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Could you open up a bit about your role and what all your desk entails?
I have come to Pro-Vision in 2007 and there has been no need to change elsewhere. In a company of our size, you can do a little bit of everything related to AV. I do installations and design. I am also primarily responsible for our maintenance. Practically everything the customer needs in relation to AV.
What are you most proud of in your current job?
Every day is different and appropriately varied. One day we are building large auditoriums and the next we are making a small meeting space for companies. Most are everything in between. In this job, you can also immediately see the results of your work. There are many installations that are still in active use. There are destinations where the third or fourth round is already being done. You can clearly see how the needs have changed. Keeping up with that change has also kept the work interesting.
What does AV maintenance mean?
AV maintenance means, in its simplest form, the maintenance of audio-video equipment. This kind of service helps customers solve problems with audio-video equipment. For example, they can help with projectors, televisions or sound systems if they are not working properly or are broken in some way. AV maintenance can also help customers improve the performance of their devices and make them work more efficiently.
What customer needs are solved with AV maintenance?
From the customer's point of view, it would be best if there was no need to visit the premises at all. However, used spaces often have many users with different uses. Sometimes there may be situations where devices do not work properly and users try to fix the situation themselves. This may work for a while, but in some cases, the fault is such that a specialist visit is required.
In about half of the cases, the fault is due to the user's inexperience or incorrect use, and in the other half, the fault is technical. Often the need for maintenance comes suddenly when the room should be used the next day and it doesn't work. In this case, the problem cannot be solved without an on-site visit by an expert.
What are the different AV maintenance solutions currently on the market?
AV maintenance services typically offer solutions tailored to customers' needs, which vary according to their equipment and problems. The services may include, for example, repair services, maintenance visits and advice on the use and installation of devices. There is currently no standard on the market for AV maintenance solutions, so in practice they are adapted to the needs of customers.
It is good to map out all the premises, even if the customer already has a basic solution defined. Even if facilities have similar equipment and solutions, they may have differences in configuration depending on when they were acquired. Once the needs have been reviewed for each facility, it is also possible to identify facilities that use more complex systems and take them into account in the maintenance needs.
What makes up a great AV service?
Excellent AV service consists of the fact that the service is truly tailored to the customer's needs. In this case, it is already known in advance what will be encountered at the destination and the actual need for maintenance can be reacted to quickly. For example, possible problems or faults can be assessed based on the fault description or the customer's contact. In excellent maintenance, you know in advance which system is in charge, and you don't have to wonder on the spot. Instead, you can prepare a little for it by taking the necessary cables and devices with you. This kind of customized maintenance service makes maintenance much easier and faster.
We have archived information from our customers on a farm-by-farm basis about which devices are available there. This way, for example, in connection with a fault report, you can immediately see from your own information which projector is there, and if necessary, you can take the necessary equipment and replacement lamps with you.
Which companies offer AV maintenance in Finland?
Almost all companies offering installation services offer AV maintenance services. Among other things, Pro-Vision and Visual Service. Visual Service was the first company that focused on offering large-scale maintenance services as its own entity. In the industry, maintenance services are often offered to existing customers as an additional service in connection with installations or sales.
When should you think about taking AV maintenance?
I recommend considering AV maintenance when more spaces have started to accumulate. Especially if you have more than ten spaces, or even if one object contains several spaces, it can be difficult to find someone who has the time and resources to take care of the maintenance. By outsourcing maintenance, you can be sure that it will be handled professionally and carefully.
This is especially important if you have several premises because then the need for maintenance and the composition of the equipment can vary between the premises. A customized maintenance service ensures that each space receives the maintenance it needs, and you can focus on your own business without worrying about technical details.
What is the most useful in terms of AV maintenance?
AV maintenance offers many benefits to the IT department and end users. It can help free up resources and ensure that devices are always up and running. This is especially important if there are many premises and limited human resources. AV maintenance can check the equipment, for example, once or twice a year, which saves time and effort for the customer.
It is worth switching to AV maintenance especially when there are several premises. Then managing them can take away too many resources from other work
Secondly, if the premises are complex, there are often only one or two people who know how to use the premises. It can then be challenging to ensure that information is passed from one person to another, especially if a person who knows how to use the space suddenly changes jobs.
