Equipment breakdowns and repairs cost you time and money. Here’s how an equipment maintenance history log can help prevent that loss.
When was the last time you updated your equipment maintenance history? For that matter, do you even keep a log of your maintenance activities? You might not. That wouldn’t be unusual. After all, when something breaks or needs a repair, you fix it. Problem solved.
Except, the problem isn’t really solved. Because whenever your equipment breaks down unexpectedly, it’s out of commission until you can manage to either get it repaired or track down a rental. Meanwhile, your customers are frustrated because they aren’t getting the service they’ve paid for. And if you need the equipment back quickly, you’ll pay extra for a rush job.
This is far from an ideal situation. And we’re all guilty of it at one point or another. It’s easy to ignore issues like maintenance and repairs when everything is running smoothly. But things don’t always run smoothly. And when we have equipment that we use day after day after day, things wear out.
So, to avoid an emergency situation where three of your vacuums all go down at once, or your best steamer gives up the ghost the same day you start a big job, maintenance is necessary. More than that, though, an equipment maintenance history log is necessary. Then you know exactly when your equipment was last serviced, and how long you have before you need to give your equipment a new belt, cord, gasket, etc.
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The 5 reasons your cleaning equipment maintenance history log is so important
1. Warranties! This is a big reason to keep up with your cleaning equipment maintenance history. You spend big bucks on your equipment. Most of that equipment comes with a warranty of some sort. And somewhere in the fine print, there’s likely a clause about maintenance. Often that clause says something along the lines of the warranty is invalid in the event of improper usage. Depending on how that’s all worded, it’s very possible that failing to keep up with maintenance can invalidate your warranty. So, the lesson here is to keep on top of your maintenance schedule and be sure to record that maintenance. The amount of money this could save you is reason enough to keep a maintenance log!
2. Cycle your equipment usability. You need to maintain your vacuums. You also don’t want to pull all of them out of service at the same time. However, your equipment maintenance history lets you use the FIFO approach. FIFO, or first-in-first-out, comes from the restaurant industry. It just means that you use the oldest product first. That way, you avoid spoilage and waste. You can use a similar approach with your equipment. Once item A gets serviced, it goes to the back of the line. Item B gets serviced next, followed by C, and so on. This way, you potentially don’t need to worry about anything going out unexpectedly.
3. Higher sale price. Here’s an interesting reason to keep your cleaning equipment maintenance history updated. At some point, you may decide to sell some of your equipment. Whether you want to upgrade, or just don’t need that particular item anymore, you can get some of your initial investment back by selling the equipment. It’s probably not much of a surprise, but when you have proof of regular maintenance, it’s easier to ask for a higher price.
4. Taxes. Now we’re getting into the good stuff. You aren’t just saving money here. You’re potentially making money. As a small business owner, you pay taxes, and you also have a number of things you can write off. These write-offs reduce the amount of taxes you owe. Equipment maintenance is a business expense, and, therefore, reduces your tax liability. However, you need records of these expenses. And one way to keep those records is to keep a history of your maintenance expenses.
5. Happier customers. If you’ve had the experience of telling a customer you can’t finish the work they’ve paid for because your equipment is broken down, you know how important this is. There’s nothing enjoyable about reaching out to a customer to tell them you can’t complete something they expect you to do. However, when you can look at your maintenance history, and especially when you can get notifications that it’s time for an update, you don’t have to worry about break downs.
There’s no downside to keeping an equipment maintenance history log. And once you get into the habit, you’ll find it’s an indispensable tool that helps keep your business up and running.
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