More than lifts: What Liftex taught me about the future of service management

Authored by: Paul Webb, Head of Customer Insight and Education

The unexpected invite

It started, as these things often do, with a last-minute conversation.

“Paul, we think you should go to Liftex,” said my finance director and VP of Growth, leaning across the desk. Now, I’m not usually the one sent out to events. I’m not a salesman, and I’ve never claimed to be.

I’m a learning designer, a consultant, an SME, a teacher - someone who helps companies grow and get more out of the systems they already use.

So my first thought was, what am I really going to bring to a trade show full of manufacturers, part suppliers and engineers?

Turns out, quite a lot.

No stand, no sales pitch, just conversations that mattered

Unlike many companies at the event, my colleague Myles and I didn’t have a stand. No glossy banners or giveaway pens. We weren’t there to sell anything.

Our purpose was simple - walk the floor, listen to people, and talk with the engineers, project managers, and business owners who keep the lift and escalator industry moving.

And in doing so, we ended up having some of the most honest, energising conversations I’ve had in a long time.

From the moment we stepped onto the floor, it was clear the energy was different this year. Yes, there were the usual product demos, smart innovations, and technical discussions - but underneath all of that, I could sense a shift.

People were talking less about “what the software does” and more about “what it helps us do.”

The focus was growth - business growth, team growth, operational maturity - and how technology can either support or sabotage that journey.

It was a breath of fresh air, to be honest. No pressure. No pitch. Just shared experiences and a mutual curiosity about how we all move forward.

Our customers found us; and brought stories

We hadn’t even made it halfway down the first aisle before customers started making a beeline for us. “Paul! Myles! Didn’t expect to see you here.”

What followed were a series of brilliant chats - check-ins, feedback, ideas for future use, and plenty of “you’ve got to tell the team this!” messages.

Some shared how they’d been expanding their system usage as they grew.

Others told us how much they liked the Marketplace features - especially the simple things like automatic job logging from emails. (Still a favourite, apparently!)

And the human touches? Those were the best bits.

Multiple people asked us to pass on their regards to their account managers, or the support team in our Pakistan office. It reminded me that service isn’t a feature, it’s a feeling.

When it’s done right, people remember.

One customer, smiling ear to ear, told us how they’d been able to shave nearly six hours a week off admin time just by using three Marketplace features they’d only recently discovered.

“It’s like finding a drawer in your kitchen you forgot you had...
and it’s full of time.”

Meeting new faces, same challenges, different scale

The real surprise came as we started chatting to people we didn’t know - business owners, ops leads, and engineers from companies not yet using Joblogic.

These weren’t cold sales conversations. They were open, reflective, and sometimes a little raw.

A recurring theme kept emerging, “We’re growing. We’re taking on more contracts. But we’re not sure how to scale our systems with us.”

They weren’t wrong. Winning work wasn’t their problem. Delivering it consistently, efficiently, and profitably was.

They had tender presentations lined up. They’d just hired new engineers. But when it came to pulling everything together - workflows, processes, job visibility - they were juggling fragmented systems, paper trails, and spreadsheets.

That was my moment of realisation, this is exactly why I was sent to Liftex.

Ryan’s story: The reality of scale without support

One of the conversations that stuck with me most was with Ryan, a service manager from a family-run lift servicing business.

Ryan started his day at 5am, catching up on back office duties and preparing worksheets for the team. By 8am, he was in the van, tools in the back, heading to site to support two engineers on a tricky install.

He got home around 7pm, wolfed down some dinner, and opened his laptop to work through quotes for reactive jobs that came in during the day. (We even joked about him sat on the toilet typing away!)

His story isn’t unique. It’s common across so many of the businesses we support. He wasn’t complaining. Just tired.

“I don’t mind hard work, but I feel like I’m doing three people’s jobs.”

When we spoke about systems and workflows, it wasn’t features he was after - it was breathing room. A way to stop spinning plates and start building something more sustainable.

He said, “If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, my wife and team won’t know where the quote details are.”

That’s the real cost of disjointed systems. It’s not just about inefficiency. It’s about vulnerability. And that’s what many leaders were quietly admitting on the day.

Scaling isn’t about features, it’s about flow

When someone asks you to “map out their workflows,” they often expect a complicated whiteboard session or a long audit.

But actually, it starts with something simpler - helping them see what they already do in a more structured way.

I began walking people through the five core workflows we see across almost every FSM business, regardless of size or industry.

I explained how each piece of their daily operations - from job requests to engineer allocation, stock handling to invoicing - could be broken down and grouped into those flows.

The reaction was often the same. A moment of pause. Then, “You make it sound so simple.”

That’s because it is - or at least, it should be.

Using software to support your growth doesn’t need to feel like replacing the engine while the car’s still moving. It’s about identifying what already works, smoothing the cracks, and connecting the dots.

From disjointed tools to joined-up thinking

Many of the companies we spoke to had been operating for decades. Some had 25 years under their belt. Others were only two years in. It didn’t matter - the challenges were familiar.

They weren’t looking for ‘a system.’ They were looking for sense.

Their current tools didn’t talk to each other. Notes were scribbled in vans, passed around in WhatsApp chats, or buried in inboxes. And when it came time to grow, they weren’t sure what would hold together.

What struck me was how many of them had tried software before - but had been left feeling underwhelmed or overwhelmed.

Either it didn’t do what was promised, or it wasn’t implemented in a way that fit how they worked.

That’s where our conversations became less about ‘software’ and more about ‘service.’

Legacy meets new leadership

One of the unexpected joys of the event was chatting to family-run businesses now handing over the reins to their children.

Fathers walking the floor with sons. Mothers proudly pointing out the work their daughters had taken on.

And what were they talking about? Not just lifts and installs - but continuity, clarity, and confidence.

How do we make sure the next generation can take the baton without getting lost in the paper trails?

These weren’t hypothetical worries. They were real concerns.

And as we shared examples of how workflow visibility, audit trails, and shared systems could give everyone - from field staff to office coordinators - the same view of the work, I could see people’s posture change.

They weren’t just hopeful. They were curious.

Why ‘Service as a Software’ matters more than ever

At Joblogic, we talk about “Service as a Software” - a deliberate inversion of the standard “Software as a Service” phrase.

To most, it probably sounds like a play on words. But to those we spoke to at Liftex, it resonated deeply.

Because they weren’t buying a license. They were buying clarity, control, and confidence.

And that doesn’t come from a feature list, it comes from people who understand your industry, speak your language, and help you align your systems to your operations, not the other way around.

The real success? Reframing what software means

By the end of the day, Myles and I were buzzing. Not because we’d “closed deals” or “generated leads” - that was never the point.

The real win was hearing, in people’s own words, what they needed from their systems: simplicity, flexibility, and support that scales with them.

And perhaps even more importantly, the event reminded us that sometimes the best way to show the value of what you do isn’t to pitch it. It’s to be present, to listen, and to talk about work - and life - in real terms.

Looking ahead, but staying grounded

Liftex gave us a snapshot of an industry on the move. One that’s juggling tradition and transformation, scaling challenges and success stories, old ways of working and new expectations.

It also reaffirmed something we’ve known for a while - that service businesses don’t just want software. They want a partner in progress.

So yes, I’ll say it now, I’m glad the finance director and VP of Growth “persuaded” me.

I left the show with more than just conversations. I left with confirmation that what we do at Joblogic, putting service at the heart of everything, it still matters. Maybe more than ever.

Here’s to the next Liftex.