Rolling out a tablet scheme in any working environment can be challenging, especially with data and technology constantly changing and evolving at such a fast pace. It can also be an expensive project, costing thousands upon thousands to not only buy suitable equipment but to train staff and ensure the correct materials are in place for a successful rollout. But for those wanting to cut corners, take heed. Because for every project successfully launched, there are handfuls that fall below the standards expected. And this is often down to poor initial management and future foresight.
Below we explore 5 reasons why choosing a tablet charging cart before implementing a tablet rollout scheme is imperative to your business, and why you should always think one step ahead to get the best out of your devices.
Failing to use a charging station can lead to:
1. A bad customer impression
“Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.” – Kevin Stirtz
(Author of “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back”).
Tablets or Chromebooks that run out of battery. Limited available devices for tasks because they are in rotation. Just two of the possible scenarios that lead to a chaotic and disorganized impression for a customer. Certainly not an ideal first impression.
Richard Branson once said that the key is to set realistic customer expectations and then not to just meet them but to exceed them — preferably in unexpected and helpful ways. Having tablets available that become a hindrance and not an asset is arguably worse than not having them at all!
2. Unpredictability with devices
Imagine you are in a sales environment or providing an in-store demonstration. The device you had yesterday had everything you needed. And now the device you are using today is falling significantly short of the materials you need to deliver your pitch. The unpredictability of un-synched devices becomes a problem in fast-paced environments that need to offer a quick and professional service. And without automatic synchronization of all units, the danger you can fall into is that some devices get left behind, not enabling staff to perform their jobs to their full potential.
3. Spiraling and unnecessary costs
The average tablet now costs $386, and with hundreds of iPads or Chromebooks to buy, it no doubt is an expensive project to roll out hundreds of tablets in your organization.
Without the convenience of a tablet charging station, there will be costs involved with the general running of tablets in sectors such as education, business or industry. These costs will include staff costs to individually collect and upload data onto all iPads or devices.
Appreciating that budget is a genuine concern the Joey range of carts from LocknCharge such as the Joey 30 Cart, can charge, store and transport up to 30 of any device but allows organizations to enjoy the designs that LocknCharge is known for, at a more entry-level price. The Joey 30 has been designed with this in mind, and organizations only need to pay for the features they need.
Waiting to choose a cart can mean that you end up overspending when a charging cart could save you a substantial amount of initial overheads and ongoing costs.
4. Wasted time
A survey undertaken by LocknCharge found that teachers can save up to 70 hours of class time each year just by choosing a suitable device management system for iPads or other tablet devices.
The video was taken at the beginning of each lesson with a traditional style cabinet tablet storage cart. The traditional cart took 10 minutes and 3 seconds to complete deployment of 30 units. This was then repeated with a LocknCharge storage device, which took just 4 minutes and 50 seconds – saving a huge 5 minutes and 13 seconds out of just one lesson in teaching time, just by using their unique basket systems. But not just the time you save in class that counts. The time spent checking and testing devices for content, finding lost devices, and charging devices in other industries too could be colossal.
LocknCharge charging carts also have a number of features which help save time such as an innovative LED screen in their Putnam Charging Stations, which indicates which devices are charged and ready to use – no more wasted time waiting around or checking devices. This could be particularly helpful for industries such as retail or hospitality, where you may need multiple devices in use at any one time.
The FUYL Tower is also great for these locations as it features 15 individually-lockable compartments, allowing users to check devices in or out using a PIN number. Plus, a back-end portal enables administrators to actively monitor locker usage anytime, anywhere.
5. Theft and damage
As we said earlier, technology can be expensive. And tablets and laptops are perfect targets for thieves because they are small, light, and easy to steal and sell on.
In 2014, The BBC admitted that 624 laptops were stolen between 2010 and 2014, along with 109 mobile phones, 98 cameras and 83 iPads from New Broadcasting House, the BBC’s corporate headquarters in central London.
Parliament Street director Clare George-Hilley said, “These findings show that the BBC must do more to prevent theft and losses at every level of the organization, taxpayers should not have to pick up the bill for sloppy management of expensive equipment. To tackle this, the organization needs to deliver more effective policies and training to ensure staff understands the importance of looking after devices.”
With a tablet charging station, this problem, in the large part, could be eradicated.
So with a plethora of tools out there to help you with your management plans (not just for devices but also other types of technology) it really has never been easier to find solutions to problems such as the 5 we have chosen to show above. But by knowing what you are up against before you start a project you may very well do the sensible thing and invest in a charging cart before you begin!
Research:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/257220/average_tablet_price_drops_to_386_says_ims_research.html