How do CAFM software vendors structure their pricing? And what can you expect for your money?
Many CAFM vendors will offer different tiers of service depending on the size of your business and the features and support you will want access to.
An ‘entry level’ package may give you access to software with a limited number of licenses for your team and a restricted feature set. The vendor may offer you some basic support with configuration and hands-off account management, but other than that you may be left on your own to manage your solution. Until your contract comes up for renewal, that is.
At the upper end of the scale are feature-rich products that require a lot more configuration and integration to get working. To make the most of their complex functionality you will likely need considerable training and ongoing support (which may or may not be part of a monthly license fee).
As with most SaaS (Software as a Service) products, hidden charges can often make deals that sound reasonable escalate quickly in price. And these extra fees can sometimes include elements you might expect to come as standard, including reporting, upgrades, training and account management.
Understanding the cost structures upfront and what level of support comes as part of the deal, will prevent any misunderstandings further down the line - and help you compare pricing between vendors more accurately.
Setup fees can vary depending upon:
Setup costs can start at just a few hundred pounds for a small, simple estate without complexity or any integration requirements. On the other hand, the most complex CAFM projects can cost you tens of thousands of pounds.
But these upfront fees should include the following as a minimum:
And you should consider
This very much depends upon how many licenses you require. Be wary of user based licenses that can sometimes prohibit usage and tempt you to share logins across multiple users. This can have a detrimental effect on auditing and security. Instead, see if the vendor offers or can agree to a site-based license which is more controllable and will change less frequently. This will encourage more usage across your team, rather than discouraging it.
Your license should include:
You should also check:
What level of support comes as standard with your package? Will you have access to a dedicated account manager? Will you have phone as well as email support? Using a larger, market leading solution, smaller businesses can risk being neglected and accruing additional charges for support that they may consider a basic requirement.
At a minimum, your account management package should include
While there are other considerations you should bear in mind:
There are some times when the standard support package offered will simply not be enough. When you’re swamped with work and need a partner to take some of the configuration and data management burden from you. Alternatively, you may need integration or bespoke back end engineering to answer your unique challenges.
Understanding what charges you may incur in these cases will insulate you against potential shocks.
Your provider should be able to support you with:
But you need to understand:
Different FM teams are at different stages of their digital transformations. Facilities Managers set key milestones, close them down over time and continually create ambitious new goals.
In order to ensure you can meet these changing objectives, it’s crucial to ensure support is available to navigate your way confidently, productively and in a scalable way.
In order to grasp the full capabilities of a CAFM solution and rapidly realise a return on your investment, choose a partner not only with a great product, but people you can work with and act as an extension to your team.
You should be confident that the money you are spending on a solution will include access to those people and their skills in a way that is reasonable and sustainable.
In other words, don’t sign up for Software as a Service but “Software WITH a service”.