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CMMS vs Excel

Bob! Desk vs Excel: Which One Should You Choose for Your Network Maintenance?

An honest comparison between Excel and dedicated CMMS software for intervention and maintenance management. Excel is sufficient in some cases — here’s when, and when switching to maintenance management software becomes essential.

Updated: June 2025 · 6 min read

The Verdict in 30 Seconds

Excel is Suitable If…
  • • You manage a maximum of 1 to 5 sites.
  • • Your intervention volume is under 20 per month.
  • • You have no external providers to manage.
  • • You don’t need regulatory traceability.
Bob! Desk Is Essential If…
  • ✓ You manage 10 sites or more — and it will continue to grow.
  • ✓ Your providers need to access their interventions.
  • ✓ Your management requires reports on costs per site.
  • ✓ You’re tired of chasing people by email.

The Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Criteria Excel Bob! Desk
Field Ticket Creation Email or phone call QR code or form, 30 seconds, from smartphone
Real-Time Tracking Manual updates, risk of oversight Automatic, no manual action
Multi-Site Management (20+) Multiple files, duplicates, input errors Single interface for all sites
Assigning to Providers Email or call, manual confirmation Automatic notification, dedicated provider interface
Financial Report for Management Manual consolidation, time-consuming Export in 3 clicks, real-time data
Scheduled Preventive Maintenance Calendar reminders, often missed Automatic scheduling, reminders, follow-up on reserves
Regulatory Traceability None natively Regulatory checks, reserves, complete history
Field Adoption (Operators) Good for office profiles, difficult on smartphone Optimized mobile interface, quick setup in 1 hour
Direct Cost Free €249–449/month + €19.90/site
Real Cost (Time) 1/3 FTE for invoice reconciliation 2 hours/week after deployment (Beauty Success)
Scalability Explodes beyond 20 sites Designed for 1 to 1,000+ sites

Excel is free — that’s a real advantage. The question isn’t about choosing the cheapest option, it’s about choosing what costs you the least in time and errors at your scale.

Still not convinced? Try Bob! Desk for free — no credit card, no commitment.

What It Changes in Practice

-30%
processing costs & management
Groupe Blachère, +800 points of sale
35%
tickets resolved in under 2 hours

Groupe Blachère

,
2h/wk
accounting workload for invoices
vs 1/3 FTE before Bob! Desk (Beauty Success)
4,98/5
customer support rating
1,477 inquiries in 2024
?

Who is Bob! Desk For?

We don’t aim to cover every need. But for certain profiles, our intervention and maintenance management software is an obvious choice.

🏪
Retail Maintenance Manager

You manage 50 to 200 stores. You’ve moved on from Excel and your inbox is overflowing. Your providers impose their own tools. Bob! Desk centralizes everything.

See the Lapeyre case →

🏥
Technical Director, Leisure / Health

You manage a CAPEX budget and need to report to your management. You require financial and regulatory extracts at any time.

See the Le Five case →

🍽️
CHR Facility Manager

Restaurants, hotels: zero lost tickets, maximum responsiveness. Your teams create requests from the field in 30 seconds.

See the Big Mamma case →

🔧
Multi-Technical Provider

You work on client sites and want to strengthen your commercial offer with a professional tracking tool.

See the Tourne & Vis case →

“

Multiplying Excel files had become commonplace. Given the volume of interventions, implementing a CMMS was an obvious choice. Bob! Desk was selected for its solution’s simplicity and its ability to support us over the long term.

Lucie P.
Digital Project Manager, Groupe Blachère — +800 points of sale

Your Questions on the Excel → CMMS Transition

Everything you need to know before adopting a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System).

Can we keep Excel alongside?

Yes, during the transition. Most clients import their Excel data into Bob! Desk to get started. The migration takes under 2 hours.

How long does it take to train our teams?

We can take over your history and data. And if our solution isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you honestly — even if it means pointing you elsewhere.

What if we already have another CMMS

We can take over your history and data. And if our solution isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you honestly — even if it means pointing you elsewhere.

Can we test before committing?

Yes. Free trial, immediate setup, no credit card required. Deployed on your network in under a day.

What's the contract commitment?

No binding commitment. You retain control over your choices at all times.

Try the Difference Yourself

Try Bob! Desk CMMS software: free, immediate, no commitment.

✔ No installation ✔ Free trial ✔ No credit card needed