Covid-19 safety measures inspire new approach to customer service for MRF operators

Van Dyk Recycling Solutions has accelerated the rollout of a new product to help their customers get faster, safer, and more effective service assistance during the Covid-19 crisis. Called Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM (the AR stands for augmented reality), the device is a communication headset that allows the customer to receive guidance from the Van Dyk service desk like never before.

While wearing the headset, the customer has the ability to call the Van Dyk service desk and speak to an expert technician. The headset is equipped with a small camera and a flashlight, which highlights what the customer is looking at and records their field of vision. The camera streams this footage to a computer at the Van Dyk desk in real time, so an expert technician can see exactly what the customer sees. This “I see what you see” approach is a game-changer in MRF troubleshooting. Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM conversations get to a diagnosis quickly and without confusion.

In addition to seeing the customer’s field of vision, the Van Dyk technician can use augmented reality technology to give the customer clear directives for problem solving. The Van Dyk technician can superimpose arrows, circles, and other digital elements onto the customer’s display pod (a small computer positioned in front of the wearer’s eye, which appears as a 7-inch tablet screen). The computer screen alternates between a desktop display and the camera stream. When digital elements are superimposed over the camera stream, the customer can clearly understand where to go and what to do to fix issues from the most simple and common to the more complex.

“At Van Dyk, our customer support efforts are conducted primarily over the phone,” says Christopher Bova, Director of Operations. “With Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM, we can leverage that experience by now working more directly with the customer, seeing exactly what they’re seeing, when they’re seeing it. This will allow us to pinpoint their issue and guide them toward a quicker resolution.”

With Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM, customers receive technical assistance equal to that of a scheduled, in-person service visit. In fact, it’s better. An expert technician can be at your plant instantly, expense-free. It also increases safety in several ways. Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM is 100% hands free, allowing your mechanic full dexterity to handle heavy machinery. It comes with noise canceling headphones, which block out loud MRF noise and allow your mechanic to clearly hear directions. And, it allows MRFs to uphold their much needed social-distancing protocols during the Covid-19 crisis.

Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM is not just for trouble-shooting issues. Van Dyk can conduct new employee training, new machinery training, and preventive maintenance refreshers using the technology. Van Dyk can also upload helpful information like equipment manuals and schematics to the user’s display pod, so on-site mechanics can refer to them while working on that machine and for future reference.

As coronavirus-related safety measures are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, reducing person-to-person contact is critical. Technology such as Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM will be the new face of communication between operator and supplier.

To learn more about Van Dyk Vision-AR^TM, contact Van Dyk Recycling Solutions at 203-967-1100 or [email protected].