Avoid Downtime and Expensive Repair Risk by Understanding System Maintenance, Monitoring & Support Options
Wherever your business takes place — from inside an office, healthcare facility, or campus to retail, restaurant, or hospitality setting — we all use AV / IT, cabling and connectivity solutions.
Today’s systems, however, mean much more than ensuring clear picture and sound. AV / IT support operations at all levels, and it is only when we start to examine system uses and performance that we take note of how vital AV is to operations, employee productivity, and business profitability.
A simple example to consider is a sports bar with malfunctioning AV on the day of the big game. The ramifications may be small if downtime is just a few minutes, but what if service takes days? How about adding equipment to a perfectly functioning system? If wired incorrectly, data may not stream or major interference could be caused from an improperly placed cable. At a hospital, this could create some serious health risks. In a business setting, it could drive serious expenses. While the list of scenarios we can dream up is endless, any number of issues can cause a malfunction and result in costly outages.
In fact, the cost of downtime ranges from $2,300 to $9,000 per minute (or $5,600 on average, according to a Gartner study). For small businesses, the number drops to the lower-but-still-significant tune of $137 to $427 per minute. Wherever your company falls on the wide scale of size, industry and other factors, businesses want AV / IT systems that are reliable, scalable, easy to use, and financially responsible.
So, how do we uncover such potential and achieve critical business success from AV? The answer is effective System Maintenance, Monitoring & Support.
Just like any technology AV / IT systems require service, updates, and user support — and the key is knowing what type pf package is necessary for your AV. Consider the following offerings:
Preventative Maintenance: All too often, audiovisual maintenance is overlooked until there is a problem. While costs associated with repairs and replacement of consumables (lamps, filters, etc.) are sometimes minimal, the associated labor fees can add up. Consider the internal costs associated with facilitating the repair work too; including the initiation of the service request (sometimes requiring a purchase order), scheduling, physical access and accompanying a technician.
Preventative maintenance with an established service relationship can eliminate many of these internal expenses and can knockout most potential issues before they happen. Most integrators offer quarterly or monthly options, which is important for maximizing performance and the overall AV investment.
EAV schedules visits and its team members work around the clock to conveniently service systems, first comprehensively inspecting technology and providing a complete system diagnostic and then cleaning physical hardware, ensuring adequate ventilation, installing updates to software and drivers (if available), and replacing damaged cables. All service must be documented.
The idea is to ensure technology and AV solutions work with you, not against you.
Remote Monitoring: Another concept focused on preventing problems is remote connectivity. Most EAV systems can be monitored 24/7, managed and diagnosed remotely. The qualifying systems report directly to EAV with any issues, including primary electronics, network problems or control issues, which save significant time and expense when the need to dispatch a technician is avoided, especially for a simple operator error or reboot.
With remote access, if needed, the issue can usually be identified, and a technician can be dispatched before the client even knows there’s an issue. This also helps ensure the technician comes prepared with the correct equipment and can often resolve issues with one service call.
System Repair: When systems do need repair, AV support should be available remotely, on-site and on-demand. With remote assistance, the integrator will attempt to resolve any related issues via phone or email 24 hours a day. EAV staff can typically walk users through issues over the phone, perform remote diagnoses or correct issues with systems that apply. Many issues can be resolved remotely, saving the time and expense of an on-site technician.
If the issue cannot be resolved with remote assistance, a technician is dispatched quickly to perform on-site repairs. In most cases, this is done during the same business day, within hours of the initial call.
Access to on-site support is also a 24-hours option when emergency response is needed. EAV offers an emergency service phone number and email address to request service at any time. On-call technicians can be on-site at a property quickly, guaranteeing a window of two hours or less.
Training and Continued Education: User error can result in ongoing performance issues or improper system configuration. EAV provides hands-on training sessions and documentation so you get the most out of your new system. Our goal is to provide convenience, access and functionality for those that manage systems and everyone that uses them. Additional training can be provided to clients for new employees or for product updates. The cost for initial training is always included with a system installation. Continued education can be arranged separately or wrapped into a premium support package.
Audiovisual and IT infrastructure is complex. That’s why it is essential that you have someone on your team who understands all aspects of this highly technical area. Once a company selects a Maintenance Service package, they are receiving the full support of the EAV team, built on superior technical knowledge, design ability and responsiveness to partners, clients and tenants.
Simply put, post-installation support is what ensures an organization can maximize their AV technology — and Encompass AV offers more reliable, convenient, and economical maintenance service for today's connected businesses.
EAV is offering a no-cost, on-site assessment of your AV / IT system to validate its performance, service needs and maintenance frequency to help extend the life of equipment, prevent downtime and expensive repairs, and protect ROI.