The verdict in three sentences
A lift company managing 1,800 lifts must carry out about 15,600 visits a year to meet the 6-week interval, not counting breakdowns and in-car alarm calls. A generic CMMS at 50 to 90 EUR per technician per month covers work orders but rarely the digital maintenance logbook, contract invoicing and on-call logic specific to the trade. Custom software at 45,000 to 85,000 EUR becomes cost-effective once missed visits and call-out delays start affecting contract renewals.
The regulatory constraints that shape the software
French lift safety rules, dating from 2004 and codified in the Building and Housing Code, set several obligations for maintenance contracts: a maintenance visit at least every 6 weeks, a maintenance logbook, an annual report to the owner, repair of minor parts and call-outs, including releasing trapped passengers 24 hours a day. On top comes a five-yearly inspection by an independent body.
For a lift company, every breach is a contractual risk and a reason for the building manager to switch suppliers. The software must therefore guarantee that no visit goes past its due date and record each intervention in an enforceable way.
| Obligation | Frequency | What the software must do |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance visit | Every 6 weeks maximum | Automatic due dates, D-7 alert, optimised route |
| Maintenance logbook | At each intervention | Mobile entry, signature, owner access |
| Passenger release | 24/7 | Receive in-car alarm, on-call dispatch, arrival timestamp |
| Breakdown call-out | Per contract (often 4 business hours) | Breakdown queue, contractual delay tracking |
| Annual report | Once a year | Automatic generation per lift |
| Five-yearly inspection | Every 5 years | Due date tracking and remedial actions |
| Compliance upgrades | On request | Quote, order, scheduling |
Custom or generic CMMS
| Criterion | Generic CMMS | Custom lift software |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | 3,000 to 10,000 EUR setup | 45,000 to 85,000 EUR |
| Recurring cost (30 technicians) | 18,000 to 32,400 EUR per year | 8,000 to 13,000 EUR per year (maintenance, hosting) |
| Cumulative 5-year cost | 93,000 to 172,000 EUR | 85,000 to 150,000 EUR |
| 6-week interval per lift | Configurable, often via workarounds | Native, with no-overrun rule |
| In-car alarm calls | Rarely integrated | Direct reception and ticket creation |
| Logbook visible to building managers | Rarely | Client portal included |
| Contract invoicing and index revision | Separate accounting module | Built in, automatic yearly revision |
| On-call rota | Basic | Rotation, cover, allowance calculation |
Over five years, costs converge. The difference lies in trade coverage, which drives the contract renewal rate.
V1 scope
- Lift register: address, type, load, floors, linked contract, full history.
- Visit scheduling with the 6-week constraint and geographic route grouping.
- Technician app offline: checklist per lift type, photos, parts replaced, signature.
- Breakdowns and in-car alarm calls: received from the alarm system or call centre, assigned to the nearest on-call technician.
- Building manager and landlord portal: logbook, annual reports, service requests.
- Invoicing of contracts with yearly revision, and of quoted works.
Timeline: 5 to 6 months for V1, with gradual switchover sector by sector.
Mini case study
Nadia, managing director of an independent lift company in the Paris region, manages 1,800 lifts and 30 technicians. With spreadsheet scheduling, about 2% of visits overrun the 6-week due date, or 312 visits a year, and average call-out time reaches 6 hours.
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Each year she loses around ten residential building contracts, often after a slow call-out. At an average of 1,400 EUR per lift per year, with 3 lifts per lost contract, the loss reaches 42,000 EUR of annual recurring revenue.
With custom software at 70,000 EUR, missed visits drop to zero thanks to D-7 alerts, and automatic assignment to the nearest technician brings call-outs down to 3 hours. If half the contract losses are avoided, the gain is 21,000 EUR a year, not counting about 1 hour saved per technician per day on data entry and route preparation.
FAQ
Can the software receive alarm calls directly?
Yes, if the call centre or alarm unit exposes an API or sends structured emails. The ticket is created in under a minute and notifies the on-call technician.
How do we stop a visit from exceeding 6 weeks?
The software calculates each lift's due date and refuses scheduling beyond it. An alert goes to the team leader at D-7, then at D-2 if the visit is still unscheduled.
Can building managers view the logbook online?
Yes, through a client portal with per-building access. This cuts inbound information calls by about 30%.
What about technicians in basements with no network?
The app works offline and syncs as soon as the network returns. Arrival and departure timestamps are stored locally.
How long does it take to migrate our existing lift base?
For 1,800 lifts, migration from spreadsheets and old software takes 3 to 4 weeks, including one week of field checks on a sample.
Let's scope your project. Send us the size of your lift base, technician headcount and current tools: we will price the V1, indicative budget and switchover plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
