What is the true cost of a broken lift? Beyond the obvious emergency call-out fee, broken, faulty or intermittent lifts can have a serious impact on your budget, reputation and even legal standing. On the flip side, being proactive with lift maintenance will yield benefits that may not be immediately obvious, but are equally important.
Many companies view lift maintenance as a burdensome expense, choosing only for the cheapest routine maintenance. This approach to lift maintenance completely misses the bigger picture of lift maintenance ROI and the hidden cost benefits of thorough lift maintenance packages.
Some hidden savings of a decent lift maintenance package include:
- A reliable service for users that contributes to their overall experience
- Complete operational efficiency across multiple storeys
- Peace of mind for LOLER compliance and equipment inspections
- Better risk maintenance
- Protects your legal standing against emergency scenarios and entrapments
- Protects budgets against unexpected call-outs and repair jobs
Overcoming the barriers to comprehensive lift maintenance packages
The fact is, stakeholders, finance departments and key decision-makers may overlook the hidden benefits of lift maintenance contracts. Rather than focusing purely on the cost of the package, think about potential impacts to your budget, performance and reputation because of a faulty lift.
You could face situations like:
- Frustrated users that can’t get where they ended to go – or worse, a lack of accessibility for disabled persons
- Operational delays and disruptions
- Stress of LOLER inspections
- Legal vulnerability in emergency situations
- Risk of high costs and surprise bills for call-outs and fault fixes
Real-world scenarios of neglecting lift maintenance
The consequences of failure are never uniform; they change dramatically depending on your sector and the critical role the lift plays. So what could it look like in real life?
Here are some real-world examples of the potential impact of a poorly managed lift:
Manufacturing & Logistics: Supply Chain Paralysis
In a sector defined by efficiency, an industrial lift failure is a complete operational catastrophe. A failed goods lift instantly becomes a bottleneck, stalling the vertical movement of raw materials or finished products. This means production line paralysis and immediate, quantifiable loss. You face severe, unnecessary downtime costing thousands per hour, potential breaches of contract, potentially spoiled inventory, and a delay to customers that can have repercussions throughout the supply chain. Remember when the ship got stuck in the Panama Canal?
Healthcare: Delaying Critical Care
A fault can delay patient transport to critical care or surgery, delay a staff member rushing to an urgent scene, or prevent the rapid movement of essential supplies. This is a non-negotiable risk that impacts patient safety, creates severe liability, and damages public trust. Zero tolerance for downtime is the only acceptable standard for hospital lifts, where equipment can be a matter of life or death.
Those managing healthcare environments must ensure rigorous lift maintenance is in place, including varying levels of testing and inspection for the different types across a hospital setting which can include transport lifts, passenger lifts, staff lifts and bed lifts.
Schools & Education: Accessibility and Reputation Hit
A broken school lift is a swift compliance issue. It immediately renders the building inaccessible for students and staff with mobility issues, placing the institution in breach of accessibility obligations. Beyond the disruption, this failure creates legal vulnerability, reputation damage, and the stressful scramble for expensive, immediate remedial action. Then there is the inevitable impact to the budget, which could affect other planned improvements to the school grounds, trips, or educational provision. Not to mention questions from the board and governors.
Offices & Commercial: Tenant Dissatisfaction
Commercial lift performance is a direct reflection of building quality. Inactive lifts lead to long, frustrating waits for tenants, clients, members of staff, and visitors. This erosion of user experience can cause reduced productivity, complaints, and ultimately, damaged tenant relationships, negatively impacting property value and the overall image of your business.
Take a proactive approach to lift maintenance
Don’t let your business suffer because of a situation that could easily be remedied by taking a proactive approach to lift maintenance. Choose Sheridan Lifts as your lift maintenance provider. We can tailor maintenance and inspections to your specific industry setting and lift type.
Ready to protect your budget and reputation? Contact our team today for a tailored, no-obligation assessment of your lift maintenance needs.