When it comes to implementing new technologies, mid-market companies often find themselves trapped in the middle. According to the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM), smaller companies don’t have to worry about adopting new tech because they don’t need it.
When you’re running a small office with 10 employees and only a handful of assets and equipment, you don’t need a sophisticated enterprise asset management (EAM) platform. Larger companies that do need these solutions enjoy dedicated implementation teams working internally and with vendors to ensure a smooth setup and high adoption rates.
But for mid-sized companies with less time, money, and people, there have been more challenges. And it’s not only the companies’ limitations holding them back. It’s also the software’s overall complexity. Digital maintenance tools are often too expensive for the mid-market, not scaled appropriately for current needs, and some require a great deal of support to set up and maintain.
Eptura’s Core tier is here to change all that.
Core streamlines and strengthens maintenance in the following three ways:
Create and maintain a digital asset register
How do you know what to maintain and repair if you don’t know what you have?
At the center of a strong operations and maintenance program is the digital asset register, a complete, comprehensive list of all your assets and equipment. The register tells you everything you need to know about each asset, including:
- Location
- Condition
- Work order history
You can leverage this data to better plan your maintenance programs, including what to stock for parts and materials and which skills and trades the team needs. A register also helps with compliance and warranties because it connects work order documents with a specific asset or piece of equipment.
Need to prove the furnace was checked regularly? Or show how often the team added lubricant to a press on the production line? You can generate a report leveraging data inside the register.
And with barcodes on all your physical assets, techs can access all this data with a simple scan using their mobile device.
Manage work orders every step of the way
How can I make the maintenance team more efficient and more effective?
It starts with a customizable service request portal that empowers the whole team to submit maintenance requests. Now, instead of only sending out work orders, you create strong two-way communication with all the techs acting as your eyes and ears. Catching problems early saves you time, money, and effort.
For example, a tech notices a small but steady leak under the sink in the first-floor employee breakroom. Instead of a costly, time-consuming cleanup, the team can take care of the problem quickly. Or there’s a burned-out bulb in the outdoor parking lot that hides a tripping hazard.
A sharp-eyed tech can use the user-friendly, company-branded service request portal to alert the whole team, protecting staff from injury and the company from a lawsuit.
A digital maintenance solution makes it easier to capture maintenance requests, but it also makes managing them more efficient. As the service requests come in, you can assign them directly to specific members of the maintenance crew, ensuring the right work gets to the right people.
The right information, too. Instead of forwarding just the service request, you can generate work orders with specific instructions. Better yet, you can also add steps from your preexisting library of common maintenance procedures.
Work orders come packed with:
- Asset information
- Associated work order histories
- Inspection checklists
- Operator attestations
Instead of wasting time reinventing the wheel with time-consuming troubleshooting, techs take the right steps, right away. For example, when a service request comes in for an offline AC, you can add the tasks and tests the team needs to reset the unit and double-check that it’s back up and running.
Set up and schedule preventive maintenance
How is an ounce of preventive maintenance worth a pound of repairs?
Mid-market companies face a challenging economic environment, with rising interest rates, higher debt costs, and reduced liquidity. You’re not a start-up, so you can’t rely on the next cash infusion from outside investors. And you’re not a large company, so you don’t enjoy preferential rates at the bank. With restricted access to funds, you need to make the most of what you have.
Preventive maintenance is how you ensure the longest possible useful life for your assets for the lowest costs. It starts with the right combination of inspections and tasks tailored for each asset completed on a set schedule.
By finding and fixing small problems before they have a chance to develop into large problems, you save money by avoiding costly repairs, rushed deliveries for parts, and overtime hours for the maintenance team. Empower technicians with on-the-go access and updates
What’s the most powerful tool you can give everyone in operations and maintenance?
Instant, anywhere access with an intuitive user experience. It’s the one that connects all the other tools, adding value to every feature.
Remember, the register provides critical data on the assets and equipment under maintenance, including locations, current conditions, and repair histories. Work order management is how you control resources and prioritize work.
It’s how you tell the crew what they need to fix and how best to do it. But to leverage all that information into action, techs need to be able to access it on the go. Otherwise, you’re wasting time tracking techs down while they’re constantly circling back to the maintenance office to pick up paperwork.
Once everyone goes mobile, you can connect with your team from anywhere, keeping everyone in the loop and up to date as new work orders come in and priorities change.
In our connected world, there are still spots where it’s hard to get a signal. Deep in the basement by the boiler. Out in the middle of nowhere. But even when techs don’t have Internet access, they still have Core support.
They can continue to document maintenance details on the app offline. As soon as they reconnect, the software automatically syncs the data.
Digital asset management solutions to improve your mid-market business
Keep your assets and equipment up and running with an asset catalogue, work order management, and an intuitive, powerful technician and operator experience.
With built-in scalability, Eptura’s Core tier fits the current and future needs of your mid-size company.
Key features include:
- Digital asset registry
- Service request management
- Work order management
- Parts and inventory tracking
- Asset management intelligence
- 24/7 support services
Learn more or request a demo today.
By Amanda Ford
Amanda is a Florida-based writer with a decade of experience in digital content creation for businesses. Prior to joining Eptura, she worked in thought leadership roles with groups including management consultancy Huron Consulting and industry research and insights firm Gartner. In her current role, she covers the latest worktech and workplace experience trends. She holds a Master’s degree in journalism.
