Repairing machines remotely as Nationwide Platforms introduces video assistance
With video calling technology a common feature in the majority of office jobs, leading powered-access provider Nationwide Platforms has taken this tech outdoors with VRA software
We're now providing Video Remote Assistance to customers without the need to leave the office.
VRA works by sending a secure video link to customers requiring assistance, so the specially trained engineering team can view the machine in question and talk the customer through the issue. Should further assistance be needed, an on-call engineer can be dispatched with more details on the situation than they would have otherwise received.
Leonard Marshall, Engineering Director at Nationwide Platforms, explains the customer benefits.
“At Nationwide Platforms, a large philosophy around what we design is keeping it simple for the customer and integrating what they already know. The simple ideas are often the most effective, and that definitely applies to VRA.
“Most people are au fait with video calls, so extrapolating that familiarity to provide customers with a workplace solution has worked well; we’ve had lots of positive feedback from customers.
“Our five person team is on hand for these video calls during working hours seven days a week, and available on the phone 24/7, providing an immediate solution for customers in need at any time.
“On average each breakdown resolved using VRA saves our mobile engineers approximately two hours; with about 300 VRA calls per month, 600 engineering hours are saved per month.
“We’re able to fix about a quarter of machines via VRA, saving the customer approximately 3.5 hours downtime per call when the job is successfully resolved. Even if we can’t solve the problem remotely, the system has provided no end of time-saving benefits. We save the customer on average 45 minutes downtime even when they do require a mobile engineer as the engineer arrives with a clearer understanding of what is wrong and what parts they need to fix before they even reach the site.
“Between solving issues remotely, mobile engineers arriving prepared for the problem and reducing the number of revisits required, we have very effectively saved customers endless amounts of time.”
That’s not the end of the road for Nationwide Platforms’ digital offering with plans to offer other forms of online assistance in the pipeline.
VRA works by sending a secure video link to customers requiring assistance, so the specially trained engineering team can view the machine in question and talk the customer through the issue. Should further assistance be needed, an on-call engineer can be dispatched with more details on the situation than they would have otherwise received.
Leonard Marshall, Engineering Director at Nationwide Platforms, explains the customer benefits.
“At Nationwide Platforms, a large philosophy around what we design is keeping it simple for the customer and integrating what they already know. The simple ideas are often the most effective, and that definitely applies to VRA.
“Most people are au fait with video calls, so extrapolating that familiarity to provide customers with a workplace solution has worked well; we’ve had lots of positive feedback from customers.
“Our five person team is on hand for these video calls during working hours seven days a week, and available on the phone 24/7, providing an immediate solution for customers in need at any time.
“On average each breakdown resolved using VRA saves our mobile engineers approximately two hours; with about 300 VRA calls per month, 600 engineering hours are saved per month.
“We’re able to fix about a quarter of machines via VRA, saving the customer approximately 3.5 hours downtime per call when the job is successfully resolved. Even if we can’t solve the problem remotely, the system has provided no end of time-saving benefits. We save the customer on average 45 minutes downtime even when they do require a mobile engineer as the engineer arrives with a clearer understanding of what is wrong and what parts they need to fix before they even reach the site.
“Between solving issues remotely, mobile engineers arriving prepared for the problem and reducing the number of revisits required, we have very effectively saved customers endless amounts of time.”
That’s not the end of the road for Nationwide Platforms’ digital offering with plans to offer other forms of online assistance in the pipeline.