Throughout the investment, audio/video (AV) systems may save thousands, if not millions, of dollars in travel expenditures and lost productivity. Employees who use videoconferencing, for example, claim to increase their productivity time by 3.5 hours per week, or 182 hours (22.75 days) over a year, according to a McKinsey survey.1 However, if those systems fail, it could have the opposite effect by crippling essential employee collaboration and communication. According to the same report, communication system outages may cost a company up to 21% of its overall income.
While most businesses currently have AV systems in place, not all have strategies for their upkeep. It is a reality of life that equipment ages and that technologies advance. Understanding this allows you to predict system problems and devise strategies to reduce interruptions, downtime, and wasteful costs.
Developing and adhering to a well-thought-out maintenance and service plan is a solid business practise, whether a firm performs maintenance internally or chooses to work with a service provider.
Maintenance and Support Services
AV systems range in size, setup, and complexity, from simple to complicated.
from conference rooms and lecture halls to advanced operations and command and control
centres. The majority of firms, institutions, and government organisations have a diverse workforce.
A collection of AV systems and equipment in various phases of their life cycles.
Adequate maintenance and support services are important to their long-term viability.
functioning, creating great user experiences, and safeguarding the technology as a whole
Investment.
Companies might benefit from using a single software to handle their information.
AV resources. Consolidating AV system administration and support raises the stakes.
effectiveness of maintenance, return on investment (ROI), use, and long-term viability of
present and future systems by instituting regular maintenance processes and using
Consistent tools and detailed end-user instructions.
Even though centralising AV maintenance and support services allows enterprises to
Five main factors allow them to tailor their strategy to achieve a wide range of objectives.
1. System Status
The assessment of the current and future viability of AV systems, known as system status, determines the real-life cycle stage and identifies the need for system improvements. To begin any AV maintenance and support programme, an initial survey should be conducted to establish a baseline of all current systems. This survey should obtain all relevant documentation, including software, graphics files, and schematics, as well as the essential features of each controlled system.
Ongoing status reports should be generated during periodic preventative maintenance or break-fix actions. In more complex systems and programmes, system status can be automatically reported using corporate management software.
2. Preventative Maintenance
Conducting Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMI) is a standard practise in the industry to ensure the proper functioning of AV systems. PMI involves checking the system wiring, updating software/firmware, cleaning equipment, and performing manufacturer-recommended maintenance tasks such as filter replacement, bulb replacement, touch panel replacement, calibration, and minor audio adjustments. Regular PMIs can proactively prevent system disruptions by addressing potential sources of system failure ahead of time.
The frequency of PMIs should be determined by the environment and usage of the system and typically conducted between two to four times per year. The resulting reports are used to update information about each system and advise on when improvements are necessary.
3. Technical Support
For any AV support and maintenance programme, having reliable technical support that responds promptly is crucial to the continued operation of systems. Technical support for AV systems can follow a similar approach as IT technical support, including ticket management and reporting, as well as escalation through different support tiers. While the implementation details of this aspect of the programme may vary across organisations, it is essential to maintain consistent technical support service offerings.
Resolving minor, everyday operational issues
They typically involve issues such as the projector not powering on or the TV is set to the incorrect input.
Minor concerns are frequently resolved with over-the-phone or in-person support from a help desk.
Advanced systems and programmes may necessitate enterprise management and control software, which enables support professionals to troubleshoot and control the system in issue remotely.
Resolving major, system failure issues (break-fix support)
Small problems can lead to, or be an indicator of, severe system flaws that need sophisticated technical or professional assistance. Significant problems are frequently caused by faulty system hardware, such as the codec, switcher, or display. They frequently necessitate hardware replacement and may necessitate AV control system re-configuration and re-programming.
Emergency and after-hours support
The majority of support issues occur during typical business hours; nevertheless, many essential events occur on weekends or beyond normal business hours. It is critical to have consistent support for these events.
After-hours assistance is readily managed in complex systems and programmes by leveraging enterprise management and control software, which allows support workers to remotely troubleshoot and operate the systems in concern.
4. System Management
The management of AV systems can vary significantly depending on the organisation and the scope of the maintenance and support programme. It may involve merely monitoring the status of systems or may extend to running a programme that includes spare parts and consumables inventories, enterprise management software, equipment standardisation, and full life cycle management.
While not every organisation may require comprehensive management of their AV system, some components that can be included are:
System status management
All system status information, including benchmark system status, existing documentation, PMI reports, problem tickets, and revisions, is recorded, tracked, and updated.
Spare parts inventory
Creating and monitoring an inventory of spare parts for important, common, or heavy-use equipment can help to decrease system downtime in the event of a failure. During the repair, the support personnel might replace the defective equipment with an identical item.
Consumables inventory
Having a unified inventory of parts for often-used AV components (e.g., bulbs, filters, batteries, etc.) helps staff to respond swiftly to most typical usage-based AV support concerns.
Standardization
Every AV operations, maintenance, and service programme may benefit substantially from the implementation of a controlled standardisation strategy. A standardisation strategy creates standardised criteria for all equipment, control system interfaces, cabling, and labelling. This decreases system variance, making them easier to use and support. An organisation's support personnel will have a set of equipment to grow acquainted with, resulting in more effective assistance when needed.
A systems standard enables more efficient spare parts and consumables inventory by decreasing stock variance and enabling the effective use of corporate AV management systems that rely on common, core components to function.
5. Life Cycle Management
AV equipment is expected to have a finite life cycle, beyond which it is more likely to fail. This is known as End-of-Life (EOL), and the equipment is no longer supported by manufacturers or third-party service providers. Consequently, AV systems that include EOL equipment are at a much higher risk of major failure, and repairing them is often impossible due to the lack of manufacturer support. Such failures result in prolonged downtimes and increased resolution costs, which provide very little ROI.
Managing the life cycle of AV systems involves tracking the status of equipment, systems, and upgrade options. Proper life cycle management can significantly increase system uptime and incorporate standardisation guidelines into system upgrades.
Conclusion
AV maintenance is crucial to ensure smooth communication and business operations in an organisation. Organisations need to have a comprehensive understanding of the system status and the life cycle of the equipment. Regular preventive maintenance and servicing can significantly prolong the life of an organisation's AV equipment, leading to time and cost savings.
Since 1983, Vision Enhancement NZ Ltd has led the market in the sale, installation, and maintenance of audio-visual equipment, technologies, and systems. Its track record and reputation for reliability, affordability, and dependability will ensure that you receive the solution you want.
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