Top 5 Reasons Our Customers Use Self-Service
Denise Crouch
With so many case studies under our belt, we thought we would share with you the top reasons why our customers decide upon self-service laptop/tablet loans.
Automate Existing Manual Loan System
Staff found that by automating their existing manual loan system it is far easier to manage.
Manual loaning of devices often sees students or staff queuing at service desks to sign devices in and out. There are no paper forms to complete with the automated process as the system allocates the device to the user by loaning the device similar to that of a library book. The Diplomat™ Self-Service Loan Lockers can integrate with a library management system or work stand-alone and uses variety of identification methods such as MiFare, Barcode, Magnetic Stripe and Biometrics. The most popular form being MiFare.
Save Staff Time
By choosing to automate the manual loan process it saves staff time allowing them more one to one time with the user or freeing them up to tackle other tasks.
The service offers easy monitoring of device availability saving IT technician’s time. The availability dashboard that comes with the lockers shows which devices has been loaned and where there is availability. This information can be shared via API’s to users so they know exactly where a device is free. Paul Davies, IT Quality Manager, Birmingham City University said:
'The LapSafe® Availability Dashboard enables us to publish real time stats so students can find a Diplomat™ that has laptops available.
This saves students from having to queue or wander around the university looking for availability'
When network connectivity is added to the lockers there is no need for IT staff to carry out updates on individual or batch bases as all devices can be upgraded in one go, remotely. Most customers have chosen to add network connectivity.
One college found the manually loaning out laptops was so time consuming that a member of staff was permanently loaning or returning laptops. Once they automated the process this person was then free to do other tasks and spend more one-to-one time with the students.
Read the Holy Cross Sixth Form College Case Study
Increased Access to Technology
Self-Service laptop or tablet loans offers flexible access to technology at anytime of day or night. By offering 24 x 7 access devices can be shared helping to bridge the digital gap for learners that would otherwise not have access to IT.
Self-Service laptop loans are often requested in student surveys and some student unions have piloted projects and even funded the service.
Another reason establishments have chosen to automate their manual device loan services is that it allows users to choose the technology they require at any particular time i.e., high performance laptops, tablets, Chromebooks depending on what the establishment is offering.
Smarter Use of Space
With space often in demand and costs at a premium providing agile and flexible learning or working space came high on the list. Self-Service laptop loan lockers have helped replace traditional PCs and desks allowing the space to be utilised more effectively. Group learning/working areas can be put in place to allow for collaboration. Mixed with individual booths for when individual space is required. Edinburgh Napier University redesigned their library space to accommodate just that. Students loved the new way of working and asked for more areas like it.
Read our Edinburgh Napier case study
Once you have introduced self-service device loan lockers, you can expand the service at any time without needing to find a lot of additional space. So far LapSafe® has seen most of its customers expand their service since their first install increasing their loan offering. This is often driven by the users requesting more of the service.
Birmingham City University have steadily grown their service and are now LapSafe®’s largest user.
Read the Birmingham City University Case Study
As the self-service lockers are secure there is no need to keep them behind a desk or in a separate office, they can quite easily be installed in busy areas or corridors.
Best Charged Device
LapSafe®’s ultra-safe power management ensures that all devices are charged simultaneously in the fastest possible time. Our Diplomat™ lockers issue the best-charged device ensuring no device is loaned without sufficient power. Our customers have all said that this is really important when making their choice to automate their service.
Diplomat Self-Service Loan Lockers
The LapSafe® Diplomat™ is the most sophisticated and intelligent self-service locker system which loans devices or lockers 24 x 7. Fully charged devices such as laptops, Chromebooks and tablets can be automatically loaned to borrowers without staff interaction.
Over 70% of UK universities have now automated their manual device loan service using LapSafe®’s Diplomat™ Self-Service Device Loan lockers. We have also seen an increasing number of sixth forms and colleges adopting the service over the last two years. Our Diplomat™ has been installed throughout the World including 7 sites in Australia.
During the pandemic, the London Ambulance Service have installed LapSafe®’s Diplomat™ across 22 of their sites to help loan devices quickly and efficiently to front line workers. Find out more, here.