In 2017, the IT Department instituted a formal process improvement method called Lean Six Sigma.
With it, we discovered laptop support could be dramatically improved. We segmented support into three areas of competency: customer service, inventory, and system configuration. By tackling the customer service portion first, we eliminated 94% of process waste and variation, returning 2300 hours of productive time to our customers. This process improvement initiative resulted in a 200% productivity gain to the organization.
Savings were further increased when combined with a new approach to equipment leasing -- new laptops rather than refurbished. By leasing the equipment, we reduced the annual cost of ownership from $373,000 to $181,000 annually.