Things Remembered, Incorporated

Highly Responsive Multi-Vendor Maintenance Service Improves System Availability

Situation
Things Remembered, Incorporated, began opening their specialty retail stores over 35 years ago and has grown to become a leading retailer of personalized gifts in the United States. This specialty retailer, with just under 700 stores, focuses on offering customers unique personalized gifts for all occasions including, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and business recognition.

The rapidly growing retailer was experiencing increasing costs for their on-site repair services for their POS equipment. They began looking for an alternative service organization to handle the repair, refurbishment, and replenishment of their hardware. Things Remembered realized they needed a full service company that could provide one source responsibility for all their maintenance and service needs. They were looking for a company that could provide repair services for all their POS equipment that consisted of workstations and peripherals manufactured by a number of different vendors.

Solution
Ultimate Technology's Services support team met with Things Remembered executives to review their POS business operations and maintenance repair needs. Based on these requirements, Ultimate Technology recommended a service solution that would include Depot Maintenance and Repair Services. Ultimate Technology's Depot Maintenance and Repair Services provide Things Remembered with a single source of technicians who are trained and certified to repair all their equipment, regardless of the manufacturer or the age of the technology. Technicians are able to rapidly diagnose and correct problems at the component level, saving the customer time and money.

Things Remembered manages the depot repair process by identifying equipment failures, and arranging for shipments and returns. Activities are coordinate between Ultimate Technology's Depot Maintenance facility and the customer ensuring that the business hours for their stores are minimally affected by inoperable equipment.

Results
For over ten years, Ultimate Technology's depot maintenance and repair technicians have repaired and replaced multiple POS platforms and peripherals from a number of different manufacturers for Things Remembered. As Things Remembered has upgraded their POS equipment throughout the years, our engineers and technicians have updated their expertise and capabilities to assure consistent service, and administer warranty repair service where required. Ultimate Technology's performance has built confidence and trust with the customer and they depend on us to provide a cost effective full service maintenance program.

Ultimate Technology's service personnel are easily accessible. When a problem arises, Things Remembered can speak directly with a technician who knows about the company and its business operations.

There have been a number of instances where Ultimate Technology's customer service has exceeded the maintenance program's contractual obligations. For example, Ultimate Technology has augmented the customer's staff with personnel to configure systems for deployment during the busy holiday season. We refurbish aged equipment and also implemented an ongoing preventative maintenance program that helps to improve system availability.

Things Remembered has significantly improved their operations by reducing the turn-around time of repaired equipment, improving system availability and reduced the cost of repairing their POS equipment. "Ultimate Technology frequently exceeds our expectations by filling unique requirements," states Connie Fumich, the Director of Information Technology at Things Remembered. "We benefit from their creativity and flexibility by extending the life of the older equipment and lowering our total cost of ownership."