Crowdsourced machine status reporting
Aimed at service providers in the facilities management, retail, leisure and hospitality industries, the battery-powered Spur feedback button can be stuck on any “dumb” legacy equipment to upgrade it with an extra menu, prompting users to request attention, a service or to report a fault if for example a machine is not working. Via its built-in 868MHz radio, the Spur button communicates the request to a nearby gateway bridge (plugged into a power outlet) which itself transmits the data to a server via its cellular modem.
In some of the examples put forward by ContinuumBridge for its product launch, the only real service offered to customers is to gratify their reporting action with an acknowledgement message in exchange for them acting as a cheap M2M communication upgrade. Installed by a coffee machine, the display could say, “Push here if this machine requires more coffee” and then after pressing the button the display could change to say, “More coffee for this machine has been requested”. In other scenarios, the button enables status reporting for office equipment (printers or photocopiers out of toner) or washroom facilities (if for they need cleaning).
Other sets of menus could call for a more direct customer service, for example, requesting waiter attention or asking for the bill in a restaurant, and later on rating the customer experience.
For the service providers, the smart button is marketed as a way to automate the service process, allegedly turning customers’ input into cost-savings, since it allows staff to focus on responding to the end-user and avoids time spent checking for issues. They can access the server through a fully programmable but easy to use web portal that is designed to help them solve problems. It provides comprehensive reporting available through the web site or via email, SMS or data-sharing with a third party database.
Such crowdsourced machine status reporting data may eventually give them more insight on the best routine maintenance schedules to adopt in order to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns and call-outs.
Performance monitoring should also help the provider know it is fulfilling its service level agreement (SLA) with the client company while also meeting the expectations of end-users.
The “fit and forget” call button has an expected battery life of up to five years. It is undergoing trials now in the UK and volume production will commence in mid-2016.
ContinuumBridge is looking for distribution partners throughout Europe with North American and other geographies anticipated in the future.
More information about Spur at www.spur.site
Visit Continuum Bridge at www.continuumbridge.com
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