Collecting Company Equipment From Remote Employees

IT asset managers within organizations that deploy corporate-liable IT hardware such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices understand that to achieve a certain level of compliance, high return rates for decommissioned company-owned IT hardware is a metric that should not be overlooked.

Yet, over 80% of unused corporate devices never follow a compliant IT asset disposition path and remain a risk to the organization having sensitive data remaining on the device.

It's no mystery why many struggle with this end-of-life piece of the IT asset management lifecycle. It's not easy to facilitate. So, what are the factors? How do you know if you're a low, average, or high-compliant organization? And what can you do to make retrieving company-owned devices simple enough to ensure a high return rate?

I asked ChatGPT about average device return rates for employees who need to return corporate-owned devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, monitors, and workstation equipment and got an interesting response.

• Average Compliance Organizations: Companies may see return rates around 60-80%. Many businesses fall into this category, balancing effective processes and some degree of non-compliance.
• Low Compliance Organizations: In companies with less stringent policies or poorer tracking and follow-up processes, the return rate can drop significantly, as low as 40-50%.
• You would fit into the High Compliance Organization category if you were seeing above 80% return rate.

As the founder of Evercycle, I am obsessed with helping organizations automate proactive device circularity programs on a daily basis; I can sigh in relief knowing our customers see an average return rate of 86%.

That's great, but our standards are high. So, we continue to add innovative features that help increase this rate even higher. I am always open to new ideas. If you have any or would like to learn more about how we enable organizations to accomplish this quickly, please message me directly.

So, what did ChatGPT say the main factors are that influence equipment return rates?

• Ease of Return Process: A streamlined and convenient process for returning hardware can improve return rates.
• Communication and Follow-up: Regular reminders and follow-ups with employees can ensure higher compliance.
• Data Security Concerns: Employees may be more diligent in returning devices if there is a strong emphasis on data security and proper handling of retired devices.
• Incentives for Return: Companies that offer incentives or penalties tied to the return of hardware tend to have higher compliance rates.

This next part is a bit scary. This was not in my prompt and I don't know how ChatGPT knew to suggest this.

ChatGPT: "For your SaaS platform targeting IT Asset Managers, providing features that enhance tracking, communication, and incentives for hardware returns can significantly improve the return rates for your clients."

Thanks for the affirmation, ChatGPT! Lol… It looks like we’ve focused on the right things! Yes, the Evercycle platform has great tools for planning, communication, tracking, reporting, and automating IT hardware circularity. But I am curious—what ideas do you have for incentivizing individuals to return devices? - Beyond simply telling them they need to?

Also, if you happen to be an IT asset manager, I created this super quick walkthrough page the other day and would love to get your feedback from the perspective of someone who's thinking about IT Asset Management processes every day.

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