How Proper AV Maintenance Can Save You a Fortune

Reducing costs is critical for any successful business. The best way to mitigate overspending is to spend money strategically. Professional AV equipment is expensive, and sudden breakdowns can put a massive hole in your budget.

For a fraction of the price, you can ensure that your AV hardware runs properly, and you can prevent long-time losses. This article will explain why investing in regular AV maintenance is a wise idea.

Why You Should Care About Regular AV Maintenance

As with any hardware, AV equipment may (and will) eventually fail. And in some cases, such failures can lead to devastating results. Imagine finding out your AV system does not work in the middle of an offline event or during an important call.

While it’s impossible to guarantee this will never happen, regular maintenance reduces such risks drastically. These are the main benefits of AV maintenance:

Longer Equipment Lifespan: Regularly maintaining your equipment can extend its lifespan and prevent it from wearing out too soon. As a result, you won’t need to replace hardware as often, which ultimately helps businesses save money on purchasing new equipment.

Reduced Downtime: By keeping your Audio-Visual system in top condition through regular maintenance, you can minimize the risk of unplanned outages and maintain smooth business operations.

Less Risk of Costly Repairs: Proactive maintenance helps identify potential issues before they escalate into major problems. By addressing these concerns early, businesses can avoid the high costs of emergency repairs or equipment replacement.

Enhanced AV Performance: A well-maintained AV system delivers better performance, providing clearer audio and sharper visuals.

Energy Efficiency: Poorly maintained AV equipment may consume more power than necessary, driving up energy costs. Proper maintenance can help lower utility bills.

The Cost of Neglecting Your AV

As we said earlier, professional AV equipment isn’t cheap, and the most immediate risk your business will face if it fails is the need to buy new hardware. But this is not the only problem that may arise from sudden AV breakdowns.

Replacing a piece of AV equipment may be much more complicated than just plug-and-play.

1. First, you must find a suitable piece of hardware – which can be a challenge if your system is a bit outdated and needs rare components.
2. Second, you need to wait until it’s delivered (don’t forget about the global supply chain crisis that may affect delivery times for your AV equipment).
3. Third, you must install new equipment and ensure all other components are set up properly to work with it. All these tasks can take a significant amount of time.

And while you wait for these tasks to be done, your business’s productivity takes a nosedive because your staff is waiting for the replacement to arrive and get installed.

Probably the worst-case scenario is when AV equipment fails in the middle of an important event or call. Such incidents can affect your company’s reputation and professional image, resulting in dissatisfied clients and lost business opportunities.

As you can see, the ultimate cost goes far beyond merely having to pay for a new piece of equipment.

How Regular AV Maintenance Is Done

As the name implies, regular AV maintenance must be performed regularly. But how often? It depends on several factors, such as:

• System age. Older AV systems typically need more care than newer ones since potential problems tend to build up with age and outdated technology.
• System complexity. The more elements your system contains, the higher the chance that one of those elements will fail.
• Usage patterns. Regular maintenance schedules for a venue with daily live concerts and a small conference room with a couple of wireless speakers may vary greatly.

Regular AV maintenance may include different steps depending on each specific system. Still, it always includes visual inspection, cleaning, routine tasks such as mechanical components servicing or firmware updates, and calibration.

Visual inspection is performed to check for visible signs of wear and tear. A technician examines each component of your AV system looking for such signs as frayed cables, corroded connections, or dust accumulation.

Cleaning is extremely important since dust or debris can lead to overheating and significantly reduce your AV equipment’s lifespan.

Routine tasks depend on each specific piece of equipment. For instance, lamps for most video projectors must be replaced every 1,500 – 3,000 hours.

Recalibration ensures the highest quality of audio and video that the equipment produces.

How to Manage Regular AV Maintenance

Now that we know what to do, the next question is how to do it. There are several steps that you can take to ensure your AV equipment is adequately maintained.

Create an AV Inventory

Keep an up-to-date inventory of your AV equipment, including serial numbers, purchase dates, warranty information, and maintenance records. This streamlines the maintenance process and ensures you have all the necessary information for AV equipment operation and maintenance.

Train Your Staff

Educate your employees on using and handling AV equipment to minimize the risk of damage or premature wear. This may include training on cable management, device storage, and safe power cycling procedures.

Partner with AV Professionals

Unless you employ an in-house AV engineer, the best way to ensure your equipment receives the best care possible is to partner with a trusted AV maintenance service provider. Professional technicians have the expertise and tools necessary to diagnose and repair issues, perform routine maintenance, and offer guidance on best practices.

If you have any questions about AV maintenance, Audio-Video Group is here to help! Contact us today, and let’s talk!