The first call-out on a brand-new lift
Your installation team hands over a new passenger lift at a block of flats. The project manager is pleased: on time, commissioned, signed off. Three weeks later the lift traps a resident, and the on-call engineer arrives to find no lift record in the service system, no motor room key on the key board, and a controller they have not been trained on. The wiring diagrams are in the project manager's email. The warranty terms, which decide whether this call-out is chargeable, are in the contract file.
Meanwhile the first planned service visit has not been scheduled, because nobody told the planner the lift existed.
Why installation and service do not meet
Installation and service are often run as separate parts of a lift business, with different managers, different systems and different priorities. The project team is measured on finishing. The service team inherits whatever arrives.
- Project documents are stored in project folders, not against a lift record.
- Keys and access arrangements are handed to the customer, not always to your service team.
- Warranty start dates and terms are in the sales contract.
- The maintenance contract, if sold, is set up later by someone else.
- Nobody owns the handover as a task with a checklist.
The cost of a clumsy handover
The first months after installation are when customers are most sensitive. A new lift that breaks down and is attended slowly by an engineer without information looks bad for the whole company, including the installation team who did good work. Warranty call-outs get charged or not charged by accident. The maintenance contract you sold with the installation starts late, or starts without a planned visit schedule.
A handover workflow that finishes before the project does
We build a handover workflow that starts well before completion and connects your project records with your service system.
- When a lift installation project reaches a set stage, a handover record is created for each lift, with a checklist of what the service team needs.
- The checklist covers the lift record details, controller and drive models, wiring diagrams and manuals, commissioning records, keys and access, emergency line details, warranty start date and terms, and maintenance contract details.
- Documents are uploaded to the handover record and automatically attached to the lift's document library in the service system.
- The service manager reviews and signs off the handover. Missing items are listed and assigned back to the project team.
- On sign-off, the lift record is created in the service system, the visit schedule is set, the warranty period is recorded so call-outs are classified correctly, and the lift appears on the planner.
- Engineers who will cover the lift can be flagged for familiarisation if the controller type is new to them.
| Item | Usually handled by | After the handover workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Lift record | Created after the first call-out | Created at sign-off |
| Diagrams and manuals | In the project manager's email | On the lift record |
| Keys and access | With the customer | Recorded before handover |
| Warranty terms | In the contract file | On the lift, used for call-outs |
| First service visit | Missed or late | Scheduled at sign-off |
A new lift that looks after itself
The service team knows about new lifts before they are handed over, and has everything it needs on the day. The first call-out, if there is one, is attended by an engineer with diagrams, keys and the warranty status on their phone. The planner schedules the first visit on time. The installation team gets a clean finish, instead of calls from service colleagues asking where things are.
Over time you can also see where handovers are delayed and which items are most often missing, which helps you improve the project process itself.
In practice, the project manager sees the handover checklist appear a few weeks before practical completion, with the items only they can supply highlighted. They upload the diagrams and commissioning records as they arrive, the stores team confirms the motor room keys are on the service key board, and the service manager signs off the day the customer accepts the lift. Nothing depends on someone remembering to send an email.
Signs your handovers need work
- New lifts appear in the service system after their first call-out.
- Engineers ask the project team for diagrams.
- Warranty call-outs are sometimes charged by mistake.
- First service visits on new lifts are missed.
- There is no checklist for handover from installation to service.