Field service software or CMMS:which one to choose for preventive and corrective maintenance?
“Do we need a CMMS or something else?” This is the question many industrial field service managers ask themselves. The answer depends on your activity: a CMMS excels at planned preventive maintenance for internal assets. In contrast, an field service software like Kolus excels at corrective maintenance, customer service, and field service management. However, the two can coexist.
| Criterion | CMMS | Field service software (Kolus) |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | ✅ Preventive maintenance of internal assets | ✅ Customer field service: corrective and preventive |
| Preventive maintenance | ✅ Task scheduling, maintenance calendars | ✅ Maintenance procedures via knowledge base |
| Corrective maintenance (breakdowns) | ⚠️ Basic management of breakdown requests | ✅ Complete cycle: request → diagnosis → resolution |
| Customer relationship | ❌ No customer portal or communication | ✅ Customer portal, forms, real-time tracking |
| Remote diagnosis | ❌ Not included | ✅ Video assistance with AI report |
| Technician app | ⚠️ Often basic, hence limited usability | ✅ Mobile app designed for the field, offline mode, AI voice report |
| Customer equipment management | ❌ Focused on the company's internal assets | ✅ Customer installed base with complete history |
| Knowledge capitalization | ⚠ Static documentation | ✅ Automatically enriched knowledge base |
| ERP integration | ✅ Standard ERP connectors | ✅ Native connectors, and an open API |
Which tool matches your business activity?
CMMS
Internal maintenance
You manage the preventive maintenance of your own equipment (factory, building)
Your activity is primarily scheduled, for example with regular maintenance calendars
You have no direct customer relationship regarding field service
Field service software
Field service and field service
You manage the field service of machines sold or rented to customers
Your requests are unpredictable: notably breakdowns, claims or emergencies
You want to reduce travel thanks to remote diagnostics
Your customers need visibility into the progress of their request
Field service software plus CMMS: The best of both worlds
An field service software is not a replacement for a CMMS. Both tools serve different needs and therefore complement each other. Kolus connects to your existing CMMS via API to synchronize equipment data, share service history, and avoid double entry. This way, your CMMS manages planned preventive maintenance, while Kolus handles customer field service and corrective maintenance.
Corrective and preventive maintenance: Two worlds, one goal
Whether you perform corrective or preventive maintenance, the goal remains the same:keeping equipment operational and satisfying your customers. Kolus therefore enables remote corrective maintenance through video assistance, structures your maintenance procedures in a shared knowledge base, and ensures seamless existing CMMS integration so that each tool plays its role without friction.
Frequently asked questions
CMMS plans preventive maintenance for internal assets. In contrast, field service software manages customer service: incoming requests, remote diagnostics, corrective field service and customer relationship tracking.
Yes, this is actually a common setup. Kolus connects to your CMMS via API to synchronize equipment data and service history.
Kolus allows you to create and maintain maintenance procedures and capitalize on resolution history. However, for comprehensive preventive maintenance management (regulatory schedules, compliance), a dedicated CMMS remains more suitable.
For corrective maintenance, field service software is more suitable: ticketing, remote video diagnostics, field service application with AI reporting, and a customer portal for tracking.
