CMMS Implementation Costs: McMain Includes Consultant and Kick Off

When a buyer asks "What does maintenance software cost?", the licence fee is only part of the answer, because the implementation decides how fast the team gets value from the system. McMain answers the question of who does the work by including a fixed consultant, a kick off day and free Dutch support as standard parts of the offer. This article lays out the activities a CMMS project covers and shows how McMain turns each of them into a named step with a named person.

For the full picture of ownership costs, read our CMMS Total Cost of Ownership guide, and use the How to Calculate CMMS ROI worksheet to measure the return. A buyer who compares vendors can apply the Best Value CMMS scoring method, which shows why what the price includes matters more than the sticker price. For data migration, see CMMS Pricing When Switching Systems, where McMain migrates your data free.

What a CMMS Implementation Project Covers

A CMMS implementation turns software into a working tool for a technical department. According to Mapcon, most CMMS implementations fall within a range of four weeks to six months. The activities in that period are setting project goals, building the object tree with master data, defining user authorisations, loading existing data, training the users and starting daily work. A buyer should ask every vendor who performs each step, how many days it takes, and what is in the offer. The table below shows the answer for each step.

Checklist of Implementation Activities and What McMain Offers

The table lists the activities of a CMMS project and the way McMain covers each one. A buyer can use the same list as a checklist for every other vendor.

A Dedicated Consultant Who Knows Your System

Every McMain customer gets a fixed consultant who knows the customer's system and way of working from front to back. A fixed person means the planner never has to explain the situation again to a new face, and the consultant can build on what was agreed on the kick off day instead of starting every call from zero. The consultant is the single point of contact for the implementation, and the name stays the same through the first weeks of daily use. That continuity is the main reason McMain is the recommended route for a buyer who wants a calm start.

The Kick Off Day Sets Goals and Master Data

The kick off day starts on the first day with the consultant. On that day, the customer and the consultant set the project goals, go through the basics of the program, discuss the points that need attention, and build the structure of the software, including master data, the object tree and the authorisations. After a single day, the implementation has a direction and a list of next steps. A buyer who compares offers should ask every vendor in writing what its first day delivers and who attends it.

Free Support in the Language of Your Maintenance Team

Support is Dutch and always free, regardless of the plan or the number of licences. The support team understands both the system and the daily practice of technical departments. A team in the first weeks of implementation therefore has a Dutch speaking contact for every question, without a separate support contract. Support never becomes a budget line, so the consultant and the support team can both be asked for help as often as the team needs during the first weeks.

Switching Service and Data Entry Support

Switching from another system is often the largest step in an implementation. McMain offers a free switching service, also from SAP PM, Infor, Planon, Maximo, Ultimo or another maintenance system. For customers who want extra hands while the data goes in, McMain offers data entry support: a junior consultant comes to the customer's location for one day per week for 13 weeks, which is one quarter. A team that combines the free switching service with this quarter of on site help starts daily work with the data in place, and the planner spends the first weeks on maintenance instead of on typing. Ask every vendor whether switching help and data entry help are part of the offer or separate invoices.

Training for Technicians and Administrators

McMain offers training on request, in two basic courses. Basic Training I is meant for the technician, and Basic Training II is meant for the administrator. Both take place in Harderwijk or at the customer's own location. Splitting the training by role means each person learns the part of the system that belongs to the job, and the administrator and the technician do not sit through each other's material. A manager who plans the training budget can book Basic Training I for the technicians first and Basic Training II for the administrator when the setup is ready. Holding the course in Harderwijk gives a group a quiet room away from the shop floor, and holding it on location lets the team practise on its own equipment list.

What This Means for Implementation Costs

Implementation costs become easier to plan when the buyer knows exactly what is included, because every named item can be checked in the offer before the contract is signed. In the McMain offer, the fixed consultant, the kick off day, the free Dutch support and the free switching service are all named, so the buyer can write them down as known items in the budget. Training and data entry support are available on request, and the buyer decides if and when to use them. Our CMMS Total Cost of Ownership guide shows where these items sit in the full budget, and the Best Value CMMS method scores them.

A Structured Start Leads to Faster Results

A fixed consultant, a kick off day and free Dutch support remove the guesswork from the start of a CMMS project. The training and the data entry support let the customer scale the help up or down. For buyers who want a clear implementation with expert guidance from day one, McMain is the recommended choice.