If you’re planning major maintenance work, it may be wise to schedule it after business hours. If loud equipment or disruptive procedures must be used to perform the maintenance task, it can be better to invest in after-hours care rather than risking shutdowns or lowered productivity during the day. However, in order for after-hours maintenance to be cost-effective, it requires thorough planning on the part of the facility manager and maintenance team.
The benefits of properly planned and scheduled maintenance are numerous:
- Increased productivity from your maintenance team
- Reduced facility downtime due to emergency maintenance
- Fewer instances of maintenance rework and mistakes
- Increased understanding of long-term maintenance goals
- Better communication between staff and maintenance technicians
- Lower spare parts holding needs
- Worksite risk minimization
Planning after-hours maintenance is a smart move for many reasons. It can further reduce downtime and creates a better tenant experience than scheduling maintenance services during business hours.
Work out a budget with your maintenance team.
After-hours maintenance services can oftentimes be more expensive. While it may be worth the investment, you should carefully consider what tasks are most important to be handled after closing, and which ones may be more cost-effective to perform during business hours with minimal disruption.
Look at wrench time studies and past work to determine your team.
If you’re going to perform maintenance service after hours, you want to ensure you have a team that works quickly and efficiently. Not only will budgeting your time be important, but a highly qualified team will ensure that the job is done before the next day.
Increase the accuracy of labor estimates.
After-hours maintenance often has stricter timeframes to comply with. In many cases, facility managers poorly estimate labor hours needed for a task to be completed. Work with your maintenance team and look at past service times to accurately estimate labor times for the services you scheduled.
These tips will help you better prepare for after-hours maintenance and get more done at your facility. To learn more, talk to your local MaintenX team about after-hour services and options for emergency repairs.
