Help! I need somebody

Over 30% of cleaning equipment breakdown calls that we receive could be fixed without an engineer visit. These include blockages, squeegee replacements, and often no faults are found at all. This means that we can end up attending over 400 unnecessary jobs per week, which has a negative impact on engineer time, costs and the environment. 

Quick fix

Using technology such as live video calls to connect on-site cleaning operatives with our helpdesk experts can help to solve these issues without the need to send an engineer. For example, ICE uses live video technology called 'Smartcall', which is available via the ICE App using any smartphone or tablet.

The helpdesk specialist is able to see the machine and guide the on-site operative through a series of checks to help them solve the issue immediately. It is even possible for both the helpdesk and the cleaning operative to pause the video and annotate the screen, whilst still continuing with the voice call. 

The key benefit to cleaning teams is that it increases and optimises equipment uptime through fixing the problem immediately. This is particularly important in retail and industrial/distribution environments that often have 24-hour operations, to meet the daily challenges of these high pressure and busy environments.

A recent example of where we have used video calling to resolve a machine problem was at a leading supermarket where their scrubber dryer was not releasing water. Through the use of video technology, we were able to guide the operative through a series of checks, enabling them to fix the machine immediately, and therefore resulting in zero downtime and maximising productivity.

Making use of video calling provides a greater level of detail for the helpdesk operator as it helps them to actually see the issue, and visually guide the cleaning operative through steps to help identify and fix the problem where possible. It also helps to identify if replacement parts are required, and these can be sent straight to site to be fitted by the operator. This all contributes to a huge reduction in wasted hours of unproductive cleaning and engineering time.

From sustainability to upskilling

Video calling means that we can ensure field-based resources are visiting primary equipment issues as opposed to unnecessary calls, as well as supporting our environmental pledge to reduce our carbon footprint.

Remotely diagnosing and repairing faults through the use of technology also contributes to a reduction in service delivery costs, which in turn can be passed onto customers. 

It also increases the skill set of the cleaning operative as they are being guided through how to fix simple equipment problems, therefore this improves their understanding of maintaining the equipment and checking for blockages before calling to report a fault. In turn, this changes behaviours from immediately reporting a fault and empowers the operative to be more aware of potential issues and checks to carry out to keep the machine running and cleaning effectively.

Overall, we have seen extremely positive results where between 35% and 75% of issues have been immediately resolved during the video call. This is where our team can identify and either fix or pre-empt the required parts to avoid having to send out an engineer to site.

It is a simple, straightforward concept, but has the potential to have a positive impact on cost reduction, unproductive engineering and cleaning time, and the environment.