Reactive maintenance software that gets the engineer there
When the coffee machine goes down at eight in the morning, what matters is how fast the right person knows, how fast they arrive and whether anyone can see what is happening. Fabric handles the fault from the first report to the signed-off job.
Reactive maintenance by phone and email
A fault is reported to whoever picks up. Someone emails a contractor. The contractor replies to a different person. The engineer turns up, but nobody on site knew they were coming. The invoice arrives weeks later with a reference nobody recognises.
Reactive work is unavoidable. Equipment fails, pipes leak, doors stick. The question is whether each fault becomes a job that someone owns, or a thread of messages that someone has to chase. Most multi-site operators are somewhere in between, with a WhatsApp group for the urgent ones and a spreadsheet for the rest.
Reactive maintenance software gives every fault a home. It records who reported it and when, who it went to, when they responded, what they found and what it cost. That record is worth having on its own. Across a year and a dozen sites it tells you which kit to replace and which contractors to keep.
From fault to fix, on one timeline
Report from the site
Site managers raise a job against the site or asset from their phone, with a photo. It gets a reference and a timeline straight away.
Route to the right contractor
The job goes to the contractor who covers that site and trade, with the agreed response time attached. They update it by secure link.
Priorities and SLAs
Urgent, high, routine. Each priority carries a response and completion time, and overdue jobs are flagged for whoever is watching the board.
Engineer job cards
The engineer sees the asset, its history and previous faults before they arrive, and records what they found, with photos, when they leave.
Parts and quotes
If the job needs parts or a quote, that happens on the job. Price to be confirmed, priced, approved: nothing is lost in a separate email.
Invoice matched
The contractor’s invoice is matched to the completed job, so it is checked against the work that was signed off, not paid on trust.
What happens when the oven stops
- 08:05 ReportedThe site manager logs “oven not heating” against the oven, with a photo of the display.
- 08:06 AssignedThe catering equipment contractor for that site gets the job with a four-hour response SLA.
- 08:40 AcceptedThe contractor confirms an engineer for 11:00. The site manager sees it on the job.
- 11:20 On siteThe engineer opens the job card, sees the oven failed the same way in March, and finds the fault.
- 12:15 Signed offNotes, photos and the part used are recorded. The site is back in service.
- Later: invoicedThe invoice arrives, is matched to the job and approved in minutes.
Reactive maintenance, with and without Fabric
| Before | With Fabric | |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting a fault | Phone, text or email to whoever answers | Job raised against the site or asset |
| Knowing who is coming | Ask the contractor | Assignment and ETA shown on the job |
| Response times | Agreed somewhere, rarely checked | SLA on the job, overdue flagged |
| What the engineer knows | Whatever the site manager remembers | Asset history and previous faults on the job card |
| Proof of work | Paper job sheet, if it comes back | Photos, notes and sign-off on the job |
| Repeat faults | Hard to see | Full history per asset |
Less reactive work, handled better
- Faster response, because the right contractor is told at once
- Higher first-time fix, because the engineer arrives knowing the history
- Site teams who can see progress instead of chasing
- Contractors measured on real response times
- Fewer repeat faults, because the pattern is visible
Reactive maintenance should shrink over time. Fabric pairs it with planned preventative maintenance so that what fails repeatedly gets serviced before it fails again. Read reactive vs planned maintenance for how to shift the balance.
Common questions
What is reactive maintenance software?
Reactive maintenance software manages unplanned repairs: a fault is reported, a job is raised, a contractor is assigned with a response time, the engineer attends and the job is closed with evidence. Fabric links every reactive job to the site and asset it relates to, so the history builds up over time.
How do site teams report a fault?
From their phone or the site’s device, against the site or the specific asset, with a photo and a description. They can see progress on the job without phoning anyone.
Can I set priorities and SLAs?
Yes. Each job has a priority, and each contractor agreement carries response and completion times. The SLA shows on the job, and overdue jobs are flagged.
What about out-of-hours faults?
A fault can be raised at any time. Which contractor it goes to, and whether it waits for the morning, follows the rules you set for that site and that type of fault.
How does Fabric reduce reactive maintenance?
By making it visible. The asset history shows which equipment fails repeatedly, so it can be serviced, repaired properly or replaced. Our guide on reactive vs planned maintenance explains how to shift the balance.
How much does Fabric cost?
Fabric Core is £79 per site per month, or £67 a month paid annually, with optional bolt-ons for planned maintenance, compliance, contractors and costs. Fabric Complete, with everything included, is £129 per site per month, excluding VAT. There are no per-user fees and no long contracts.
Related
Reactive vs planned maintenance
Reactive vs planned maintenance explained: the cost and risk trade-offs, how to shift the balance across your sites, and the KPIs that show it is working.
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Read morePlanned preventative maintenance software
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Read moreRun your estate on Fabric.
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