The days of six-month-old golf magazines in waiting rooms may be coming to an end as businesses get on board with using iPads in their lobbies. Using an iPad in the lobby can offer visitors reading material and games while they wait, in addition to serving useful functions such as providing a way to fill out patient forms electronically, sign up for a mailing list or friend a business on Facebook.
“Finding a versatile use for tablets is an outstanding return on your investment,” Larry Mogelonsky, a marketing expert, wrote at Ehotelier.com, referring to specifically to lobby tablets. But keeping an iPad in the lobby of a hotel or medical practice could also make it an easy victim of loss, theft or damage.
MME Consulting offered some lobby iPad safety tips on their blog. In addition to highlighting a mounted locking solution from Maclocks.com, the blog pointed out some minor changes that could deter thieves. Apple offers free iPad engraving, and businesses may want to consider marking their iPad in some other way – with wacky colors or a business-specific background – that could make it stick out if stolen. Another solution could be to borrow customer keys, for instance, as collateral.
The risk of a broken iPad is always a drawback of making the device available to visitors, but with iPad repair from iResQ, getting a damaged device back up and running should be the least of your worries.