Conducting repairs within your business can be an onerous process, especially if you have many repairs to perform at once and if they will cause a lot of disruption. Not only this, but many business owners cannot afford to complete all the repairs that their company needs due to their high costs. If you are struggling to work out which repairs to prioritize first, read on for more information on how to create a priority list.
How do the problems affect your sales?
The first question you need to consider when deciding which repairs to prioritize is whether the maintenance problems that you are having are impacting your sales. For instance, if your tills are not working or you are unable to process payments, this could put customers off and even mean that you have to turn customers away. Not only this, but leaks and water damage may harm your stock and could mean you have less to sell to your clients. If the issues are affecting your sales, you should put them higher on your repairs list.
However, you should also think about how far these repairs will injure your sales. If there is a lot of disruption within your store or you need to take certain items off sale during this time, you might find that customers leave your store quicker and that they do not browse as they usually do. This might mean you have to wait until the right time to perform your repairs, such as at night or during a weekday when there are fewer crowds. By doing this, you will be able to stop your sales from dropping drastically.
How does the issue impact customer experience?
You should also think carefully about how the maintenance issue is impacting your customer experience. For instance, if your parking lot is churned up and difficult to park in, with smudged and almost invisible lines and an uneven surface, your customers might not have a great first impression of your business. In fact, they may be reluctant to park within your business’s premises and might decide to go elsewhere for the products they need. This is especially the case if your business has its store in an out-of-town center. If this is the case, you should make sure you call in parking lot maintenance experts straight away, which you can learn more about online.
You should also make sure that repairs are sorted out quickly if your store is disorganized and hectic due to the issues. For instance, if you have had to put up barriers that your customers have to walk around, this can make visiting your store a chore and can mean that customers come away with negative memories of what your business is like, even if you explain the disaster that has occurred.
How long will they take to complete?
When you are deciding which repairs to complete first, you should also think about how long they will take to finish up. Shorter repairs are often performed first because they will cause less upset to your usual daily routine and can be ticked off the checklist in no time at all, whereas longer projects take up more of your energy, can cause chaos for longer, and can even mean closing your store for a few days. However, you might choose to complete these longer repairs first if the other, smaller ones can be slotted into the everyday running of your company.
Do the problems make your site dangerous?
When you are deciding which repairs to do first, you should also consider whether these concerns are making your site dangerous for both your employees and your customers. For instance, if your staff continue to use broken machinery, this could cause them to sustain an injury. Not only could this be a bad experience for them and lead to months of recovery, but you might also find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit if you have prior knowledge of what is wrong and do not do anything to stop it. Until you are able to get the professionals in, you should put up signs that warn guests and your team about what is ahead, and you might also block off areas that are potential danger zones.
What are the most common repairs?
Businesses face the possibility of a lot of repairs throughout their lifespan. One of the most common of these is difficulties with the technology they are using. For instance, you might find that your business computers often crash or are now the host of a computer virus that is attacking your gadget. In these cases, you should call out an IT company that will be able to fix both the external worries with your technology and the troubles you are facing when it comes to your software and data storage.
You might also find that there are complications with your electricity, such as sparking plugs or damaged wiring. Experts are often contacted for these risky repairs, as it is dangerous to meddle with electricity unless you know what you are doing. However, not many companies can go about their daily tasks without the use of electricity.
You might also find that your business experiences plumbing disasters, including blocked toilets, faucets, and pipes, as well as leaking taps and even floods. This could seriously damage your equipment and leave you unable to provide the facilities that your employees need.
How can you prioritize them?
If you are struggling to prioritize the tasks ahead, you should consider making a plan that lists all of the repairs that need doing in order of importance, starting with emergency repairs and making your way down to low-impact repairs. Once you have done this, you should also get quotes for the cost of each repair and see which jobs are in your budget and which ones you might not be able to complete until a later date. This will help you to make a better decision about which repairs to opt for first.