How to Run an Equipment Desk: Laptops, Chargers and More
An equipment desk works when every item is labelled, everything handed out has a name and a due time, reminders do the chasing, and each return records the condition, so broken things are set aside before they go out again.
The essentials
- Label every item you lend, including identical ones, so each record names one thing.
- Record who borrowed it and when it is due, every time.
- Let reminders do the chasing, before and after the due time.
- Note how each item came back and set damaged ones aside for repair.
Decide what you lend and for how long
University IT desks and libraries lend laptops and cameras, hotel receptions lend chargers and umbrellas, gyms lend locks and towels. Write down what you lend and a usual due time for each kind of thing: two hours for a charger, a day for a laptop, a week for a camera.
In vFound Equipment the venue sets a usual due time, and any item can have its own.
Label every item, even the identical ones
Ten identical chargers need ten labels, or you will never know which one came back broken. A QR label lets anyone scan the item instead of reading a serial number.
In vFound Equipment staff photograph an item and vFound AI names it. Add several identical ones in one go and each gets its own label, numbered one to ten, printed straight from the browser.
Lend with a name and a due time
Every hand-out should record who borrowed the item, how to reach them and when it is due back. With vFound Equipment staff scan the label, type the borrower’s name (past borrowers and the venue’s people list are suggested) and pick a due time in one tap. The borrower gets a receipt by email, and signs on the screen if the venue asks.
Let reminders do the chasing
Chasing late items by hand takes time nobody has. vFound Equipment emails a reminder shortly before a longer due time, then up to three overdue reminders a day apart. Overdue items lead the list at the desk, and a Slack or Teams channel can get a daily count of them, with no names.
Record how each item came back
When an item comes back, note its condition. In vFound Equipment a good return is one scan; if it came back damaged or with parts missing, staff note what is wrong, take a photo, and the item is set aside for repair until someone makes it available again.
Use what the record tells you
The history shows what is borrowed most, what comes back late and what keeps breaking, which is the evidence you need to buy more of the right things. vFound Equipment shows the most borrowed items for the last 90 days and exports the full history as a spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to run an equipment desk?
A printer and a phone or laptop with a camera. With vFound Equipment you print QR labels on plain paper or sticker sheets and scan them with any phone or laptop camera, or type the code.
How do reminders work in vFound Equipment?
A borrower with an email gets a receipt when they borrow, a reminder shortly before anything out for six hours or more is due, and up to three overdue reminders a day apart.
How long is the history kept?
Each record is kept for 13 months after the item comes back, so a year of history is there for audits, and then deleted with any return photo and signature.