9 things to consider before deferring your maintenance requests

We all know that in many businesses, the facility maintenance department is seen as a cost center, a necessary evil, and a drain on the firm's resources. However, as facility maintenance professionals, we know that this couldn't be further from the truth.

Here are just a few examples of the great work of FMs that often goes unnoticed:

- The shopper passing by on the nearby highway who sees our sign wouldn't have stopped in if it wasn't for us.

- The group of shoppers who were able to visit our store on Black Friday due to the efficient snow removal plan that we had arranged months ahead of time. They had no idea what went into ensuring their retail therapy went as smoothly as it possibly could.

- The store associates who feel comfortable at work due to the regimented scheduled HVAC maintenance plan you have in place. Your colleagues don't realize how good they have it compared to associates in neighboring stores.

As FMs it is our job to educate those around us of the value that we provide to the company as a whole. It is up to us to demonstrate the energy savings generated from a lighting retrofit, the increased efficiency of the bathroom remodel that we implemented, or the call avoidance and minimized disturbance associated with the installation of a new BAS/ EMS platform.

The next time your colleagues, your boss, or the C-suite bring up the need to save money by cutting your preventive maintenance program, be sure to have the following list handy!

1. Long term costs - Saving a few hundred dollars now might seem like a good idea, but when you are laying out $15,000 for a full unit replacement later this summer you might see things differently. Just think of it like a car: you get your oil changed every 3000 - 7000 miles depending on the manufacturer's recommendation. We all have that friend who neglects to get their vehicle serviced, has a car that is always in the shop, and frequently finds themselves at the mechanics having their car worked on.

2. The safety of your store associates and customers - There are some things that just cannot be deferred. You have a mirror in a fitting room that is loose, it MUST be repaired immediately. You cannot wait for a few months to see if it is something that will go away by itself. Ignore it and before you know it you will have legal involved and your company will be facing a huge lawsuit head on.

3. The strength and image of your brand - You might think that you can save a few bucks by deferring your maintenance work, but this won't sit well with your customers. When your clients enter your store and see that the store environment is deteriorating they will be less likely to purchase your product, and there is a chance that they will take their business elsewhere. Word of mouth travels quickly, especially in this time of social media that we find ourselves in, and before you know it your brand is now seen as being a low end option who are only interested in making money.

4. The lifetime of your assets - If you neglect the scheduled maintenance of your systems, you will see a reduction in the life time of your assets. You will also have an inefficient system which will be wasting energy and causing you other costs that eat into your budget.

5. Voiding warranties - In many situations the landlord of your leasehold will have minimal levels of maintenance requirements written into the lease agreements. The manufacturers of the equipment will also typically have requirements in place for their warranties to remain valid. By cutting your scheduled maintenance services you will be the only one on the hook for the associated repair and replacement costs when these units fail. And they will fail...

6. A negative in-store experience - By not regularly tuning up your HVAC system you will experience sub-par performance and the store environment will not be as welcoming and relaxing as it should be. This negatively impacts your brand, people shop elsewhere, your revenue drops, and your bottom line takes a significant hit.

7. Store downtime - If your Miami store goes down on Labor Day due to your HVAC failing, not only will you experience lost revenue, you will likely lose customers, and your brand will be viewed negatively.

8. Unit failure - If you stop taking regular care of your HVAC systems, there is a higher chance that they will stop working. Minor damage such as a damaged belt can be simply solved with minimal expense if caught early enough. However, if these problems continue they will have a negative impact on the rest of the system, causing much more severe damage which comes with significantly higher repair and replacement costs. Added to this is the energy wastage and associated costs with the inefficient system.

9. A negative company culture - Employees want to feel safe, valued, and listened to in their place of work. If you start taking shortcuts and negatively impacting their work environment, you will quickly see your HR department with a huge workload due to staff turnover. Focus on the bigger picture, look longer term, and spend your money in a way that will not only make the store environment an enjoyable place for clients and employees, but will also

Before you decide to defer your maintenance work, be sure to consult all stakeholders, not just finance, to gather feedback from all areas which will show you what a terrible idea this is. The funny thing is that the actual way to reduce your corrective maintenance spend, is to go ahead an invest in a rigorous preventive maintenance program. This sounds a little counter-intuitive but is yet another example of the need to focus on the longer term when it comes to making decisions regarding your facilities.

If you feel stuck with your current methods of operating, we would be more than happy to take a look at your systems and explore ways in which you can become more effective and efficient, as well as saving money in the process. You can schedule a consultation with one of our facility professionals today, and start looking forward to having the weight lifted from your shoulders.