Before dissecting the benefits, let’s agree on a few definitions. 

In the context of this article, having a mobile CMMS software means you are using a maintenance solution that you can install on your mobile device as an app — not just a maintenance management system where you can log in on your phone browser. A distinct mobile application is essential for ensuring your team can use it accurately and regularly.

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Core features in a mobile maintenance app

Some software solutions will call their product “mobile-friendly.” But if you are looking for a solution designed for the mobile user in the form of a mobile app, you’ll need to look for some key CMMS features. 

• Your team can use it anywhere on any Android or iOS smartphone or tablet
• Designs and layouts for the app and browser versions differ. This is important because the platforms and user experiences aren’t the same
• Real-time updates of work orders, PMs, and other communications
• All desktop functionality is available on the app, including push notifications, email, and critical information
• Files, folders, images, checklists, and critical asset management information can be accessed on a mobile device
• Seamless integration and use of the device’s other functions (camera, location tracking, barcode scanning, talk-to-text, etc.). 

When it comes to Limble CMMS, as long as your mobile phone can run Facebook or Netflix, it should have no problem running our mobile maintenance app.

What is NOT mobile maintenance

Some maintenance management software solutions will market their product and say they are“mobile-friendly” when they do not have a dedicated mobile app. You just log in on a web browser and do your work from there. 

While easier for the software company to maintain, it is a much poorer user experience that results in limited functionality.

Mobile apps have a design and layout that is specific and intuitive to the way people use mobile devices. For instance, take a look at the example of the Limble CMMS mobile screen versus the desktop version below.

Build efficient workflows with mobile maintenance software 

You should always follow the CMMS best practices. Outside of that, a few other best practices and system priorities will help make things more efficient for you and your team as you go mobile. 

Reporting problems through a work request portal (a.k.a. ticketing)

Be it a machine operator with a problem on the production line or an office worker dealing with a malfunctioning HVAC, having a quick way to report a problem and reach the maintenance team is in everyone’s best interest.

Let’s take a look at how this works in the Limble CMMS.

• Work requests are automatically synced across all your devices (computer, mobile phone, tablet)
• Based on your pre-configurations, the system can be set up to automatically assign the work to a specific maintenance technician or team
• Requesters can submit problems from anywhere, and technicians can see them immediately, wherever they are
• Requesters who leave their email addresses will be updated about the progress of their tickets
• This leads to more transparency, fewer duplicated tickets, and follow-up calls, and less time spent scheduling work

Increasing productivity with more efficient workflows

The bigger your maintenance team, the more challenging it is to make sure that the necessary work is done on time. Seems like you don’t have any other option. Right? Wrong!

More automation, faster communication, and better organization all mean that your technicians and maintenance planners will spend less time on administrative tasks and can focus on doing the work that brings value to their organization.

Using mobile maintenance software brings even more day-to-day productivity improvements to maintenance managers and technicians by:

• Being able to quickly check schedules (assigned work orders and PMs)
• Logging their work as it gets done (which also significantly improves data accuracy)
• Receiving instant notifications of new orders and reports via push notifications
• Responding to and logging additional problems while fixing the issue at hand
• Quickly looking up asset information while diagnosing the problem
  

Using asset history to improve mean time to repair (MTTR)

Mobile phones are so popular because they give us instant access to information — and this is really handy while you are on the job.

For example, when they are performing any kind of repair, they can open their maintenance app and find any information they need:

• Asset maintenance history
• Completed WOs and PMs
• Detailed equipment maintenance logs
• OEM guides and manuals
• Checklists for specific repairs
• List of identified failure patterns

Having access to this data means managers will need less time to diagnose the problem and perform corrective actions.

On the whole, this means doing a better job in less time. Who wouldn’t want that?

Speeding up the workflow with QR codes

There are a few ways in which you can combine QR codes and maintenance software for some nice productivity gains:

• Quickly lookup asset information by scanning its barcode
• Submit a work request by scanning the asset’s barcode and describing the problem
• Track inventory with barcode lookup
• Reduce errors with less manual documentation

Check this quick guide on using barcodes with your CMMS for additional information. 

Using mobile CMMS for remote collaboration and communication

Off-site visits and maintenance work that runs over multiple shifts happens often. In these situations, the easy exchange of information between technicians can be the difference between a three-hour downtime and a five-hour downtime.

Mobile maintenance software can improve communication through real-time work order commenting.

If the maintenance team is using a mobile maintenance app, technicians can communicate through comments on work orders. Team members can jump into the conversation and collaborate to find a solution.

Sometimes, the problem at hand might be so specific it takes a long time to describe. If you are using Limble CMMS, you also can take pictures and attach them to comments, equipment maintenance logs, PM instructions, and more (like you see below).

With all of these options at your disposal, transferring important information between shifts or remote workers has never been faster or easier.

Get started with a modern CMMS software

It’s time to harness the power in your pocket by making the most of the “mobile” in your mobile maintenance software. If you are looking for a CMMS or are ready to replace your CMMS with a new one, make sure it meets your organization’s needs and that of your team out in the field. 

For more details, take a minute to read Limble’s Essential Guide to CMMS to get a clear picture of how we define a CMMS and how our system works. 

If you are interested in finding out more about our mobile solution, schedule a demo or start a free trial of Limble today.