Integrated video conferencing systems are vital technology for most organizations. They allow employees, team members or students to connect and collaborate seamlessly across multiple locations, vastly improving communication and productivity. However, they do require a significant – though worthwhile – investment.
A crucial part of protecting that investment is having a comprehensive maintenance and support plan to maintain the health of your video conferencing systems and AV components, whether that equipment is used for a boardroom, auditorium, classroom or executive office. Even the highest-quality equipment will encounter problems or fail occasionally, and without a comprehensive maintenance and support plan, your investment is not paying off – and business productivity can suffer.
Benefits of a comprehensive support plan for your video conferencing systems include:
- Minimizing downtime – Productivity suffers when your equipment is not functioning properly, or not working at all. Having an integrated maintenance and support plan reduces your risk of downtime. And if downtime does occur, the problem is resolved quickly.
- Reduced hassle – Although some components may come with a mandatory service feature, truly integrated rooms require a comprehensive service plan to ensure that all equipment is functioning properly, and that all components are working together properly. Having a comprehensive maintenance plan with just one vendor eliminates the hassle of dealing with multiple manufacturers when components fail or cause problems. A support plan with VSGi ensures that you’re working with a company that understands the complete system and how it integrates, rather than just the ins and outs of a single component.
- ROI – Comprehensive maintenance and service plans pay for themselves in short time. Again, it’s inevitable that equipment will fail from time to time. Purchasing a service plan in advance is much more cost effective than paying for repairs or service individually. With a comprehensive service plan, it’s also possible to identify problems before they cause costly downtime. Downtime leads to lost productivity, which can be costly.
- Highest-level operations – A comprehensive maintenance plan ensures that your equipment is not just functioning, but functioning at the highest possible level. As equipment ages, this becomes even more important.
- Longer lifespan – As with any piece of equipment, regular maintenance extends the lifespan of your video conferencing systems. You wouldn’t buy a new car and then fail to bring it in for oil changes – the same goes for video conferencing systems. Regular maintenance improves the lifespan of your equipment and protects your investment.
What Should I Look for in a Support Plan?
Flexibility is key when it comes to maintenance and support plans. The vendor you choose should allow you to tailor the support plan to the specific needs of your organization. You should be able to choose among varying levels of support, including free software upgrades, free maintenance and repairs, waived recertification fees, free nationwide on-site technical service, and free next-day parts. Sitting down with the vendor to discuss your needs before agreeing to a plan is crucial. Discuss the options that are offered for customer and technical support for hardware, then choose the plan that best meets the needs of your organization.
VSGi and Polycom have partnered to provide organizations with outstanding and seamless collaboration solutions. Using Polycom’s industry-leading collaboration technologies, VSGi designs, sells and supports video conferencing and AV integration for conference rooms, board rooms, offices, educational facilities and more. The partnership between these industry leaders offers organizations the most advanced technology at an affordable cost to foster true collaboration, even across multiple locations.
11 Questions You Need to Ask a Video Collaboration Solution Provider
With cutting-edge advances in voice, video and content sharing solutions, organizations can extend seamless collaboration across every team and department so everyone can work together face-to-face – no matter where they are located. Find out what questions you should be asking a potential video conferencing solution provider by downloading this infographic.
