Like any other technology, software can fail, leading to lost productivity, lost data, and other negative consequences. Software maintenance is necessary to mitigate these issues, but you could take two approaches: proactive maintenance or reactive repairs.

Reactive Repairs 

Reactive repairs are the traditional approach to software maintenance. This approach involves fixing software issues as they arise. Reactive repairs are usually done after a problem has occurred, and the damage has been done. For example, if your system were to go down, the downtime would cause you to lose out on all of the opportunities and sales that would have occurred, not to mention any permanent data loss from the issues.

The problem with reactive repairs is that they are costly, time-consuming, and disruptive. Reactive repairs are often more expensive than proactive maintenance because they require more resources and labor to fix the problem. Additionally, reactive repairs cause downtime, resulting in a loss of productivity which is costly to any business.

Proactive Maintenance

Proactive maintenance is a preventative approach to software maintenance. This approach involves identifying and addressing potential issues before they become major problems. Proactive maintenance involves a regular schedule of maintenance tasks, such as software updates, security patches, and backups.

The advantage of proactive maintenance is that it can help businesses avoid costly downtime and lost productivity. Proactive maintenance can also help businesses identify potential issues before they become major problems, allowing them to address them before they cause significant damage. Additionally, proactive maintenance can improve the overall performance and longevity of software.

In order to have proactive maintenance done for your CRM, it is best to use a subscription-based service, which will often be cloud-based as well. When you’re paying monthly for SaaS (Software as a Service), you never have to worry about fixing issues or getting updates, because the service will do this for you. In the end, you save substantially on start-up costs and future maintenance, which are generally enormously expensive when you go with software that doesn’t offer this.

Another important factor to consider, though, is that not all SaaS CRMs will offer proactive maintenance, and you should look carefully at any deals before you decide what CRM to go with.

Proactive maintenance is more cost-effective, can improve the overall performance and longevity of software, and can help businesses avoid security issues. By adopting a proactive approach to software maintenance, businesses can avoid the costly downtime and lost productivity associated with reactive repairs and ensure that their systems are running smoothly and efficiently.

SupplyMover is a SaaS CRM that provides proactive maintenance, and it’s made specifically for distributors! To schedule a demo click below, or try exploring your industry’s page on our website first.