Getting Hardware Ready for Peak Season

For most retail companies their peak season is Christmas. For others it may be the summer, or Prom season, or when inventory is conducted. So, when your peak season approaches (or looms!), what’s the best way to make sure you’re not tied up in knots and your IT equipment is ready to work!?

Something is going to go wrong.

Even with the best preparation you can expect some hardware to break down. How do you handle it? Well, one way is to establish a good working relationship with your repair vendor. Know what they’re turnaround time is for repairs and hold them accountable. Seek an established repair company that you can rely on in emergencies. Get the direct phone number, or even the cell phone number, of somebody there who you can turn to for a fast response. The no-name customer service rep on the end of an 800 number won’t cut it in an emergency.

Consider a maintenance contract

Often the cheapest maintenance method is the pay-as-you-go method, where you pay for repairs on an as needed basis. However, for critical equipment a maintenance contract with specified turnaround times might be a good idea. That way you know how long broken equipment will be down. Also, if you stay away from the manufacturer then maintenance contracts can be affordable. Third party repair depots can often offer excellent value maintenance plans for a variety of hardware.

Managed Services can help too.

A growing trend for many companies is to outsource their IT hardware management to a third party depot repair company. The third party holds the inventory and ships out good hardware to replace broken equipment. The defective equipment is then returned to the vendor, repaired and then put back on the shelf for the next time. The vendor can also configure and prep equipment before it goes out to the store or end-user. They can remove many of the pressures associated with peak season problems.