Use Case: Reduce Costs Through Automation

Delivering Efficiency, Accountability, and Cost Savings with LapSafe®’s Envoy™ Smart Lockers

Northfleet School for Girls implemented LapSafe®’s Envoy™ self-service smart lockers to improve the way student devices are loaned and returned. The school sought to reduce reliance on manual processes, free up technician time, and improve accountability, and the impact has been significant.

Reducing Costs Through Automation

Before adopting Envoy™, one of the school’s junior IT technicians spent up to two hours each day manually loaning and collecting devices. Each transaction was logged in Excel, with student names and device allocations recorded manually.

By switching to Envoy’s fully automated process, this daily manual task has been eliminated, delivering tangible savings in staff time:

• £12.21/hr (UK minimum wage for over 21s)

• 2 hours/day x 5 days/week = £122.10/week

• £122.10 x 39 school weeks = £4,761.90 saved annually

This freed-up technician time is now redirected to higher-value IT support tasks across the school.

Eliminating Manual Admin

The move away from spreadsheets and paper-based logging has had a transformative effect. Device loans and returns are now fully automated and tracked in real-time through the ONARKEN® platform.

“We no longer need to log loans and record information manually to allocate a device to a student, whether that be using a paper or Excel based process, the process is now automated. We previously would have to manually report late or failed returns to the head of year, for example, who would then chase the student to find out where the device is. We can now open the ONARKEN® portal and email the student directly to make them aware of failed or late returns.” – Richard Chilcott, IT Systems Manager

While not currently used at Northfleet, automated email notifications via ONARKEN® can further reduce the admin load by alerting students of overdue devices.

Streamlining Device Distribution

With Envoy™ in place, self-service device access means staff are no longer required to physically hand out equipment. This has drastically reduced the time spent on distribution.

“Due to Envoy™ being a self-service solution, it alleviates manual distribution and as the devices were previously stored in Trolleys, where there would be a jungle of cables that required constant management, however, as devices and cables are stored in their own individual bays with Envoy™, spending time on cable management is a thing of the past.” – Richard Chilcott, IT Systems Manager

Enhancing Security & Accountability

Thanks to ONARKEN®, the school now benefits from complete visibility over who has taken which device and when. Each device is securely stored in its own locker bay, and only the student it's assigned to can access it.

This enhanced access control has improved device return rates and accountability. Unlike trolley-based systems, where multiple devices are accessible at once, Envoy™ ensures each student is responsible for a single, identifiable device.

“Using the ONARKEN® portal, we can check whether the device has been checked back in; if it hasn’t been, only the student it was allocated to becomes accountable, as they were the only one that had access to it. Security is enhanced as the student only has access to a single bay, containing a single device, not several devices at once in a Trolley set-up”. - Richard Chilcott, IT Systems Manager

Maximising Teaching Time

With students collecting devices independently and securely via Envoy™, valuable minutes are returned to the classroom, improving lesson flow and student engagement.

“Teachers no longer need to supervise device distribution, therefore they can spend more time teaching” - Richard Chilcott, IT Systems Manager

Why LapSafe®?

As pioneers of device storage and charging, LapSafe® delivers secure, automated, and smart solutions that not only reduce costs but also enhance learning environments. Trusted by nearly all of UK universities, almost half of UK Colleges, and countless schools across the country, LapSafe® empowers organisations like Northfleet School for Girls to streamline operations, improve accountability, and get the most from their tech investments.

Invest Today!

Learn how LapSafe® can tailor smart lockers to suit your business needs. Contact our sales team to start your journey towards a more efficient, automated environment.