May 05, 2022

Aspects of a CMMS

What makes a successful business? One good summary is found at Virily. This discussion will focus on the ten points highlighted in an article from Oxford Royale. - https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/aspects-of-what-makes-a-business-succeed/ For a real-life example, I'll look at a martial arts school. Then, I'll use the points in relation to a CMMS.

1. A USP

I use the example of a martial arts school, because of my over thirty years' experience and having operated two part-time clubs during almost twenty of those years.

USP, as mentioned in the article, stands for Unique Selling Point. For a martial arts school, this could be the specific curriculum offered. Does the school instruct classes that other schools aren't offering? Is it a specialized form of self-defense or training? Are there special classes for weapons training/defense?

With a CMMS, the USP is not just one point. It should have enough functions, features and modules that your company can choose what it wants to use. Don't get locked into limited resources. Along with these, service/support and programming improvements are necessary.

2. A strategy

Where is the martial arts school focusing its efforts? Classes for children? Adults? A combination? This point may be part of the USP. This strategy may be further broken down into individual class planners. What are the goals and how to achieve them for that particular class?

To attain the most benefits from a CMMS, a company needs to develop a strategy, a plan, for using the system. How are you going to utilize it? What modules and features are you needing? What part of your operations do you want better control of? By developing the strategy, you have a better idea of what to discuss with representatives and how your training sessions will go.

3. Competitor analysis

Businesses need to stay abreast of what the competition is doing in both operations and marketing (Point 4) What are other martial arts schools doing? How are they attracting students? As a former club owner, I visited several other clubs to evaluate classes, staff attitude, dismissing ideas I found to be liabilities, and adapting positive aspects for my own operation.

As mentioned above, a CMMS should be developing new features for customers, keeping up with business needs. However, move beyond just this. Does your company need a special feature? If so, can the system's programmers customize it for you?

4. Marketing

Different from advertising. Advertising can be print ads, radio spots, television commercials. Marketing is showing prospective customers value Yes, it may involve handing out business cards or fliers, but it's more than just saying 'buy me.'

A martial arts school markets in a variety of ways:

Community events – parades, family events at the mall.

Conducting life skills seminars for elementary/junior high/high schools.

Holding special self-defense seminars for women/children.

A CMMS company could market through a blog like this one, social media promotion, and annual conventions https://www.mapcon.com/us-en/usergroup as a thank you to clients.

5. Customer service

As with all businesses, a martial arts school must have quality customer service. The 'customer' is not only the student base, but parents who do not participate in classes. Instructors and the school owner must have prosperous interaction with customers, even if there are no issues to resolve.

This was mentioned above, but it's so important. If your CMMS company doesn't provide service after the sale, you're missing out. You'll have questions and you need answers. Can the support team remote into your system to help?

6. Record-keeping

Records are not only important for tax purposes, but for a martial arts school, they are vital for operations. Who's delinquent on dues? Which student(s) have been absent? Is it time for an email or phone call? This helps retention. Attendance cards as part of class routine shows discipline.

Does your CMMS offer a plethora of reports for any inputted information? Costs, work orders, purchase orders, vendors, attainment, depreciation, inventory, and so many more. Do you have enough filters within the reports to further hone the information needed?

If you have data to transfer to an ERP or other third-party system, a CMMS should be able to interface.

7. A great team

While a martial arts club can be run with one or two instructors (as mine was), larger schools will have a staff of instructors. Even two need to function well together. Instructors require class management training as well as personal training. If they answer phones, do they have proper etiquette and marketing skills? Is everyone on the same track, focused on the same goal?

The CMMS company team, from marketing to support to training to administration to programming all have two goals: maintaining and striving for better service/products for existing customers and showing the value of its system for new customers.

8. Capital

Martial arts schools pay rent, utilities, insurance, as well as supplies. Income would be invested toward travel expenses for tournaments, instruction/business seminars, and further training. Operating capital may derive from monthly dues, rank advancement testing fees, merchandise sales, and 'extra' classes costs.

This relates to service and support from a CMMS company. Maintaining the system for the clients is only going to benefit both. However, to focus on your capital, how adept is the system to showing cost reports for equipment, inventory, maintenance, and labor? Are you able to dig down to the specific expenses you want?

Ongoing software training is an investment in your CMMS and ensures you are informed about improvements so you can take full advantage of new features.

9. A good network

My clubs were part of a parent organization, and I'm still an active member. Through friendships made over the years, I train from instructors from all over the country. I developed relationships with fellow black belts, still share stories and successes, tips and maintain the organization's traditions.

Good networking with employees and customers increases the strength and vitality of the CMMS. This ties in with quality support, innovations, and developing a strong relationship with the clients. Results should include measurable productivity increase and better employee morale.

10. Adaptation/determination

Martial arts schools need to keep improving the curriculum and business strategies. During the years of 2020/21, numerous closed their facilities. Instead of giving up on the students and waiting for the time when they could reopen, many owners turned to online classes. While personal interaction suffered, at least students could continue training. My organization even conducted a couple seasons of online tournaments. Some schools struggled, but determination and perseverance won out.

A CMMS should be scalable. Companies use only what modules and features they want. (These were determined in the planning stage as discussed in Point 2.)

 

There are many aspects to look for when considering a CMMS. It should be 'more than user friendly' in the navigation of menus and tabs. As mentioned above, it should have the support of the company. Without service after the sale, you're not getting any continued value. The most important aspect to look for: will it meet the needs of your operation, not only today, but in the future.

What business aspects does your company utilize for success? If you're considering a CMMS, give Mapcon a call. 800-922-4336 / Mapcon