How to Choose the Right Lift Service Company

Choosing the Right Lift Service Company – A Tailored Approach

Lifts are vital assets for businesses of all sizes, ensuring smooth operations and ease of access. It follows, therefore, that a reliable lift service company is crucial for maintaining the performance and safety of your business lifts. When selecting your provider, though, it’s useful to know that lift service companies can vary in their offerings and areas of expertise.

Finding the right partner means carefully considering your specific needs and prioritising those services essential to your business. Tower Lifts has been providing lift maintenance, repairs, and modernisation over the past two decades. In this blog we’ll guide you through vital factors to bear in mind when selecting your provider.

Our aim is to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.

What is a Lift Service?

It’s useful to know, right at the start, what a lift service company offers:

  • Lift maintenance – Regular inspections, cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of worn parts to prevent breakdowns and prolong the lift’s lifespan.
  • Lift repairs – Troubleshooting, fixing lift breakdowns, emergency repairs.
  • Lift modernisation – Updating outdated components of the lift with the aim of improving energy efficiency, safety, and lift performance.
  • Lift refurbishment – Complete overhaul of the lift with state-of-the-art technology & design.

Experience, Reputation, and Expertise Matter

When choosing a lift service company, there are a number of key factors that it’s useful to look out for. Prioritise well-established companies, as this usually signals a strong track record of delivering reliable service. And take time to enquire about their company’s experience with your specific lift types and the range of challenges they’ve successfully resolved.

It’s important to take into account client feedback as this will give you a clear idea of the kind of customer experience you can expect. Finally, the work of a maintenance company isn’t just about looking after your lift, ensure they have the knowledge to guide you through regulations such as LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998). This demonstrates their commitment to safety and legal adherence.

Seeking a lift service company with both technical know-how and a willingness to advise means you’ll have a trustworthy partner looking after your lifts. This partnership ensures your team can confidently focus on your core business.

The Importance of Thorough Maintenance Checks

A key factor when choosing a lift service company is understanding the scope and frequency of their maintenance checks. Here’s what to consider:

  • Comprehensiveness. Does the company offer detailed inspection of all critical lift components (e.g., ropes, brakes, control systems, safety features)?
  • Standards. Be sure the company adheres to industry best practices and relevant regulations such as LOLER, PUWER and ISO 9001:2015 Lift Cert.
  • Frequency. The ideal maintenance schedule depends on your lift’s usage and age. Your chosen provider should be able to offer you recommendations on this.
  • Reporting: Will the company provide thorough reports after each visit, outlining any required actions and potential future concerns?
The Importance of Thorough Maintenance Checks

Regular lift maintenance matters because it extends the lifespan of your lift, prevents unexpected breakdowns, and increases the overall safety for your building’s occupants.

Lift Company Location, Response Time, and Coverage

When selecting a lift service company, it’s crucial to assess their coverage and ability to provide timely service, especially in emergencies. Consider these factors:

Proximity

Are the company’s service branches and engineers located near your business? This ensures faster response times in case of breakdowns. A local company may have better knowledge of your area, further improving their efficiency.

Guaranteed Response Times

Ask about the company’s response time policies for both routine maintenance and emergencies. A reliable provider should have specific targets for how quickly they’ll attend to your needs.

Capacity and Availability

Has the lift service company enough engineers and resources to handle your workload? This is especially important if you have multiple lifts or sites across the UK. Ask how they manage engineer availability during peak holiday periods to ensure consistent service.

Lift Engineer Expertise for Comprehensive Lift Service

The range of skills and knowledge within a lift service company’s engineering team directly impacts their ability to meet your specific needs. Here’s why expertise matters:

  • Different Lift Types. It’s important to know whether the company’s engineers have experience with the types of lifts you operate, whether passenger lifts, platform lifts, goods lifts, or others. This specialised knowledge is essential for effective maintenance and repair.
  • Control Systems and Applications. Modern lifts have complex control systems and various applications. Look for engineers who are proficient in troubleshooting a range of electrical, mechanical and tech components.
  • Diagnostic Skills. Experienced engineers can quickly pinpoint and resolve a wide range of lift issues. This minimises downtime and ensures efficient repairs.
  • Adaptability. Ideally your lift service company’s engineers can adapt to different lift makes and models.

Finding the Right Fit

Don’t hesitate to ask about the specific qualifications and experience of a lift service company’s engineers. For added peace of mind, consider using an unbiased lift consultant to help you find the company with the most suitable expertise for your needs.

Understanding Your Lift Service Contract – What’s Included and What’s Not

Before signing any contract, take time to review the terms and conditions of the lift service agreement. Here are some crucial questions to consider:

Scope of Services – Does the contract cover regular maintenance, emergency repairs, or both? Are services like refurbishment or modernisation included or offered as separate, optional services?

24/7 Support – Consider whether your business truly requires round-the-clock emergency coverage. If so, inquire about the specific response time guarantees in place.

Maintenance Costs vs. Repair Costs – Clarify whether repairs are included in the maintenance cost or billed separately. This significantly impacts your overall budgeting.

Parts Availability – How quickly can the lift service company source necessary parts, especially from the original manufacturer? Delays in obtaining parts can lead to extended lift downtime.

Hidden Costs – Look carefully through the contract for any additional fees or charges that may apply in certain situations (e.g., call-out fees, overtime rates, etc.).

The Importance of Transparency

A reputable lift service company will clearly outline everything included in your contract. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification, so that you can be sure there are no surprises down the road. Remember, a lower initial contract cost might not always translate to the best value over time, if repair costs and potential downtime are not factored in.

Ready to find a lift service company that truly understands your needs? Contact Tower Lifts today for a personalised consultation and experience the difference an experienced partner can make – 01525 601099.

Tower Lifts London lift team can design and install a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lifts