AI Document Search vs CAFM Software
AI document search and CAFM (Computer-Aided Facilities Management) software solve different problems for FM teams. CAFM tracks work orders, assets and PPM schedules; AI document search makes the manuals, drawings and certificates behind those assets actually findable. PM Assist started with the second job and now covers much of the first: every paid plan includes a compliance register, planned maintenance and inspections, with the documents behind them searchable.
What CAFM Software Does Well
CAFM systems excel at structured workflow management. They store an asset register, schedule planned preventive maintenance, raise and track work orders, manage contractors, and report on KPIs. The strength of CAFM is in operational throughput — moving jobs from raised to completed and capturing the data along the way.
CAFM is the system of record for what you've done. It tells you which assets exist, when they were last serviced, and which jobs are open today.
Where CAFM Falls Short
CAFM systems are not designed to make documentation searchable. Most CAFMs let you attach files to an asset record — manuals, drawings, certificates — but those attachments are stored, not indexed. To find a specific maintenance procedure or wiring detail you still have to open each PDF and search manually.
That gap is why engineers on site often bypass the CAFM entirely and search shared drives, email, or paper folders instead. The information they need is in the documentation, but the CAFM cannot answer questions about its content.
- Stores document attachments but doesn't search inside them
- No semantic search — exact keywords only, one file at a time
- Information in O&M manuals stays locked away from day-to-day work
What AI Document Search Adds
PM Assist is built to fill that gap. You upload the building's documentation and ask plain-English questions; the system returns a source-cited answer with the document name and page number, drawn from across every uploaded manual at once.
On paid plans it also holds an asset register, generates planned maintenance from it, runs inspections and keeps a compliance register, so the certificate behind each duty is searchable from the same place. It does not try to be a helpdesk or space-management system.
- Ask in natural language — no exact-keyword guessing
- Cited answers with page references for verification
- One search across every manual, drawing and certificate
- Mobile-friendly so engineers can use it on site
Alongside Your CAFM, or Instead of Part of It
If your CAFM runs reactive work, a helpdesk and space management well, keep it and add PM Assist as the documentation layer. When an engineer needs to know what the manufacturer says about a fault code, they ask PM Assist and get the answer with a citation back to the source.
If the CAFM is mostly a compliance register and a PPM calendar, PM Assist can hold those too, with the documents behind them read and searchable. For teams looking at CAFM today, the question is how much value is left on the table by attaching documents to a system that can't read them.
Free tools for this
Frequently asked questions
Does PM Assist replace a CAFM system?
Can PM Assist integrate with my CAFM?
Is PM Assist cheaper than a full CAFM platform?
If we already have a CAFM, why would we add PM Assist?
Compliance, PPM and Searchable Documents in One Place
Run the compliance register and planned maintenance with every manual, drawing and certificate findable in seconds.
- Upload and organise building documentation
- AI-powered search across all your manuals
- Source-cited answers for every query
- Team collaboration and access control
- No credit card required to start