Especially on the school side, it has been noticed that using larger auditoriums can be challenging if the teacher who knows how to use them has left. In this case, the space may remain unused for several years.
When does the purchase of AV maintenance typically become relevant?
It is affected by many things, but usually, it only becomes relevant when it is already too late. In many places, you only wake up when there is an acute fault mode on.
It would be good to plan the purchase of maintenance at the same time as the furnishing of new equipment or premises. Purchasing maintenance should be considered especially when you notice that your own staff does not have the resources or time to inspect the premises regularly.
By anticipating in advance, it is often possible to make sure that there are not so many unexpected failures. If AV equipment is regularly serviced, it is also possible to predict the occurrence of faults better and to avoid harm to users caused by system malfunctions.
When is a well-functioning AV service most useful?
AV maintenance is most useful when it is done in advance and planned. For example, in educational institutions, maintenance and tours should be done during the summer and holiday seasons, when the facilities are not in use. This ensures that when the lesson starts, the devices work flawlessly and there are no interruptions.
Although failure reports can always occur, their number can be reduced by anticipating and performing maintenance regularly.
Also on the private side, it is good to carry out maintenance during holidays and during quiet periods, when there are more spaces available. This facilitates routine teaching and ensures that the use of the facilities is smooth.
As a tip, I can say that maintenance should be planned and booked well in advance so that it can be handled efficiently and effortlessly.
Why does AV maintenance play such a central role in terms of customer experience?
AV maintenance is a very important part of the customer experience, as today's equipment configurations can be very complex. Even a small cable fault can prevent the picture, sound or Teams from working, which can significantly affect the overall experience.
Service and maintenance work helps to ensure that the equipment remains in good condition and is easily serviceable. This is especially important when the number of devices and the need are constantly growing.
Proactive maintenance, performed regularly, helps minimize breakdowns and breakdowns, which in turn improves the customer experience. AV maintenance therefore plays a key role in ensuring a smooth customer experience.
Is the investment in AV maintenance worthwhile?
Yes, in my opinion it can be profitable, because AV maintenance plays a key role in maintaining the utilization rate of the premises. Profitability is specifically related to the functionality of the premises. If the facilities do not work, the equipment has no value or use. If some fault prevents the trainings from being held in the premises, it causes wasted time and money. If, for example, twenty trainings are in progress and four facilities are not working, it causes costs in the form of canceled trainings.
Investing in AV maintenance is profitable when you want to keep the occupancy rate of the premises high. Renting unsafe premises is difficult, so ensuring the functionality of equipment and premises is essential. Easy-to-use and functional device configurations are important for users to benefit from technology. It is also important to train users on how to use the equipment and ensure that they are using it effectively. AV maintenance provides a report on the hours of use, which helps to ensure that the equipment remains in good condition and the life cycle is optimal.
For example, in a situation where the equipment is not used, renewing technology that is at the end of its life cycle does not make sense. Instead, you should invest in the devices that are used the most. AV maintenance helps to identify these devices and reports on their usage hours. In this way, the efficient use of equipment can be improved and costs can be saved.
In addition to user training, it is important that the devices are easy to use and reliable. If users don't want to use the technology, it's not useful. AV maintenance helps to ensure that the devices work flawlessly and users can take advantage of them.
How central is AV maintenance in the ongoing cultural transformation?
The importance of AV maintenance is constantly increasing. Although the technology is developing in a direction that is easier to use, it is still technically more and more complex. You need know-how to combine technologies from different eras, and development is so fast that new things to learn are constantly coming.
On the maintenance side, it is especially important to make the existing equipment work together as well as possible. If new technology needs to be acquired, its compatibility with other devices must be ensured. AV maintenance is therefore central to the ongoing cultural transformation.
How quickly and with little effort can AV maintenance be implemented?
Well, the customer should contact the seller and make an appointment to go over his needs. Buying by tapping into the shopping cart and ordering is not the right way to get AV service. Instead, it is important that the seller reviews the customer's needs and requirements. This often also requires a visit by the salesperson to the customer. Even if the salesperson cannot go through all the needs at once, he can focus on the most important ones. In this way, the introduction of AV maintenance can be done quickly and easily.
