You, me, we all currently work in the home office whenever possible and depend on hardware and software running smoothly. If there is a problem, IT field support would normally be on hand quickly to fix the hardware problem, or as employees of a company we would pick up new devices or replacement devices ourselves from the IT department if necessary. However, both solutions are only partially practical at present.
In many companies, IT field support is on ice, so to speak. There are hardly any field supporters left because, on the one hand, they have too little work to do on site, since hardly anyone works in the office anymore, and also because hygiene and social distancing regulations mean that support is only possible to a limited extent.
In the event of a malfunction, it is therefore more than inconvenient and tedious for the employee to get to a replacement device. Valuable working time is lost.
All this makes it considerably more difficult to receive, return and replace hardware, such as personal laptops. In the event of a malfunction, it is therefore more than inconvenient and tedious for the employee to get to a replacement device. Valuable working time is lost.
Contactless Reception via IT Automat
In the current situation with Corona, or quite independently of it, the use of an intelligent IT automat is an ideal solution for the contactless exchange or return of devices and the purchase of IT equipment such as keyboards or mice. The automat is always available and direct contact with the IT field support is reduced to those cases for which personal support by a supporter makes sense.
The following scenarios can be realized in the interaction between IT automat and field support:
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An employee in his home office has a malfunction on his laptop that cannot be solved remotely. What he needs is a replacement device! This can now either be stored for him in one of the compartments of the IT automat, or the automat is even already filled with corresponding replacement devices. The new device is «staged» remotely, and the employee receives a PIN code with which he can pick up his replacement device prepared for him at the appropriate time. He can then place his defective laptop directly in the compartment from which he took the new laptop. The field supporter then picks up the defective device for repair at a later time.
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An employee starts a new job at a company. In the age of Corona, his job start takes place virtually and online. Nevertheless, he gets to his laptop and smartphone - thanks to the intelligent IT automat. In his welcome email, he receives a PIN code with which he can simply take his Technology Starter Package out of the appropriate compartment and get started right away.
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An employee is in the home office and makes a lot of video calls - unfortunately, his headset goes off right now. At any time of day, he can authenticate himself at the IT automat with his employee badge and take a new headset from the appropriate compartment in self-service. The removed headset is automatically credited to his employee account.
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Apart from the classic IT use cases, the IT automat can also be used for the flow of goods of a different kind, e.g. for the rental or allocation of products at times when personal contact is not desired.
These are use cases that make sense and add value for companies not only in the current exceptional situation, but also in the medium and long term - especially for companies with 300 or more employees or organizations with multiple locations. An IT automat perfectly complements field support and is always ready for action. It takes over the simple tasks for the service desk, and internal IT can focus on the more complex concerns. This can reduce customer waiting times by 70% and field support calls by up to 80%.