The Complete Guide to Smart Locker Technology
The demand for smart lockers has increased as people successfully returned to their workplaces for the first time since the pandemic forced many industries to limit or cease their operations.
During the pandemic itself, many companies opted to try incorporating smart locker technology into their organizations, sometimes out of necessity to help curb the spread of the disease, as smart lockers offer contactless delivery of items.
After some time, many companies realized the many benefits of smart lockers in a changing workplace landscape. Smart lockers with smart asset management then became key in centralizing operations to improve employee experience in this new way of working.
If you’re just hearing about this technology, and are interested to know more, this guide will help you learn everything there is to know about smart lockers. But before we dive deep into the topic, we must first understand the struggles in using traditional locker systems.
The Challenges Of Lock On A Box Type Of Lockers
Though suitable to the task during their time, traditional lockers came with an array of challenges that restrict flexibility and prevent users from having a seamless experience.
First, the locker units are large and bulky, thus, limiting options on where to have the lockers installed. Sometimes, these locations may not be the most convenient for the end-user. On top of that, these lockers waste a lot of space that could have been better utilized for other important functions on a commercial property.
Next, traditional locker systems are at high risk of human errors. Each transaction in the system must be recorded manually whenever an employee checks in or checks out important assets. And aside from all these problems, maintenance of these lockers is so expensive. For an evolving workplace landscape that’s becoming much more human-centric, lock on a box type of lockers just won’t cut it anymore.
What Is A Smart Locker?
Smart locker systems are made up of the electrical locker units themselves and the Hardware asset management software packaged with them. The software is where all the management tasks are carried out. Primarily, these smart locker systems serve as secure storage for an organization’s assets.
The accompanying smart asset vending system is used to automate asset management and enhance user experience. This type of locker system can serve different purposes, not just as asset lockers. They could be employee lockers, maintenance lockers, and parcel lockers.
In an IT support context, smart lockers with smart assets and inventory management empower many organizations to easily secure, manage, and distribute IT assets, mainly hardware like laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and projectors.
How Does A Smart Locker Work?
Smart locker systems can do the work once carried out manually by employees. This saves organizations on operational costs and, at the same time, drives efficiency.
Once an item is delivered to a smart locker unit per employee request, the system instantly notifies that recipient that the item is ready for pickup. The recipient will also get the access codes and the instructions on retrieving the item along with the notification.
When users arrive at the locker, they can use the various sign-in methods depending on what the administrator has assigned to them. This could come in the form of an access code, a barcode, or a QR code that can be scanned at the locker terminal. Once signed in, they can immediately gain access to the item they requested.
Why Should You Use A Smart Locker In Your Organization?
The main reason for using a smart locker in your workplace is that it solves the main challenges in traditional locker systems. Their ultimate purpose is to create a safe and connected distribution of company assets. This then allows everyone to gain access to the company’s tools and equipment when they need them.
From an asset management standpoint, smart lockers help reduce asset losses because every transaction is logged. Once an asset is retrieved or returned, managers will know which individual accessed the locker and at what time.
Apart from the distribution and management of high-value items, smart lockers with smart enterprise asset management software such as Teqtivity can also charge devices while they’re idle and awaiting pick up. This feature enables employees to get right to work and hit the ground running.
Smart lockers can also do wonders in repair and redistribution. Employees can simply leave devices in a locker authorized for asset repair, maintenance, and replacement. IT support teams will pick up the device for repair, and once they’re done with the repair, the device will be placed back in the locker for collection.
Conclusion
Smart lockers like the Teqube Titan have completely revolutionized the way organizations store and distribute their assets, coming from a traditional lock-on-a-box solution to a smarter, more intuitive experience.
This technology has allowed organizations to better understand how their lockers are being used, on top of all the savings on cost and prime real estate that it brings.
With all these benefits, including a contact-free process that eliminates contamination risks, smart lockers can help take an organization one step closer to becoming a flexible smart workplace.
Want to know more about smart locker technology and how it can help your business? Contact us and we’ll tell you more about it.