What is meant by a fast schedule? Often this means weeks or days. However, the introduction of AV maintenance should be handled within a week.
It is also important to note that express service is separate. If the equipment needs to be in order for, for example, a larger event that starts in three days, then urgent maintenance is necessary. In this case, however, it is important to organize emergency maintenance in time so that the equipment is in good condition when the event starts.
Who usually decides to start AV maintenance?
Usually, the decision maker is a person from the IT department, who may be the manager or another person who is responsible for AV. Maintenance is often started with the purchase of new equipment, but sometimes maintenance has to be resorted to when the equipment has a lot of faults and the in-house IT department cannot take care of it.
AV maintenance has often been a side function of the house, because the IT department has other tasks. Troubleshooting and maintenance may get less attention, and it's too late to notice that it doesn't work. In this case, the procurement decision often comes too late.
It is important to remember that there is usually a warranty for purchased equipment and installation separately, so an external service person cannot automatically take care of them. It is good to consider whether the warranty can be repaired and whether the maintenance of certain products is profitable. Making a diagnosis and sending it for service is usually reasonable. Still, it is important to note that if the devices have a warranty period, using them during service may lead to the warranty becoming void. The service buyer should therefore know what he can do and what he can rely on if a device under warranty is needed for maintenance. Such information is usually available from the supplier.
Who should be involved in decision-making when AV maintenance is to be introduced?
In the decision-making process for introducing AV maintenance, it is important to include people who are used to making procurement decisions about them. For example, IT staff responsible for existing equipment could be a suitable person. However, there should also be representation from the user's side, so that users' views and action patterns could be taken into account. The opinion of the IT staff is important because they are responsible for the configuration and ordering of the equipment, but the opinion of the users is also valuable. User feedback is useful, as it can indicate problems with the functionality of the devices that have not yet been communicated to the IT staff. It is therefore important to take the user's point of view into account in maintenance work.
Which way is better AV maintenance, leasing or maintenance yourself?
If you have someone who can do the maintenance themselves, it can work well. But the responsibility is then entirely on the person's shoulders, and the scope of maintenance may exceed their skills. Often, taking care of AV maintenance is added to the responsibility of the IT department, but it is not necessarily part of their main area of responsibility.
For this reason, leasing or a maintenance contract may be a better option, especially if there are a lot of premises.
If you buy the devices directly, the responsibility for their maintenance is yours, even though the devices come with a warranty. Maintenance is therefore usually not included in the contract. In leasing contracts, on the other hand, the customer must take care of the functionality of the equipment himself or make sure that someone else takes care of it. It is also important to note that installation is not necessarily included in the leasing contract.
Even if the installation was purchased as a service, it is not necessarily part of the leasing contract. In any case, if the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment are important, you should consider a maintenance contract, because, in the maintenance contract, the need for maintenance is tailored to the customer's needs.
What does effective utilization of AV maintenance look like at its best?
In my opinion, effective AV maintenance can be seen in the fact that the utilization rate of the facilities can be kept good and failure situations are responded to flexibly and quickly. Filing a fault report should be easy with one number or email, and the response time should be short. Not for weeks.
Malfunctions are tried to be fixed the next business day, so that the use of the devices does not have to be interrupted for a long time. If it succeeds, it will reduce costs and save time when the facilities can be used efficiently without disruptions.
How would you summarize everything that went through above?
If your company has a large number of premises or the premises are in demanding use, AV maintenance is definitely something worth considering.
The need for maintenance can arise as a single fault or be needed annually.
In individual fault situations, the AV ambulance can be called to the scene if the fault is critical and requires quick professional help. Fast response helps to keep the utilization rate high.
We can also offer annual maintenance contracts, where we go over the most important issues in more detail and maintain the systems regularly. Sometimes the end customers, i.e. the users, may not notice the need for such a service, so please tell them about it. As part of the maintenance, we always make a survey of your premises and provide you with a report that tells you what maintenance measures are needed. This way you can make sensible decisions about future investments.
Finally, if your usage is constantly high and you want to make sure that the premises are always ready for use, we also have an option where all our know-how is at your disposal for a fixed monthly fee.
