When you are a proprietor or manager of a retail store, there are many important things you must consider to achieve success in your commercial space, and one of them is knowing how to perform regular maintenance service on your premises, as it comprises many different elements.
The maintenance of retail stores involves a set of actions and tasks aimed at caring for, maintaining, enhancing, and updating the commercial furnishings of a physical point of sale. This can be carried out by the proprietor or by a proficient, multidisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to this purpose.
At the same time, some maintenance tasks may appear simple at first glance, but they require significant effort, knowledge of appropriate techniques, and determination. When carried out comprehensively, they ensure that the store remains in optimal working conditions.
Absolutely! Regular maintenance of your retail store is crucial to maintaining a pleasant, clean, and well-kept environment. This not only enhances the overall shopping experience for customers but also enables them to make informed decisions comfortably. By conducting regular maintenance, you can prevent the need to halt commercial activities for extended periods, ensuring uninterrupted operations and customer satisfaction.
Indeed, the most commonly requested maintenance services in retail stores are often related to climate control, which is essential to maintaining a comfortable environment within the premises throughout the year. Likewise, regular maintenance of the store's furnishings is also a frequent demand. Ensuring the proper functioning of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems helps create a welcoming atmosphere for customers while maintaining and updating the retail furniture ensures a visually appealing and functional shopping space. Both aspects contribute significantly to enhancing the overall shopping experience and positively impact customer satisfaction.
3 Types of maintenance for retail stores"
Thanks to technological advances, we can perform maintenance at different stages of the equipment's lifespan. Depending on when it is conducted, we can identify three types of maintenance, which are: preventive, reactive, and predictive. They will be described below.
1- Preventive Maintenance
Prevention is the best solution for any problem, whether it is present or future. This recommendation remains the same for any industry, including commercial establishments and our homes.
The objective of preventive maintenance is to observe and evaluate, anticipating potential problems that may arise with machines, equipment, and the overall facilities of the location. By assessing them proactively, the aim is to prevent more significant issues from occurring.
Similarly, preventive maintenance ensures the preservation of a certain level of service that allows for maximum productivity while avoiding subjecting the equipment to excessive stress. By regularly monitoring and addressing minor issues before they escalate, this approach helps to maintain the efficiency and longevity of the machines and equipment, thus contributing to the overall smooth operation of the retail store.
A crucial characteristic of preventive maintenance is its systematic nature: interventions based on cleaning, inspection, and revision must be carried out regularly. Statistics demonstrate that preventive maintenance can reduce serious equipment failures by up to 80%. By adhering to a well-planned schedule and proactively addressing potential issues, retail stores can significantly minimize unexpected breakdowns and ensure smoother operations, enhancing the overall reliability and productivity of their business.
2- Reactive maintenance
Before commencing any work, all equipment and facilities of the retail store must be thoroughly inspected to determine their exact condition. Reactive maintenance tasks are based on the following elements: observation, evaluation, and correction.
Reactive maintenance encompasses specific tasks aimed at rectifying failures that occur in the equipment and facilities. However, breakdowns can also happen with general installations or the store's furniture, and they should be included in this type of maintenance as well.
It is essential to note that these malfunctions are primarily observed by the equipment users, and it is their responsibility to inform the maintenance department promptly so that corrective measures can be taken in a timely manner.
The equipment used in a commercial enterprise largely depends on the purpose of the installation, so it is necessary to determine firstly which tools and professionals should be consulted when the need arises.
These types of maintenance tasks usually focus on repairing equipment malfunctions, but consideration is also given to the possibility of replacement to ensure the continued functioning of the business. If, despite performing preventive maintenance, the rate of reactive maintenance exceeds 40%, it is recommended to consider equipment replacement.
3- Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance activities, unlike the previous types of maintenance, have a singular objective: observation.
At this point, it is necessary to distinguish between preventive and predictive maintenance, as they are often confused. Preventive maintenance involves identifying and correcting a problem before it occurs.
Predictive maintenance, on the other hand, focuses on monitoring the condition of both equipment and the workplace's supporting structures and facilities. It is important to note that predictive maintenance may also include preventive maintenance; the difference is that corrections are only made when necessary.
To perform predictive maintenance tasks, it is essential to identify certain implicit physical factors in the equipment and installations, such as temperature, energy consumption, efficiency, among others.
The identification of these factors will trigger an alarm for the operation and, therefore, for the maintenance personnel when their variation occurs.
Generally, predictive maintenance activities are carried out by personnel with a deep knowledge of the equipment, but they are not usually required in all commercial establishments, except for those with machinery or high-consumption and high-productivity equipment.
Our advice is to thoroughly understand the workplace and all the equipment and tools that contribute to the business's operations. Regardless of how small or simple they may seem, they require special care, and as a result, maintenance tasks will generally be limited by them.
What importance do maintenance procedures have?
Maintenance must be carried out because all equipment, indiscriminately, undergoes wear and tear that eventually compromises its functionality. Failing to perform regular equipment maintenance can lead to critical and often irreparable consequences, resulting in the following:
Increased incidence of corrective maintenance.
Higher costs for spare parts inventory and maintenance itself.
Unnecessary replacement or deterioration of components.
Unnecessary inspections of well-functioning equipment.
Increased equipment downtime due to maintenance.
Escalating demand for corrective maintenance.
Compromised user safety and integrity.
Based on the arguments we have presented, it is not difficult to understand why all discussions on maintenance find their oasis in preventive maintenance.