Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the way companies work and many businesses, including IVM, needed to adapt their product offerings to better accommodate the new day-to-day realities. IVM’s President, Mike Pitts, recently caught up with Inside INdiana Business to discuss how businesses like e-commerce giant Wayfair are using our SmartSolutions to meet the evolving needs of customers during the pandemic.
Improving E-Commerce Fulfillment with SmartLockers
As people stayed home and increasingly relied on online ordering, e-commerce is one industry that experienced exponential growth during the pandemic. With more orders being placed, time was of the essence to meet consumer demand, and having productive warehouse staff management and operations became even more important for e-commerce giants like Wayfair.
Many fulfillment centers rely on hand-held scanner devices to pick and pack orders, yet these scanners can easily be left out between shifts or misplaced by employees, causing a backlog when a new shift comes in for work. IVM’s SmartVault, a smart locker solution that helps optimize warehouse management operations, can be leveraged to solve this problem by offering secure device storage, employee self-service and automatic tracking to improve workflows and increase productivity. Today, Wayfair utilizes dozens of our SmartVaults across multiple locations to efficiently distribute and track scanners between shifts as they work to meet increased consumer demand.
Better IT Support for Faculty and Students
Higher education is another example of an industry that required new processes and innovative solutions, particularly as students and staff sought to transition safely back to campus during the pandemic. Over the summer, IVM introduced SmartCenter, a fully contactless kiosk solution that connects users to IT support from anywhere. Integrated video chat enables IT staff to provide live, face-to-face service without requiring them to be in the same room as their colleagues. Users simply grant IT staff remote access to their devices for tech support, and they can pick-up or drop-off new devices via lockers attached to SmartCenter. Northwestern University is currently using IVM’s SmartCenter to ensure faculty, staff and students have access to technology when they need it.
Device Distribution and Reclamation Made Easier
Fairfield University in Connecticut recently started using IVM’s SmartStation, a smart vending machine, to provide the campus community with faster, secure, and on-demand access to important products that students and staff could use to get their work done or find entertainment, such as chargers, headphones and streaming devices. IVM is also partnered with the University of Indianapolis, where our SmartLockers are utilized to help the university IT team distribute laptops more efficiently to teaching staff.
SmartSolutions for Every Challenge
Throughout the pandemic, IVM has continued to explore new use-cases and innovate through automated distribution and delivery methods that streamline workflows. No matter the industry or the challenges and new realities that arise as we embrace the new future of work, IVM can help transform your business. Reach out to us to learn more.
