For many businesses, the entrance is more than just a way in and out. It affects your access, movement, safety and energy use. In this article, we look at whether automated doors are worth the investment and what businesses should think about before installing them.
Why Businesses Choose Automated Doors
Businesses generally choose to install automated doors because they make their entrances easier and safer for customers, staff, and visitors to use. This is because automated doors help people enter a building without needing to push or pull a heavy door, which can be incredibly helpful for wheelchair users, older people, parents with pushchairs, and customers carrying bags or equipment.
Another reason businesses choose to install automated doors is hygiene. Touch-free entry systems reduce the need for people to touch shared handles, which can help stop the spread of germs or other bacteria and create a cleaner environment.
The Main Costs to Consider
When you're thinking about installing automated door systems, you need to think about more than just the price of the door itself. The biggest cost factor to consider is the type of door you want installed, such as a sliding, swing, folding, or revolving door system. Larger doors, specialist designs, and doors made from strong materials can all increase the overall cost.
The installation process is another key cost factor to consider since a professional installer may need to assess the entrance, prepare the frame, fit the door system, connect any power supplies, and test the safety features. If the existing doorway needs any building work, this can also add to the final price.
How Automated Doors Can Improve Customer Access
Automated doors can improve your customers' access by making it easier for them to enter and exit without a lot of effort. Instead of needing to push, pull, or hold a heavy door open, customers can simply move in and out when the doors open for them.
This creates a more welcoming entrance and helps remove any barriers that may make entering the building harder. Automated doors are especially useful for wheelchair users, old people, people with walking aids, parents with pushchairs, and visitors carrying shopping bags or equipment.
There are many different door types that can be installed, such as sliding doors for busy entrances or swing doors for smaller spaces. When these door systems are fitted correctly, they can help people move around more safely and improve their hygiene. By making access to your building easier for everyone, you can create a more inclusive and practical environment.
Reducing Heat Loss and Energy Waste
Doors in shops, offices, hotels, healthcare centres, and public buildings are used several times a day; if a manual door is left open, warm air can escape during winter, and cold air can escape during summer. In this case, manual doors can make your heating and cooling systems work harder in order to compensate for the heat loss.
On the other hand, automated doors only open when someone approaches them, and they close as soon as you walk through, which can help control the amount of outside air entering and exiting the building at any given time. Some businesses may even choose to install revolving or sliding automated doors to improve their building's temperature control.
Supporting Safety and Security
From a safety point of view, automated doors help people move in and out of your building safely. They reduce the need to push, pull, or hold a door open, which can lower the risk of trips, bumps, and crowding, and many systems also come with sensors that stop the doors from closing when someone is passing through. This is useful for wheelchair users, old people, children, and people carrying bags or equipment. Automated doors can also improve your security when they are paired with access control systems such as key cards, entry codes, intercoms, or staff-only controls. This can help you protect any private spaces, stock rooms, offices, and other restricted areas.
Making Your Business More Accessible
Automated doors can make your business more accessible by removing the need to push, pull, or hold a heavy door open. This makes it easier for customers, staff, and visitors to enter and exit the building, especially if they use a wheelchair, walking aid, pram, or mobility scooter. Anyone should be able to enter and exit a business safely, so if an entrance is difficult to use, some people may feel discouraged or may choose not to enter the building altogether. Making your business more accessible can improve your customers' experiences, support safer movement, and help your staff manage their daily activities easily. By installing automated doors, you can create a more inclusive and welcoming space for everyone.
Saving Staff Time During Busy Periods
Installing automated doors can help you save time during busy work periods by keeping your entrances clear and easy to use. In shops, offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, and public buildings, your staff may spend a large portion of their time helping visitors with heavy doors, deliveries, pushchairs, wheelchairs, or large items, which can take them away from doing their main tasks.
Automated doors allow people to enter and exit without needing any help. This means that your staff can spend more of their time serving customers, answering questions, managing appointments, handling stock, or simply doing routine tasks. Automated doors also help reduce the risk of crowding at entrances, which means that your staff are less likely to deal with blocked doorways or delays.
How Long Do Automated Doors Last?
Automated doors typically last around 10 to 20 years, although this can depend on how often they're used, where they're fitted, and how well they're maintained. An automated door in a busy shop, hospital, hotel, or public building may open and close hundreds or even thousands of times each day; this level of use can put strain on the sensors, motors, rollers, tracks, hinges, and control systems.
In quieter offices or private buildings, the same type of door may last longer because it doesn't need to handle as much pressure. Regular checks can help spot small problems, and cleaning the tracks, testing the sensors, checking the safety features, and replacing any damaged parts can all help the system work better and last longer.
Maintenance Costs and Long-Term Value
Regular servicing, such as checking the sensors, motors, tracks, hinges, safety features, locks, and control systems, can all help keep the doors working safely and reliably. Small repairs or replacements may also be needed over time; this is because a faulty entrance can cause delays, affect customer access, and create problems for staff during busy periods. Planned servicing is often more cost-effective than emergency repairs since it can help you extend the life of the door system. With the right care, automated doors can remain a practical and valuable part of your business for many years.
When Automated Doors May Not Be the Right Choice
Automated doors may not be the right choice for every business. For very small premises with low foot traffic, a standard manual door may be enough, especially if the entrance is already easy to use. If only a few people enter and exit each day, the cost of installing and maintaining an automated system may not provide enough benefits to cover the cost. They may also be unsuitable if there's limited space around the entrance. Some automated doors need room for tracks, sensors, panels, or opening movement, and if the doorway is narrow or the layout is awkward, extra building work may be needed.
How to Decide if They Are Worth the Investment
To decide if automated doors are worth the investment, a business should look at how its entrance is used each day. If your building is prone to high foot traffic, regular deliveries, customers with access needs, or busy opening times, installing automated doors can be a good idea.
If a manual door is heavy, awkward to use, narrow, or often left open, it may create problems for visitors and staff. Automated doors can improve your access, reduce waiting times, improve your hygiene, and make the entrance feel more welcoming.
KGC Doors provides professional automated door services to help businesses improve their access, safety, and customer service. From shops and offices to healthcare and public buildings, we provide tailored automated systems that are ideal for improving your access, hygiene and energy efficiency.
