Doctors’ offices are bustling this time of year as many people try to squeeze in a health-care visit. Some are there because they want their yearly flu shots or because they’ve met their deductible and want routine care before the calendar resets. Others are there because the season has gotten them so rundown, they’re sick and don’t want to go another day with their hacking cough.
Similarly, your audiovisual (AV) equipment can fall into one of those two categories: regularly maintained or just waiting to malfunction. Fortunately, the end of the year is an ideal time to perform an AV checkup. It is often a slow time for many offices—particularly the time between Christmas and New Year’s. Employees take time off, leaving many conference rooms empty. This slow time gives your team the chance to access and maintain the AV equipment—before it needs urgent care—so your audio video systems for communication and collaboration can run smoothly in the new year. Here’s how to conduct an annual AV technology checkup.
Let everyone know.
Send out an email letting everyone know you’ll be booking the rooms for maintenance. It’s also the opportunity to ask for known issues and for which rooms they prefer and which they avoid.
Prepare your checklist.
Below is a checklist example that you can customize for your spaces and organization.
Inventory all the hardware in every space.
On your own or with the help of an audiovisual integrator, work through your list. Make a note of the condition and age of every piece of equipment, including mics, codecs, cameras, displays, speakers, projectors, etc. This is also a good time to create a document with IP addresses, phone lines, and source information.
Note the capabilities in each room.
Track whether a room is equipped for audio only, video conferencing, content-sharing, etc. This information about functionality and usage will help you get down to the cause of why certain rooms are always booked and which remain empty, and it can help you identify which technologies to invest in.
Test each piece of equipment.
Make a note about whether each device is working or needs repair or replacement—including everything from dead pixels to dead devices. Make sure endpoints are routing correctly. Also, identify what else needs attention, including items like frayed cords, burned out bulbs, missing cables, etc.
Check for updates.
Perform hardware, firmware, software, and security updates as recommended by the manufacturer. If there are any devices that weren’t installed or previously checked by your department, check passwords and make sure they’ve been changed from the default.
Determine what else needs attention.
Note known issues, but also take notice of less-pressing matters, like whether digital signage content needs a refresh or whether certain technology solutions are up to current standards.
An annual AV checkup will help your organization start the new year glitch-free and help employees work with greater efficiency and less frustration. It will also help you prepare for improvements and upgrades in the new year. A qualified systems integrator can look at your list and help you plan for repairs, updates, and investments. Find an integrator here.
