Once you have realized that your current CMMS is holding you back and limiting your organization’s growth, it’s time to make a switch to a new provider. But how do you make the switch to a new CMMS platform – without causing frustrating interruptions to your operations? 

Whether you’re making the change because your current system is outdated or because it simply isn’t meeting your current needs, the transition process can feel intimidating. Very few people get excited about technology infrastructure changes, and you are likely to experience some degree of pushback from certain team members. 

This doesn’t mean that you should give up. Changing your CMMS provider is absolutely worth the effort!

Still, it’s crucial to navigate this transition as smoothly as possible. The best way to turn skeptical stakeholders into enthusiastic participants is to demonstrate the benefits of making this change. Secondly, it is critical to select a provider that excels at integration and change management. 

Why You Should Consider Changing Your CMMS Provider 

There are several key indicators that will help you recognize that the time has come to make a CMMS change. 

One of the biggest signs is that your current system lacks the flexibility to adapt to your evolving business. Although the effects of inflexibility may look different from one organization to the next, almost everyone will start to see the following CMMS problems when they begin to outgrow their platform: 

• Frequent system crashes and equipment downtime that disrupt operations
• Outdated platform features that don’t keep pace with industry trends
• Poor user experience and interface issues
• Integration challenges with other systems
• Limited scalability that constrains growth

Learn more in this exclusive Fexa webinar: Pivoting Providers: When Is It Time to Switch? 

Benefits of Making the Switch to a New CMMS

The benefits of implementing a new CMMS strategy are plentiful, and they certainly outweigh any drawbacks that come with the transition. 

Some of the benefits you’ll see in the first year of making the switch include: 

• Improved operational efficiency
• Streamlined, automated workflows
• Faster response times to maintenance issues
• Better resource allocation
• Significantly improved cost optimization
• Increased ROI (up to 250%) 
• More efficient resource utilization
• Real-time insights
• Clearer operational metrics
• Stronger tracking of maintenance history
• Customizable workflows
• Easy integration with other business systems
• Better user experience
• More responsive customer support

Need some more help? Read our blog post: 10 Questions To Ask Before You Write Your Next CMMS RFP

How to Evaluate Your Current System 

Although you may know from experience that you need a new system, you will only be successful in implementing one if you can prove to other stakeholders that a change is necessary. 

To get a good start on this, we recommend conducting a thorough evaluation of your current system. A comprehensive evaluation should examine the following:

Integration Capabilities

• How well does your system connect with other business tools?
• Are there limitations in data sharing between platforms?
• Is manual data entry creating inefficiencies? 

Cost Structure

Many CMMS providers include hidden fees or require users to work exclusively with service providers from their own network. Both of these lead to costs you weren’t expecting. If your CMMS provider has been adding fees and limiting your ability to reduce costs, it’s time to consider another option. 

Review your current system for: 

• Vendor network fees
• Transaction costs
• Charges for “premium” features
• Additional costs for customization 

Learn more in our free Guide: Understanding the True Total Cost of Facilities Work 

System Performance & Support

Do you have any warning signs that your system is underperforming? Or that you are not receiving the kind of support that you need to keep your CMMS operating at peak performance? 

• Frequent system crashes and downtime disrupting operations
• Slow response times from technical support (sometimes a week or more)
• Limited (or costly!) support options
• Outdated features that don’t keep pace with your needs
• Poor user experience causing frustration among team members
• Limited scalability constraining your growth
• Ineffective data analysis and reporting capabilities 

Choosing the Right Provider

Once you have confirmed that yes, you do need an upgrade, it’s time to choose the right provider. Your new CMMS must do more than just outperform your old one. It needs to provide you with the foundation to grow.

