As laptop computers become more and
more integrated in employees’ work
flow, the cost and aggravation of
downtime becomes greater than ever before.
Typically, the laptop users are executives or
field-based personnel essential to an organization’s mission who may not be able to perform their jobs without a functional system.
“Most organizations will find that this disruption of their most important associates’
time is unacceptable,” says Walter Manley,
the director of strategic projects at Technology Integration Group (TIG).
However, there is an answer, says Manley.
One that utilizes unique, highly customized
service offerings to support mobile users,
minimizing downtime and inconvenience.
The answer is laptop depot services.
Smart Business spoke with Manley about
laptop depot services and how your company can use them to keep business moving.
What repair solutions are available?
The first solution is a rapid repair depot,
typically serving a geographically concentrated group of users, such as a school system
that has issued laptops to the students. A laptop depot services provider visits the sites on
a consistent schedule and brings the units to
a central facility stocked with parts and
staffed by trained technicians who perform
an immediate repair, image the systems, if
necessary, and return them back to the site.
The typical turnaround time is about 12 business hours. The cost, in most cases, is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, so this
becomes a no-cost service to the client.
The other depot solution is designed to support a geographically dispersed work force,
such as salespeople or claims adjusters. This
is the ‘advance exchange’ depot model. The
service features a pool of ‘hot spares,’ which
are preconfigured with the organization’s
standard software image and can be immediately deployed to a remote user via
overnight express freight. Generally, any
request received by 5 p.m. will be delivered
to the end user by the next business morning
(Saturday delivery is also available). The
user then transfers personal data from the
faulty system, if usable, or from a backup
and returns the defective system to the
depot in the pre-addressed return carton via
a prepaid return airbill.
What other ways can laptop depot services
help a company?
A new-hire kit can be deployed for next-day
delivery to get valuable personnel productive
quickly. When turnover does occur, your laptop depot services provider will facilitate the
recovery of the equipment by sending appropriate packaging and a preaddressed return
airbill. The recovered equipment is refurbished, cleaned and placed back into the
spares pool.
Since every transaction (including serial
numbers and asset information) is recorded
in detail, the asset management of your field-based equipment is built into the program.
You will know where everything is all of the
time. Also, consumables, such as replacement batteries, AC adapters and toners, can
easily be included in the service to simplify
the replenishment of these necessary items.
A number of companies take it a step further and couple a laptop depot services program with an equipment lease, along with the
deployment and recovery of the equipment
at defined intervals. This comprehensive
approach creates a cost-effective seat management program that basically runs itself,
freeing up management teams for more
strategic endeavors.
How does a company get started with laptop
depot services?
First, your laptop depot services provider
will ask for a complete inventory list, including peripherals, as they would also be covered. You’ll need to answer the questions:
How old is the equipment? Is it still under
warranty? Is the equipment similar or identical? What’s the equipment refresh cycle? Is
having a functioning system a requirement
for doing the job?
How can companies determine if laptop
depot services are right for them?
If you only have a couple hundred systems,
it may be more cost-effective to manage the
replacements internally. If the models of systems you have deployed are all over the
board, it would be difficult to stock the correct parts, so the next-day turnaround could
be impacted. If using laptops is not a critical
part of your users’ jobs and their productivity
is not affected by downtime, you may not be
a great candidate for laptop depot services.
What should a company look for in a
provider?
It is critical to partner with an experienced
provider who has customized IT systems that
make entering, tracking and reporting quick
and easy. A service provider who is accountable for meeting service-level agreements is
also important. Financial stability of the
provider is key; an interruption of service
could be disastrous.
What are the benefits and drawbacks to laptop depot services?
The benefits are many — reliable restoration of service to important users, built-in
asset management, the ability to easily manage new-hire kit deployments and the recovery of assets, relieving of internal resources
from the tactical hassles of managing field-based equipment, replenishment of consumables, etc. The only real drawback would be
whether it is cost-effective for your individual
organization.
WALTER MANLEY is the director of strategic projects at Technology Integration Group (TIG). Reach him at (804) 344-4481 x 2944 or
[email protected].
