This kind of work can come in many different shapes and sizes but can also be difficult to plan for. With unplanned maintenance, it is important to get your business ready for when they arise. We’ll be going through what unplanned maintenance can entail and how you and your team can prepare for it.
What is Unplanned Maintenance?
Unplanned maintenance is maintenance that is carried out unexpectedly, without a formal schedule. This type of maintenance is usually the result of an unexpected breakdown. Here, the intention is to fix or correct an issue with the equipment to rectify the fault.
Corrective maintenance and reactive maintenance jobs are typically unplanned. Corrective maintenance is when there is a fault with equipment, but it can still function to a degree. Reactive maintenance is when the equipment is unusable.
The Difference Between Planned and Unplanned Maintenance
There are a few different types of maintenance that you can categorise into planned and unplanned. But what is the difference between planned and unplanned maintenance?
Unlike planned maintenance, unplanned maintenance doesn’t occur regularly according to a schedule.
You can carry out planned maintenance as a preventive measure. This ensures equipment continues to run smoothly, without any breaks in its performance. Book your clients in with annual planned maintenance visits so you can regularly check assets. This then reduces the likelihood of any unexpected faults.
Unfortunately, there are factors that could cause equipment to break, even with planned maintenance is in place. It could be due to dated technology or equipment with a history of faults. This is where unplanned maintenance comes in.
How to Plan for Unplanned Maintenace
It might sound contradictory, but just because you can’t plan the maintenance, it doesn’t mean you can’t prepare your team for when the jobs come in. Not preparing yourself for these types of situations can cause confusion. This results in a rushed job if not handled correctly.
Granted, it is difficult to control unplanned maintenance. You never know what you are going to find onsite and it could happen at any time. But you and your team can feel confident when an emergency repair job comes in. You are ready to tackle it in the best way possible.
So how do you do that?
1. Use Job Management Software in the Office
Implement job management software into your business and plan for the unplanned. Make it easy to raise new job sheets and get the information your engineers need to them quickly. Train your team so everyone is on the same page when a client calls up. Streamline every step and get it right every time.
It’s a smooth process from the customer to the internal team. Your customer can raise a service incident, which you can turn into a job sheet. Then you can assign the right engineer for the job based on their location. Within a few minutes, the maintenance work is in your system and on track for completion.
After raising and assigned a job, the selected engineer will be able to see the maintenance work on their tablet or mobile device. This way, they can attend to the site without any delays.
That’s where field job management software comes in.
2. Use Job Management Software Onsite
Field job management software makes it easy to take work on the go. Without unnecessary physical documents or job sheets.
Managing jobs when onsite is straightforward with field management apps or web-based software. All the details will be available for the engineer to view. That includes site address, contact details and notes. This way, your team can save time waiting around for the job details and can head out to site immediately. For any type of unplanned maintenance, particularly emergency maintenance, time-saving is vital.
After completing the work, engineers can fill out job details and complete action lists directly onto the job sheet. The team in the office will be able to view the completed work back on the desktop software.
Utilising the right software can make unplanned maintenance straightforward. With automated processes and fields that are easy to fill in as you go, you don’t need to miss any important paperwork. Make sure to prepare your team so you’re on the path to success.
Want to be better prepared for when unplanned maintenance or corrective maintenance occurs? Get started with job management software with a free trial of our comprehensive CRM and job management program.
