If you have signage on your property you need to have a maintenance plan. This is mandated under UK law with the likes of the Health & Safety At Work Act, which we have covered in some detail. But another reason why you should have a signage maintenance plan is to protect your brand; over time signage will degrade and develop issues, both cosmetic, technical and structural. That bright new sign attracting customers will fade or start to look in poor shape. Your plan will mitigate against this happening.
There is also a third reason why you should have a signage maintenance plan, and that’s cost. Putting in place a plan that takes care of your signage extends the working life of signage. It also helps prevent minor issues developing into something much more serious – and expensive. And when you have so much around your property to contend with, being in control of the health of your signage helps you easily avoid distracting issues that take you away from other urgent tasks.
The Benefits Of A Signage Maintenance Plan
Here are some compelling reasons why you should have a signage maintenance plan:
Your Signage Life Will be Longer
A correctly maintained sign will work for longer. This simple point alone will save you both time and money otherwise having to buy and install replacement signs more frequently.
Your Brand Deserves It
Your signage is the single biggest piece of visual branding to your customers. So your signage simply must be in good health. When your signage is covered in dirt, or has lights on the blink, people will not be impressed. And a sign that looks in poor condition has customers wondering if you are just as careless about the products and services you offer. For the store manager, as well as the Facilities manager, it reflects on your professionalism.
Good Signage Stands Out
When a sign is well maintained it is easier to see – and attracts more customers. It may sound obvious but savvy retailers know how a bright, well-lit sign helps increase footfall into a store.
A Safe Sign Keeps Everyone Happy
People forget how much a sign can weigh – until it falls down. The fact they are located at height only makes them more of a risk to staff, customrs and the public at large. A maintenance plan reduces the risk of serious issues developing which could result in potentially serious injury to someone.
Nip Problems In The Bud
No signage has an entirely trouble-free life. The weather and constant seasonal cycle will result in your signage developing problems at some point. But, with a signage maintenance plan, you are far more likely to discover those problems before they become serious, and therefore be able to rectify the issue quickly and cheaply. It also helps you to avoid liability issues that may arise from a fault in your sign impacting on someone.
Better Budget Management
Introducing a Signage Maintenance Plan allows you to allocate work to each sign when required, thus identifying when and where your signage budget will be spent. This of course is invaluable with a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedule, as you can also prioritise works for signs around your budget, helping you to manage costs while mitigating risk.
What a Signage Maintenance Plan Could Include
Not all signage maintenance plans are alike; indeed, each sign should have a detailed care plan that understands a number of factors to ensure relevant services are applied when required. But there are core services that should be considered for any sign, including:
- Cleaning the external surfaces of signage
- Inspecting the integrity of the signage
- Check the integrity of the signage facia
- Safety – Inspecting the fixings and hardware
- Pest control
- Periodic replacement of lighting / LED upgrades
- Safety – Making necessary repairs
- Checks on weather proofing
- Refacing or updates to branding
While several of these tasks may sound straightforward, if done incorrectly it can actually do more harm than good. And then there are all the other typical maintenance tasks; how often should each one be undertaken? What do they entail? And who should do these tasks?
Incorporate An Asset Register To Your Maintenance Plan
For your signage maintenance plan to be effective it should contain details of the signage it is responsible for. The ideal way to do this is to compile an asset register of relevant signage across your estate.
By creating an asset register you will:
- Have an estate-wide picture of your signage
- Get a better understanding of the condition of the signage across your estate
- Create a list of issues which can be graded by priority
- Improve how you allocate budget on less serious repairs and issues
- Be able to create spend forecasts for any brand or technology updates
- Demonstrate you are prioritising Health & safety above all else
We will be covering asset registers in more detail in an upcoming article, but by having this register, you will have a base with a survey showing a condition report from the time of inspection of every sign in place in your estate, and is as invaluable as your maintenance plan should you ever receive a visit from the Health & Safety Inspectorate.
The Easy Way To Create A Signage Maintenance Plan
You could of course decide to create a signage maintenance plan yourself. But that can take a considerable amount of time, and your plan may adversely affect your signage. Instead, you should partner with a signage maintenance company such as Cygnia to create the ideal plan for your signage.
When you take this approach, you are working with experts who know what sort of schedule your signage should be kept under. And, rather than guessing what services are required when, you get the signage care services they actually need, when they need them. Saving you time, money, and avoiding both hefty repair bills or even unwelcome attention from the Health & Safety Inspectorate. Which, whenever you ask why you should have a signage maintenance plan, are the two biggest reasons for doing so.