What challenges were you facing with your previous system?
I had just taken over building maintenance, and one of the first problems I saw was the inconsistency in how we were documenting our work and costs. We were getting a lot of phone calls and emails about work orders and it was hard to know who was where and doing what. We also needed something to help us track hours and expenses, and we wanted to be able to attach invoices to work orders.
Why did you choose MaintenanceEdge?
I looked at a couple different systems and Brightly's MaintenanceEdge seemed more user-friendly than the others. I also liked how it’s web-based, so I didn’t have to worry about finding server space for the system. A top priority for me is to have a central place to track what kind of work we’re doing, where we’re doing work and how much we’re getting done, and MaintenanceEdge met that requirement.
What was the most important thing for you to get out of the system?
The most important thing for us to achieve first is streamlining our work order communication. I want the requestors to get used to putting in their own work orders online. I want the techs to get used to the system and making sure they attach invoices to work orders and then take responsibility to close them out. I can now go in and see everything in progress or completed and know what we’ve got going on. My next most important goal is to establish thorough records of what kind of work we’re doing, how long it’s taking and what the costs are. I want us to have complete records on our department’s work.
How was getting implemented?
I didn’t have any problems getting implemented. It took some time, but it’s worth it. If you’re going to commit to using a system, commit to getting it set up. I worked on getting the locations and areas set up first, just taking time here and there to do it. We bought at the end of September and put in our first work order on November 1, so it took us a little over a month to get completely set up in the system. We’ve been able to keep adding things as we go, and that flexibility is nice. If something comes up that isn’t in the system yet, we can put it in. I’m working on getting our Planned Maintenance set up now. I wanted to focus on getting us established with Work Order before we took on PMs. I have the techs collect model numbers and manufacturers for me as they’re out doing work orders, which makes it a little easier to gather all the information.
It’s helped me keep the staff accountable for how much time they’re putting in.
What else has Brightly helped you achieve?
It’s helped me keep the staff accountable for how much time they’re putting in. I wanted to make sure we didn’t spend two days doing a job that should not have taken two days. I can also keep on top of who is requesting work orders. I can see if someone is putting in requests for a lot of little things.