Over the past few years, I’ve noticed an interesting shift in how organizations handle work requests and customer interactions — especially where CRM and EAM systems overlap.
Traditionally, IBM Maximo has been the system of record for all work execution — from work requests to detailed work orders, scheduling, and close-out.
But many organizations today already use CRM platforms (Salesforce, Dynamics 365, ServiceNow, etc.) to manage citizen calls, customer service tickets, or internal service requests.
One client I worked with asked a bold question:
“If a Work Order is essentially a more detailed version of a Work Request, why not manage both in the CRM?”
They decided to extend their CRM with additional fields and workflows — effectively turning it into a light-weight work-order system. Maximo then served as the asset and lifecycle repository, synchronizing key statuses, labor, and cost data back to the enterprise layer.
This raised some fascinating discussions about:
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Where the system of record should live for work management
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How to ensure asset integrity and traceability when CRMs initiate work
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Whether the future of EAM lies in integration or functional consolidation
Question for the group:
How are your organizations handling this boundary?
Are work requests still initiated in Maximo, or have you moved upstream to CRM or ERP systems for the first touchpoint?