As the country sees some of the hottest days on record, we’d like to highlight the important of our services in the warmer weather…….

Did you know that your lift is more likely to breakdown in higher temperatures due to the increase in operating temperatures? Here at Ascendant Lifts, we recognise the importance of this and the need for a quick response time. The breakdown of your lift can affect your footfall making it more difficult for those with mobility issues to get around your venue and in turn this may stop them visiting and affect your revenue.

A lift kept in good working order is very much part of the customer experience. As we’ve previously stated, It allows companies to forge a reputation for offering accessibility and to be recognised as a business which cares about the needs of those with mobility issues.   As our sales manager Justine highlighted in a previous news story ‘we live in a world where social media is a major influence, negative feedback spreads rapidly and if you have a lift which is prone to breakdowns, and not being maintained correctly, it only takes one bad review to impact on a companies reputation’. That’s why we are here to help YOU, as our customer!

Passenger-carrying lifts should have an examination carried out; after substantial and significant changes have been made; at least every six months. If your building has a lift then you need to understand LOLER Regulations and how often your lift should be managed. You as a business owner or employer have a legal responsibility to make sure that lifts being used on your premises are maintained and are kept in safe working order. LOLER stands for Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (1998).  It outlines the requirements and regulations for anyone who owns or is ‘responsible for the safe operation of a lift used at work’. It states three separate types of actions that should be carried out on your passenger lift; preventative maintenance, inspections and thorough examinations. A LOLER is something we can offer you as part of our service at Ascendant Lifts. Having your lift service regularly can prevent unnecessary, lengthy, costly call outs which impact that all important customer experience.

Despite having all of the above in place, unfortunately, things can go wrong from time to time – which is where we’re here to help! Our 24/7 engineers are on hand to take your call and get with you as quickly as possible. Entrapment? We’ll get to you as quickly as possible to release the trapped passengers! Breakdown? We can work through the night to get your lift working as quickly as possible. From our North-East & North-West offices, we have some of the countries most experienced engineers on call for our customers. The customer experience is very much at the centre of what we do here at Ascendant Lifts and we strive for no less than 100% satisfaction – if you’re not satisfied, neither are we & we guarantee to put it right!

If your business has lift(s) which aren’t currently being maintained or if you’re not as happy with your current supplier (as your would be with us!), then get  in touch with us here at Ascendant Lifts & Escalators and we can help you out with a tailored plan to suit your needs. You can contact our friendly staff at our Gateshead office on 0800 599 1977 or give our North-West office a call on 0161 355 2292

We look forward to welcoming you onboard and another happy customer with a well maintained lift that keeps rising even when the heat does!

We’re recruiting for two positions in our Gateshead office. This is a great opportunity to work as part of our friendly, results driven Accounts team! Both positions are full time, if you’d like further information please email lisa.scanlin@ascendantlifts.co.uk

“As a fresh face in the lift industry, its not been simple to get up to speed with the in’s and out’s of how this sector works. I’ve had a lot of learning and research to do when it comes to everything I need to know regarding lifts. In just short of 6 months, one of the main things I’ve learned a lot about is how important it is to keep a lift maintained.

The installation of a lift is, of course, a major investment for most businesses. Once a lift is up and running, it can draw in a whole new line of custom, your building(s) become more accessible to a wider range of the community around you. But what about after that?

Regular good-quality maintenance is vital to ensure that those same customers keep coming back.

A lift kept in good working order is a hugely useful tool for good customer service. It allows companies to forge a reputation for offering excellent all-round accessibility and to be recognised as a business which cares about the needs of those with mobility issues.  With all customers having access to the full range of facilities and services, a business will find itself in a far better position to expand its customer base and grow accordingly. As we live in a world where social media is a major influence, negative feedback spreads rapidly and if you have a lift which is prone to breakdowns, and not being maintained correctly, it only takes one bad review to impact on a companies reputation.

This begs the question, what is the point in investing a lot of money into lift(s) if they aren’t going to be maintained correctly?

The easiest thing to compare it to when I speak to clients, is a car. Cars have parts which are costly to replace if they are left to wear and tear without regular upkeep. That’s the reason we all get MOT’s and servicing done once a year isn’t it? To prevent any annoying, expensive bills coming our way! When it comes to lifts, its not too different.

Like a car, a lift generally features:

• a motor (machine)
• brakes
• electronic controller
• user controls
• doors

All of the above are expensive to replace. So, keeping to this analogy, a lift, just like a car, should require regular servicing throughout its life, receive routine inspections and have a programme of planned preventative maintenance in place as standard, this should never be overlooked.

Here at Ascendant Lifts & Escalators, we specialise in just that. Regular service visits will keep lifts in perfect working order, allowing a business to concentrate on the vital task of providing excellent service to its customers.

When lifts are regularly maintained and inspected, even the smallest of issues can be addressed efficiently before they cause problems at a later date. That’s why on each PPM visit we provide all customers with a full report on their equipment, detailing the items that require attention, either now or in the future. This allows our customers to plan ahead with regards to remedial works and budget for anything that may be required in the future. Basically an MOT for your lift!

For a lot of businesses, to be hit with surprise repair costs on facilities could be seriously damaging, especially when it could have been totally preventable if the right actions had been taken to intercept it beforehand.

Regular lift maintenance also covers important safety and regulatory issues that you are required to by law to comply with. This is in order to satisfy your legal obligations as a building operator or owner.

Regulations can apply to residential blocks as well as office buildings, including:

• the Health and Safety at Work Act
• the Lift Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
• the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations

Making sure that your lift is in a good and safe working order is essential to ensuring compliance. It will also make sure you’re keeping your customers, your staff and yourself safer from potential accidents caused by neglect.

Taking everything mentioned above into consideration, and on the short video included in this article, it will hopefully give you a better understanding of the importance of lift maintenance.

If your business has lift(s) which aren’t currently being maintained or your current supplier isn’t performing servicing as they should, Get in touch with us here at Ascendant Lifts & Escalators and we can help you out with a bespoke plan to suit your needs. Contact me personally justine.bland@ascendantlifts.co.uk”

Head Office: head.office@ascendantlifts.co.uk

Telephone: 0800 599 9177