Complete peace of mind with new ProTect PLUS maintenance services

A laptop or notebook computer is at the core of day-to-day operations in modern businesses. It is worked extremely hard for long periods of time and the users’ reliance on these devices cannot be overstated. 

This is especially true for mobile workers that operate in the field, who may not have access to spare devices should an issue cause their core device to go offline. Their device is critical to them fulfilling their roles, and any unpredicted downtime has a knock-on effect on daily operations and sometimes even their reputation.

In the challenging and unforgiving environments in which TOUGHBOOK devices are used, imagine the following scenario. A device that is not covered by a maintenance service contract, or one where the contract has lapsed, stops working, is accidentally dropped onto a hard surface, or requires crucial software updates. This will bring any work to a shuddering halt, and lead to a lengthy and costly period of downtime whilst the fix is implemented. 

Furthermore, if the majority of a business’ employees are remote, this could have a catastrophic effect on business continuity, and de-value the initial investment spent in procuring the devices.

All new TOUGHBOOK devices come with a 3 year ProTect service plan as standard.  During this time specialist TOUGHBOOK technicians will repair any manufacturing defects and functional failures within 48-hours of receiving the device and ship it back to the end user fully imaged – all software, firmware, and driver updates are installed before leaving the factory so the device is ready to go right out of the box. This ensures that businesses can focus solely on delivering for their customers.

ProTect PLUS: Going Beyond Maintenance and Repair 

Panasonic identified that businesses need more than just fast service at the point of repair; proactivity is key to keeping devices productive, so they conceived “ProTect PLUS”: a new wrap-around service that customers can upgrade to, which ensures higher efficiency and productivity from their TOUGHBOOK devices. 

Available on three, four, or five-year plans, ProTect PLUS encompasses everything included in the standard ProTect offering, in addition to the following:

• Battery Confidence service – Proactive battery replacement for the first three years, powered by Elemez from B2M Solutions.
• Remote technical support – Enabling users to access the help they need, direct from TOUGHBOOK specialist technicians, no matter where they are.
• Small cosmetic repairs and reinstatement of IP integrity.
• One day of on-demand consultancy with Panasonic TOUGHBOOK, per year.

ProTect PLUS customers also benefit from monthly service reporting on their full estate of devices (particularly useful for monitoring predictive maintenance schedules with particularly large device estates), a full health status report on all repaired devices, and full access to the TOUGHBOOK ServiceCloud Advanced Knowledge Base.

Tailored Peace of Mind with ProTect PLUS Premium 

Panasonic also recognises that to ensure complete business continuity and device uptime for customers, regardless of the environment in which they are operating, they need to go one step further and provide an unrivalled level of device protection which can be tailored for individual usage profiles. 

For those customers in extreme environments that want the highest level of service, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK offers a range of ProTect PLUS Premium options that can be selected, as per business’ requirements. These include:

• Infinity Full Maintenance: The repair or replacement of a device with an identical or comparable unit to ensure workforces remain operational.
• Self-Maintenance: Expert training can certify staff to the required service level to carry out basic repairs in-house.
• Rapid Replacement: Replacement devices are shipped to customers on the same day as their devices becomes unusable.
• Device Management: TOUGHBOOK provides a tailored managed service on a case-by-case basis, to manage fleets of mobile devices, in any environment.
• Return without SSD: Enables customers to retain their original SSD when devices are repaired or replaced, ensuring total data security.
• Global Service: TOUGHBOOK Service Centres and Authorised Service Partners provide a full service for mobile users in more than 175 countries.

Finally, it’s important to state that none of the proactive ProTect PLUS services can be provided if the customer (or nominated reseller) doesn’t follow two very simple steps:

1. All service plans must be activated in our ServiceCloud portal. If we don’t have the customer’s device and contact details, then we cannot provide any monthly reports or send out any replacement batteries when indicated.
2. The Battery Confidence software must be installed. Without this running we will have no visibility of the state of health of the battery in users’ devices, therefore we cannot tell when they are approaching the time for replacement.

You wouldn’t purchase a car and neglect the regular servicing and maintenance of the vehicle, so why wouldn’t you protect your investment in a mission-critical estate of industry-leading rugged devices? With TOUGHBOOK’s range of ProTect maintenance services, customers can rest assured that their hardware and software will always be delivering at peak performance.