In the facilities management space, maintenance tends to fall under two broad categories: Reactive and recurring.
Reactive maintenance helps you react when you need something right now. Recurring—or preventative—maintenance is more of an investment in the long-term health of your locations.
It’s easy enough to understand the value of getting something fixed right away. Especially when it comes to revenue-generating equipment, you almost can’t afford not to throw your resources at the problem.
But the value of preventative maintenance isn’t always obvious. If something isn’t broken, does it really need to be fixed?
In truth, your preventative maintenance strategy will prove more important than ever. Here’s why you should invest time and resources toward recurring work throughout your portfolio.
Keep revenue-generating equipment running smoothly
Your assets are the lifeline of your business.
You expect them to be there when you need them most, to work every time you hit a switch or turn a knob. It’s become second nature. Many of your assets even run when you’re asleep.
So it’s disorienting when they don’t respond like they should. And what then?
The financial effects could be huge. Your business may need to go offline for the day, or longer. Inventory and merchandise could be damaged, which may involve other maintenance. The list goes on.
With a smart preventative maintenance program in place, you dramatically reduce your odds of requiring sudden and significant forms of asset repair. By maintaining what works, you avoid seeing it break.
Enhance customer trust and safety
Your customers choose to spend with your business because they trust you to deliver on their needs. They feel welcomed and understood by you—they feel safe referring you to people they know.
The old adage is true—we choose with our emotions and justify those choices with logic. Customer experience is more important than ever, and your facilities play a big role in creating that experience.
Everything from your attention to floor care, to lighting details, to the condition of your restroom amenities communicates something specific to your customers about how they’re meant to feel.
Recurring maintenance at your locations can make the difference between your customers feeling welcomed and safe and feeling like an obstacle in the way of doing business.
But apart from influencing brand perception, your program can have a direct impact on customer safety. You can limit slip-and-fall accidents, exposure to viruses, pests, harmful chemicals, mold, and more.
Secure long-term facilities savings
Finally, a preventative maintenance program offers major possibilities for your organization’s bottom line.
Recurring maintenance means lower overall maintenance costs, fewer costly asset replacements, fewer reactive maintenance needs, and far fewer major disruptions over the life of your program.
Your locations will run more predictably, customer satisfaction will increase, and you’ll have greater resources to invest in furthering your brand’s vision and your most desired outcomes.
Even in the short term, a sensible preventative maintenance program puts you in the best possible position to serve your customers, associates, and your broader community.
Maintenance is so much bigger than the simple story of break and fix—as we’ve learned about preventative and recurring maintenance, it’s sometimes a matter of avoiding traditional fixes altogether. The most effective maintenance program is one rooted in deep expertise and the benefit of real time, actionable data insights. It’s worth working with a trusted partner in this space: weknowFM@smsassist.com.