Connect2: 24/7 student service without the pitfalls

There’s a lot of debate over the advantages of giving students 24/7 services. On the one hand, these facilities have become a major selling point for prospective students and an aspect of college life that earns a lot of points in student satisfaction. At the same time, there’s the burnout worry of students routinely putting in all-nighters, e.g. in the 24-hour library.

The concern is that with greater flexibility comes the irresistible temptation to develop unhealthy study and sleep schedules. Unsurprisingly there’s also much scrutiny of the potential overheads involved in providing these services.

However, neither behavioral nor financial drawbacks apply when offering a 24/7 resource reservation service with connect2 equipment checkout software. It’s an online system that requires no staff assistance in the small hours of the night. Neither does it encourage undisciplined, last-minute study habits. In fact, connect2 university customers will tell you it nurtures the very opposite in student behavior.

As an online facility, connect2 encourages students to plan ahead and be better organized for their assignments, developing a more professional attitude to their studies. It is also hugely convenient: students no longer need to visit the equipment store desk during opening hours to check on availability, or enquire by email and wait for a response. Instead they use the connect2 online system to view availability of equipment and make their own reservations.

Here’s how it works:

• In connect2, students browse and select the items they need, add them to their cart and agree to terms and conditions. It’s an online experience that most students are already very familiar with and happy to repeat
• Images and information on each item help students choose the right equipment for their needs
• A ‘frequently booked with’ feature assists students in adding the necessary accessories and battery packs etc to their booking
• Further time is saved when picking up the equipment as staff have had time to view all reservations and prepare the equipment in advance of checkout

Students can do this at any time of day or night with a query that takes seconds. Once they’ve made their booking, they can begin or resume their good night’s sleep/study session/leisure activity, secure in the knowledge that the critical items they need for their assignment are safely reserved for their use. They can also renew or cancel their bookings online.

Staff benefit too

As a self-service reservation facility, it cuts down massively on the work involved supporting resource access. An average 70% of equipment usage is booked in advance by students at universities that use the connect2 system. This leads to up to 9 hours of work saved every week for staff who coordinate equipment loans, simply by allowing students to create their own online reservations.

And as connect2 enables students to manage their own enquiries, reservations and renewals, staff have more time to support them in ways that add real value.

Become 24/7 the easy way with connect2

If the prestige of your institution calls for round-the-clock support of students, then connect2 will be of real interest. Plus it builds on what’s already on offer to students by showcasing online all the equipment available for their use. With connect2, students will never be in any doubt about the investments made in the latest technology and equipment to meet their needs

If you would like to find out more about how connect2 can help meet the growing expectation for 24/7 services, please get in touch.