The top performing CMMS platforms provide: 

• Independence and flexibility
• True configurability (without requiring developer intervention for every change) 
• Customized workflows that match your business processes
• Fast response time for support issues
• Dedicated support personnel
• After-hours support capabilities 
• Robust data migration capabilities 
• Strong data security 
• Comprehensive reporting tools

According to several facilities management experts, innovation and adaptability are two of the most important factors when considering a switch. Your CMMS must be able to grow with your business.  Check out more of what these experts have to say in this insightful Fexa webinar: How to Manage Changing Your CMMS. 

Planning and Executing a Smooth Transition

A failing CMMS can leave you feeling like you are in over your head. After documenting all of the problems with your current CMMS, researching new ones, and convincing all of the decision makers that a change is necessary, you may be surprised to find yourself at the planning and execution stage at last! 

Here are some tips to ensuring a successful transition: 

• Establish clear ownership by designating an internal project owner who can coordinate implementation and testing
• Involve key stakeholders from departments like IT and finance 
• Create clear lines of responsibility for decision-making, so that things don’t linger in an endless cycle of approvals and requests
• Avoid implementing change during your organization’s busiest parts of the year
• Manage data migration carefully—and with expert oversight, if necessary
• Use bulk data transfer options whenever possible
• Always start with a small sample of data to confirm successful and accurate transfer
• Over-communicate the benefits and reasons for the change to everyone affected by it 
• Provide consistent updates to your stakeholders
• Affirm and reinforce the importance of every person’s role 

We know, that’s a lot of advice! Some companies will go as far as hiring a change management consultant to help them navigate the transition. 

The most important thing to take away from all of this is that you have to be intentional in your transition to a better CMMS. It can’t be done haphazardly. Instead, you have to put thought and effort into every step of the process.  The more prep work you do before the transition, the easier it will be to adopt your new CMMS. 

How to Ensure Long-Term Success of Your CMMS

Here is the really good news: Once you’ve implemented a truly flexible, industry-leading CMMS, it can set you up for long-term success. You should be able to stick with your new CMMS for a very long time to come! 

Implementation is just the first step of using your CMMS. Once things are up and running, you can maintain momentum with things like regular performance reviews and ongoing training/support. 

Performance Reviews

Performance reviews should be routine, rather than a response to a problem.  (Check out our guide to Evaluating CMMS Software to find out more about the ways you can evaluate your new system’s performance.) 

We recommend: 

• Monitoring system usage and adoption rates
• Tracking KPIs
• Reviewing vendor performance metrics
• Monitoring maintenance costs (and comparing them quarter over quarter)
• Reviewing your energy usage

Ongoing Training and Support 

Your team will need continuous training opportunities to become fully proficient in a sophisticated and flexible CMMS. You can leverage existing internal resources, such as training departments and professional development pathways, to provide this training. 

Your CMMS should be able to provide you with clear documentation to support every individual user, no matter their role. Don’t forget that two groups of people will need to be trained on your CMMS: employees who were around for the previous option and new employees who will only know the new CMMS. 

Keep both of these groups in mind as you offer training sessions. 

Although mandatory training is one option (and a solid one!), you may see higher rates of buy-in if you incentivize training through things like rewards, perks, and recognition.

How Fexa Can Transform Your Facilities Management  with Our Flexible CMMS 

If you’re looking for the most flexible, best supported, and easiest-to-integrate software solution for your multi-site operations, you will find what you’re looking for in Fexa. 

Fexa delivers advanced facilities management software that is tailored to meet the news of multi-site businesses like yours. Our highly configurable CMMS platform helps companies streamline their operations, ensure compliance, boost efficiency, and increase their ROI on maintenance management. 

You’ll find our software at leading companies nationwide, including Dollar General, Five Guys, and Crate & Barrel. We support nearly 2 million locations every day! 

Find out what these companies have already learned, which is that Fexa is your number one facilities management option. 

Experience the difference of working with Fexa:

• No hidden vendor fees
• Highly configurable platform
• Exceptional customer support
• Future-ready technology
• Seamless integrations

Contact us today to set up a free demo!

Say goodbye to the never-ending to-do list.