Improving Video Collaboration Availability for a Large Retail Organisation

A large, multinational retail organisation with over 1,000 stores across multiple regions relied heavily on video collaboration systems to enable communication between regional offices, store managers, and remote teams.

These systems were critical for daily operations, including virtual meetings, training sessions, and interdepartmental communications. However, frequent technical issues with video collaboration equipment led to downtime, inefficiencies, and an increased burden on the internal IT team, which struggled to keep up with the demands of field support. 

Challenges 

The retail organisation encountered several challenges in maintaining and supporting its video collaboration systems: 

• Downtime and Disruption: Frequent malfunctions with systems, including cameras, microphones, and connectivity issues, resulted in interruptions to important meetings and training sessions, which affected productivity across teams. 

• Lack of Localised Support: With stores and offices spread across different regions, the organisation struggled to provide timely support in remote locations. In many cases, technicians had to travel long distances to resolve issues, causing delays and disrupting communication. 

• Inefficient Resource Allocation: The internal IT team was overwhelmed by the volume of support requests, leading to inefficiencies in resource allocation and a reactive approach to troubleshooting issues. 

Solution 

To address these challenges, the retail organisation partnered with New Era Technology to provide monitoring and support of its systems. New Era’s solution was designed to optimise the management of video collaboration systems, improve response times, and reduce downtime, ensuring seamless communication across all teams. 

Key components of the solution included: 

1. Centralised Help Desk with Field Support Integration 
   New Era Technology’s centralised help desk is dedicated to managing video collaboration service requests. This streamlined the support process, enabling quick dispatch of field technicians based on the severity and urgency of each issue, minimizing operational disruption. 

1. Mobile Video Collaboration Support Teams 
   New Era’s mobile field support teams are located across key regions. These teams were equipped with the necessary tools and expertise to troubleshoot and resolve video collaboration issues on-site, reducing the need for long-distance travel and improving overall response times. 

1. Remote Diagnostics and Monitoring Tools 
   To proactively manage the video collaboration systems, New Era implemented advanced remote monitoring and diagnostic tools. These tools allowed New Era’s technicians to identify and resolve potential issues remotely, preventing the need for on-site visits and significantly reducing downtime. 

1. On-Site Technician Training 
   New Era provided specialised training for the organisations technicians on the specific video collaboration equipment used, such as video conferencing systems, cameras, microphones, and collaboration software. This ensured that technicians were well-prepared to quickly and effectively address any issues that arose. 

Benefits 

The video collaboration support solution provided several key benefits to the retail organisation: 

• Reduced Downtime: New Era’s efficient response times, along with the ability to resolve issues both remotely and on-site, minimised downtime. This allowed for uninterrupted meetings, training sessions, and communications, improving overall productivity. 

• Improved Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings: By streamlining the support process and reducing the need for long-distance travel, the company saw significant cost savings. The solution enabled better resource allocation, with fewer IT staff required for troubleshooting. 

• Enhanced Communication and Collaboration: With reliable video collaboration systems, the retail organisation was able to facilitate smooth communication across teams, improving collaboration between regional offices, store managers, and remote employees, and enhancing decision-making processes. 

• Scalability and Flexibility: New Era’s video collaboration field support solution was scalable, allowing the organisation to easily adapt as it expanded.  

Conclusion 

By partnering with New Era Technology to implement a comprehensive video collaboration support strategy, the retail organisation significantly improved its video collaboration operations. The combination of centralised help desk support, mobile technicians, remote diagnostics, and specialised technician training led to reduced downtime, better resource management, and enhanced communication and collaboration.  

This case study demonstrates how New Era’s proactive approach to video collaboration support can help organisations maintain high-performance systems, reduce costs, and improve overall business operations.