It's a long-term trend. Organizations of every kind are more and more dependent on their audio visual systems to keep meetings and classes running smoothly. They buy service contracts to make sure their systems are maintained properly and to ensure that help arrives quickly should they have any problem.
"That being said, we realize that many of our customers don't have the budget for an all-inclusive agreement," explains Stephanie Westbrook, Service Agreement Coordinator at Conference Technologies, Inc.
In response, Conference Technologies, Inc. has developed block-of-hours agreements, providing regular maintenance and priority response in any emergency at a relatively low cost. In this type of agreement, the customer pays for out-of-warranty parts or components but contracts for a set number of labor hours at a reduced rate.
"Our clients can use these hours for any purpose," says Westbrook, "including preventative maintenance, user training and meeting support as well as emergency service." She says block of hours agreements are popular with schools, universities, and many corporate customers. "We have one large law firm with an agreement that covers all of their locations. Our technicians visit each office for periodic maintenance, and if they have any problem, they all get the same fast response time."
Normally block of hours agreements last for 12 months or until the hours are used. If, for example the system owner contracts for 50 hours but uses them in just 10 months, he or she would normally renew at that time. If, on the other hand, their needs are lighter than expected, it's rare that hours expire. "We'll contact the client near the end of an agreement and either find a good way to use any leftover hours or roll them over into a new contract," Westbrook explains.
In many cases large corporate or university clients have an IT staff who is capable of maintaining their AV systems, yet they outsource to Conference Technologies, Inc. It's very difficult for a group of people whose primary expertise is in another field –even IT management– to service complex AV systems as efficiently or economically as Conference Technologies, Inc.
The response times system owners ask for can vary widely, Westbrook says. Most opt for an agreement that guarantees a returned phone call within an hour and a technician on site within 24, but others want a technician on site within two hours of the call. "We have clients who keep one of our technicians at their location during quarterly board meetings," Westbrook says. "It's not that they're having problems but that the meetings are so crucial."
The cost of a service agreement varies with the requirements, and it's also affected by the type, complexity and age of the system covered. More complex systems are not necessarily more expensive to service, however. Should the system include Crestron or AMX controls, very often Conference Technologies, Inc. technicians can diagnose and solve any problem without the delay of traveling to the customer's site.
"Our job is to help our customers use their AV and videoconferencing systems in any way we can," says Westbrook. "If they have a need and we have the expertise, we will find a way to help them."
