When you think of a campground, you may picture “roughing it” in solitude with just a tent and bonfire. Why would campgrounds need software to help with maintenance?
Campgrounds can be as simple as large open areas with some strategically placed bathrooms and garbage cans, all the way up to resort-like sites with many different amenities like waterparks, beaches, play areas, restaurants, and so much more.
Anyone who runs a campground knows that a lot of work and intention go into making sure the best possible guest stay. Poorly-maintained campgrounds can lead to negative experiences, safety concerns, and decreased lifespans of your campground assets. In contrast, maintained campgrounds ensure guests have a good, safe experience and keep coming back.
Maintenance management software can help campgrounds organize and prioritize their maintenance tasks, communicate more effectively, and keep better track of their assets.
In this article, we will explore some of the ways maintenance management software can improve maintenance in campgrounds.
What is Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) Software?
A CMMS is a type of software that empowers teams to follow their maintenance plans through automation, organization, and better communication. A CMMS provides a centralized location for task and asset history, work orders, inspections, inventory, and more.
For years, maintenance plans sat idly in three-ring binders, spreadsheets, or the maintenance manager’s memory. A CMMS helps bring a maintenance plan to life by automating task scheduling, organizing and prioritizing tasks, and alerting staff about inspection deficiencies. Plus, a CMMS collects necessary data for record keeping and decision making about the future.
A CMMS can save time and improve communication. Here’s an example:
One of your maintenance staff completes a weekly inspection of the campsites. During an inspection, your staff noticed an issue with one of the electric hookups. He notes the issue in the inspection and takes a picture. Once the inspection is completed, the campground manager immediately receives an alert about a new work order. The manager views the work order and picture, then converts that issue into a task. After staff fixes the electrical hookup, they mark the task as completed and provide any other relevant information. A month later, you’re reviewing inspections. You see this issue, the resulting task that was created, and when it was completed. All with just a few clicks.
By automatically creating work requests, all the way to being able to easily view historical records, a CMMS saves time while providing a centralized location for all maintenance records. Let’s explore a little deeper:
How Campgrounds Benefit from a CMMS
Maintenance management software isn’t a magic bullet that will solve all the maintenance team’s problems. If your campground maintenance team has the people and processes in place, a CMMS is a helpful tool that will improve efficiency and workflows.
Here are some ways a CMMS can benefit your campground:
Better Asset Monitoring
A campground is only as good as the condition of its amenities. If attractions are out of service or look like they can use a vacation themselves, campers will have a disappointing experience–and probably won’t come back.
Maintenance management software allows you to track the inspections, task history, and labor costs of your campground assets. You can also see inventory usage and related expenses. Automated task creation allows the development of routines to maintain the campground assets.
Having an easily accessible asset history can also be good for documenting compliance with health and safety regulations, which can be very helpful during regulatory inspections. With a few clicks of your mouse, you have quick access to all your safety inspections and the corrective action taken.
Automated Preventive Maintenance Plans
A CMMS helps an established preventative maintenance plan run more smoothly with automated scheduled tasks and inspections. Maintenance staff log into the system and see their tasks for the day. They complete the preventative maintenance and log their completed tasks.
Data collected from a CMMS allows maintenance managers to refine their preventative maintenance plan. They can quickly get information to help decide if it is better to repair or replace an asset.
If your campground does not have a maintenance plan, a CMMS can help you start organizing and implementing one. Scheduled recurring tasks and routine inspections are easy to set up and track in maintenance management software.
Consistent Communication
What happens when someone notices a problem with one of your campsites? How is the issue communicated to you?
Campground maintenance managers can get work requests from all over the place. Juggling the calls, texts, emails, and face-to-face interactions can be difficult to manage–especially if everything is coming at you all at once, as it usually does.
Maintenance management software allows a campsite to standardize work requests so nothing gets lost in the shuffle–or sticky notes don’t blow away. A centralized location for work requests allows the maintenance manager a dedicated space to see and prioritize work requests and assign them as tasks. Automations in maintenance management software also save time by sending out notifications to the requestor when work is completed.
Less Reactive Maintenance
If you’ve been maintaining a campground, you’ve probably told someone at some point, “I wish we caught that sooner.” Maybe it was a plumbing issue in one of the bathrooms, a drainage problem near the event center, or faulty lighting fixtures causing safety issues–whatever it was, it would have been easier to fix and less expensive if caught early.
Regular inspections and streamlined work orders help campground maintenance managers address issues early. Catching a small leak during a bathroom inspection may help save a big mess down the road. Or covering an exposed footer at a playground can prevent a costly trip and fall injury.
Better Camper Experience
Ultimately, all of these benefits lead to a better experience for your visitors. Campers want to be in an area where they feel safe, comfortable, and able to relax from the pressures of their daily lives. When they are exposed to graffiti, excessive litter, broken amenities, and substandard conditions, they will likely complain and probably not come back.
A well-maintained campground will give your visitors the experience they want and deserve.
In addition, staff communicate better and are on the same page. The unity helps build team morale and focuses your staff on the goals of the campground. The more professional your staff, the better they project this to your visitors.
What to Consider Before Choosing Maintenance Management Software for Your Campground
- Size of Your Campground: Is your campground large enough where maintenance management software would be a valuable investment?
- Maintenance Plan: Does your team have–or are they developing–the standards and processes in place for the maintenance plan?
- Staff Willingness: How willing are your staff to learn and use maintenance management software?
- Ability to Pass on Knowledge: Do you have a maintenance manager who handles all the task assigning and prioritization mentally? What would you do if that staff suddenly left? Would your team have the documentation and knowledge to continue on relatively seamlessly? A CMMS can help document standard operating procedures and other maintenance-related needs for current and future staff.
- Budget: There are several maintenance management software options out there at all price point levels. You want to make sure you find the best investment for your needs. Some agencies require a demo to disclose pricing, while others are more transparent with pricing. A CMMS is an investment. When used effectively, it will save you and your team time and money.
The Takeaway
Maintenance management software can be an excellent tool for campground maintenance teams and similar organizations to communicate, stay focused, and work efficiently. By automating your campground’s maintenance plan, staff have a clearer understanding of what needs to be done while catching issues sooner.
There are many maintenance management software options available, so you want to make sure you do your homework and get a few demos. Ultimately, you may save time by finding software that caters more towards your industry instead of, for example, manufacturing plants. In doing so, you may be able to avoid paying for extra features you would probably not use at a campground.