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Choosing and rolling out software

40 questions to ask before you buy a CMMS

Take this list to every demo. It works with any maintenance software vendor: buyers who ask good questions end up with the right software. And it is better to find out before you sign than three months later.

  • By the attendo team
  • Published
  • 4 min read
In this article
  1. About your data
  2. About field work
  3. About preventive maintenance
  4. About KPIs
  5. About customers, if you service third-party equipment
  6. About integration
  7. About the project and the money
  8. The answers that should worry you
  9. How to use the list

About your data

  1. Can you import my current inventory, even if it is in a messy spreadsheet?
  2. What happens to duplicates and retired assets during the import?
  3. How much work order history can we bring over?
  4. If I leave, how do I export everything? Is there a cost? In what format?
  5. Where is the data hosted? Who else processes it?

About field work

  1. Does it work offline? If the answer is “it is slow with a weak signal,” that is a no.
  2. What happens to captured data if the phone dies before it syncs?
  3. Can the technician see the equipment history before starting?
  4. Can photos be attached without an annoying limit?
  5. Is the work order locked once the customer signs?
  6. How much training does a technician who does not use computers need?
  7. Can I try it with four technicians before committing the whole team?

About preventive maintenance

  1. Does it create work orders automatically from the schedule?
  2. Can I plan by run hours or by readings, not just by date?
  3. What happens when an inspection is postponed? Is it recorded? Does it alert anyone?
  4. Does a finding from an inspection become a corrective work order, or does it stay as a note?
  5. Can I have different task lists by customer for the same type of equipment?
  6. How is plan compliance measured, and who can see it?

About KPIs

  1. Does it calculate MTBF and MTTR? Based on exactly what data?
  2. Can I break down MTTR into detection, travel, waiting and repair?
  3. Does it show maintenance cost per asset, including parts?
  4. Do the reports come ready-made, or do we have to build them?
  5. Can I export to Excel without asking anyone?

About customers, if you service third-party equipment

  1. Can each asset belong to the customer who owns it?
  2. Are there contracts with scope and SLAs?
  3. Can hour banks be deducted automatically?
  4. Can my customers log in to see their own data? Does each portal user cost extra?
  5. Can I tell whether a contract is profitable?

About integration

  1. Does it connect to my ERP? Is it built already, or is it a project?
  2. Is there a documented API? Can I see it before buying?
  3. Can I create work orders from an external system, such as sensors or a building management system?
  4. What happens if the other system is down?

About the project and the money

  1. How much does implementation cost, on top of the license?
  2. Is implementation a fixed price for a defined scope, or billed by the hour?
  3. Do all users cost the same, whatever each one uses?
  4. What happens if I have more users one month? And fewer?
  5. Is there a minimum commitment?
  6. Are updates included?
  7. What training is included, and in what format?
  8. Can I talk to a company of a similar size that already uses it?

The answers that should worry you

  • “That can be configured,” without showing it. Ask to see it on screen, ideally with your own data.
  • “It is on the roadmap.” It does not exist today. Decide on what exists.
  • A price that does not say what it includes. Implementation, training, support and add-ons: each one in writing.

How to use the list

You do not need all 40 questions in every demo. Mark the ten that matter most to you beforehand and ask for them to be answered on screen. The rest, in writing.

Ask every vendor to answer in the same format. That way you can compare them in a table, not from memory.

Last updated:

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