Maintaining your business signage is often cast to back burner. You have so much going on trying to operate a facility or run a business, that worrying about a burned out channel letter or cracking acrylic is less a priority. However, you cannot forget the effect that business signage has on your brand and location. If the signage does not look professional or maintained, prospective customers could end up passing you by.
So, how do you tackle the challenge of keeping your signage functional? There are two solutions that you can choose: on-demand maintenance or scheduled maintenance. We’re going to compare these two types to help you figure out which strategy is best.
Different Types Of Maintenance
Across multiple industries, maintenance is always a topic of discussion. With several different kinds of maintenance strategies, people often get confused when setting up their strategies. When we talk about On-Demand Maintenance versus Scheduled Maintenance, we are really discussing the differences between preventative and corrective methods.
You may have heard about preventative maintenance before. It is often based on risk and the condition of the machinery, equipment, or other object being maintained, and it is a time-based process that opts to find faults before they worsen.
Corrective maintenance is the opposite. It is used in an emergency when problems have already happened and need to be corrected swiftly in order to return to normal operations. Corrective maintenance is often the result of running to failure.
So, to make it even more specific to signage: preventative maintenance is done prior to the sign failing to operate or damages becoming severe. Corrective maintenance is performed on a sign when a failure has occurred, and the signage needs to be reinstated.
About On-Demand Maintenance
Many businesses utilize the standard on-demand maintenance philosophy, meaning that when a sign breaks, that business calls a repair service to come out and correct the problem. As we mentioned above, this kind of maintenance is considered corrective. You are waiting for an issue to arise before doing anything about it.
Now, this kind of strategy has pros and cons that you can consider. The on-demand approach is, without a doubt, cheaper than scheduling routine inspections, because you are only paying for when you need a service. If the problems are always minor, then you can save yourself some money.
However, that advantage is met with some cons. You never know when a major problem has occurred, because you aren’t doing anything to enhance the sign’s longevity. So, in the event of an outage, you could lose your signage for days or weeks before it gets repaired. Secondly, on-demand services are not for inspections and cleanings. This could lead to things like timers getting overlooked, causing your illuminated sign to run for longer periods, upping your utility bill.
About Scheduled Maintenance
The second model for maintaining your business signage is where you plan out the maintenance in advance, thereby scheduling the arrival of the technician. Some businesses choose to have a scheduled inspection twice a year, while others may want to have preventative maintenance done more often. The decision is up to you.
Scheduled Maintenance And Decreased Downtime
When you schedule maintenance, you are ensuring efficiency from your business signage or lighting or other equipment. Scheduled maintenance allows for multiple tasks to be clumped together at once, so the technician can do more in a specified amount of time. This works to your advantage.
Since a large amount of scheduled maintenance is a routine inspection, the technician can detect any issues before they develop into a larger, more expensive problem. Early detection is crucial to keeping all kinds of equipment functioning optimally. Because of that, you don’t have to worry about unexpected downtime. Most minor problems can be corrected simply, so your business will not be affected.
Other benefits tied into scheduled maintenance include:
- Continuous cleaning. Since signage may get covered in dust, grime, and grit—which looks awful—scheduled maintenance often includes a service called “face-cleaning.”
- Reduced utility bills. Technicians can adjust the timer settings on illuminated signage to reduce the time the lights are on. You can thus saving money on electricity.
- Professional appearance. Since your signage will be shining brightly and never out of order, you have round-the-rock professionalism. This is important during peak times throughout the year, like the holidays.
Which Should You Use For Signage, On-Demand or Scheduled Maintenance?
Is there a way to effectively utilize both on-demand and scheduled maintenance? Or should you emphasize one over the other? It depends, but we recommend striking a balance between the
two. For the continued use of your business signage, preventative maintenance, including scheduled visits from a professional technician, can keep your business signage functional for longer. Waiting until something happens is not always the wisest option, but you should be prepared for accidents to happen, such as damage from a wind storm. In that event, it is wise to use on-demand maintenance to ensure the issue does not get more severe.
Call Tupp Signs Today For Scheduled Or On-Demand Maintenance!
If you are interested in having your business signage maintained or repaired, then you need a professional business sign company. Tupp Signs has been designing, installing, repairing, inspecting, and maintaining signs for many years now. Our technicians know what to look for, and we ensure that our services are always thorough. Reach out by filling out the contact form or giving us a call. Our helpful customer service team is always ready to answer your questions or get you a quote.