Background
Pernod Ricard, a global leader in wines and spirits, operates several key business units from its Chiswick office in London. Split across three floors, the space is home to Pernod Ricard UK, Chivas Brothers International, the Absolut Group and the companies Global Travel and Retail Headquarters. As a hub for several business units, the Chiswick office supports over 400 members of staff, with meeting rooms consistently booked throughout the day. Ensuring seamless AV functionality across its 36 meeting rooms meeting rooms and two AV capable event spaces is crucial to support daily operations.
When Pernod Ricard moved into the Chiswick office, it wanted to create a dynamic and collaborative environment. However, the original AV systems installed were not meeting expectations, leading to regular disruptions for users and the company’s IT team.
The AV Maintenance Requirement
Pernod Ricard was facing significant challenges with its previously installed AV infrastructure, which was overly complex and poorly documented. The system relied on multiple interdependent endpoints, meaning a failure in one component often brought the entire setup down. This unreliability resulted in frequent disruptions and frustration, often taking meeting rooms offline, a critical issue given the high demand for collaboration spaces in the office and its impact on productivity.
To exacerbate the issue, the previous service provider’s support was neither comprehensive nor prompt. When an issue arose, Pernod Ricard’s IT team was first directed to a remote troubleshooting service, significantly delaying the resolution process. Quick fixes were rarely achieved, as the remote service often failed to address the specific problem. This unnecessary delay in resolving critical issues was compounded by the need for on-site engineer visits. The IT team repeatedly found the fixes applied were temporary, and recurring issues continued to impact the meeting rooms. Frustrated, the IT team resorted to workarounds to keep the meeting rooms operational, a time-consuming approach that not only pulled them away from more valuable tasks but also highlighted a critical failure in the service provider’s ability to offer timely resolutions—an essential component of any support contract.
With the new office designed to provide a collaborative working environment, expectations were high. Senior executives and business leaders relied on the AV systems for meetings, making the situation unsustainable. Pernod Ricard required a partner that could not only offer a consistent and reliable AV experience, but also provide proactive and responsive support and maintenance. Looking to the future, they sought a partner with the foresight to anticipate evolving technology needs, ensuring the AV systems would remain scalable and adaptable to future demands.
The Solution – A Tailored AV Maintenance Solution
Pernod Ricard turned to Cinos, coming highly recommended based on its experience and expertise. From the outset, Cinos understood that the needs of all meeting room users, from everyday staff to senior leaders, were central to ensuring a productive and collaborative environment. The goal was to simplify the AV infrastructure, creating a consistent and intuitive experience for everyone using the rooms. This approach would be underpinned by a responsive support service, tailored to Pernod Ricard’s needs. The service would be designed to minimise downtime and ensure rapid issue resolution, keeping the meeting spaces reliable and fully operational at all times.
Through a combination of proactive maintenance, localising each meeting room, and ongoing support, Cinos stabilised the AV infrastructure. This approach not only fixed the immediate problems but also provided a clear path for future expansion and feature enhancements whilst ensuring that the integrity and reliability of the solution was not compromised.
Alongside this, Cinos implemented a flexible support and maintenance package tailored to Pernod Ricard’s requirements. This package ensures that meeting rooms always remain operational, even during periods of high demand. Now, if an issue is raised, response times are minimised, with engineers on-site by the next business day, in line with the agreed SLAs with Pernod Ricard. However, wherever possible, efforts are made to have someone on-site the same day to swiftly address urgent issues.
The Benefits – Improved AV Reliability & Performance
Since partnering with Cinos, Pernod Ricard has seen improvements in the reliability and performance of its AV systems. The solutions and support provided by Cinos has reduced the workload on Pernod Ricard’s IT team, who previously spent a considerable amount of time troubleshooting meeting room issues. Instead of being caught up in reactive, day-to-day firefighting, the IT team can now focus on more strategic projects, which are far more valuable to the long-term success and growth of the business.
The simplified AV infrastructure, combined with fast response times, have created a seamless meeting experience across all rooms and business units within the office. Cinos’ consistent and proactive approach has minimised downtime and contributed to a more productive working environment, with fewer complaints from users and a noticeable improvement in the quality of meetings.
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The whole package Cinos provides us is exactly what we need. Their SLAs are excellent, and with four business units, having a quick and responsive team is key. In the past, senior executives would be asking us why our meetings rooms were offline. Now, we hear nothing but good feedback. Cinos always go above and beyond to support us. |
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Josh Wright
Senior IT Project Manager, Pernod Ricard. |
In today’s digital landscape, the integration of audio visual (AV) and IT systems, along with the rapid adoption of hybrid working, has transformed AV technology from a ‘nice to have’ into a fundamental component of daily operations. These systems are now essential for facilitating communication, collaboration, and customer engagement across diverse locations.
Investing in a robust maintenance and support contract with an established and trusted partner like Cinos brings numerous advantages, but most importantly it brings peace of mind. Our AV maintenance contracts ensure you have immediate access to expert support when required. This minimises downtime, ensures your teams can remain productive and enables you to focus on your business objectives.
