Get an Elevator Service Agreement to Minimize Downtime

If your elevators are not working, your employees and customers cannot do what they need to in your business. This cuts down on your profits and makes life simply difficult for everyone. Unless you are skilled at fixing elevators yourself, you need an elevator service agreement to help ensure things keep running as they should for your business, but you need to make sure the agreement is the right one for your company.

One of the first things to look for in an elevator service agreement is competitive pricing. As with other important services, you do not necessarily want to go with the cheapest option, but you do want to go with one that is competitive with the others.

Next, look for a company willing to offer you an extensive contract. If they are willing to sign one for, say, five years, they are showing you that they are a serious company who is going to be in business for a long time. They are wiling to make investments into their customers and do a good job on the services you need them to do in order to remain a competitor in the business.

If possible, see if you can get an agreement from the manufacturer or installer of your elevators. This ensures that the contractors know the products well. This may not be possible in your area, so look for an elevator service company that states that they know your elevators manufacturer well. The better the contractor knows the unit he or she is working on, the more efficient and effective the repairs will be.

The best contracts are those that are tailored to the elevators you have. They should note the size, age, use, and equipment type somewhere in the contract. You do not want a generic maintenance plan, but rather one that is tailored to the equipment your building has. Again, this ensures that the services you receive are effective.

Next, look at the way the company measures success in the contract, and make sure this is something you feel is appropriate. For instance, some contracts will measure success based on uptime and downtime. They may strive for 99 percent uptime, with a 1 percent time left for maintenance. This high percent shows they are confident in their skills. Others may measure success by the number of call backs they get after performing routine maintenance. If they are called back to your office more than three times in a year, for instance, they are going to give you some of your money back.

Elevator service contracts are vital to your company's success. Before you sign one, read through it carefully to ensure that you know everything it entails and are certain that it will meet your needs. Remember, you need to keep your elevators running well to have your business succeed, whether they carry customers or employees, so the right contractor for this service is vital to your company's overall success.