The BBC, the world’s leading public service broadcaster, relies on cutting-edge technology to deliver world-class programs. But behind the scenes, managing a vast inventory of equipment – from microphones to complex broadcast kits – presented a significant challenge.

Picture this: critical equipment, worth hundreds of pounds, simply vanishing, leaving teams scrambling. The culprit? A reliance on static, error-prone spreadsheets.

Missing Equipment and No Accountability: The BBC’s Spreadsheet Challenge

Jane Porter, Solutions Lead for BBC Technology Group, and team member Stephen Cox, Solutions Manager, discuss the pain points of asset management.

Manual data updates: Before EZO, BBC heavily relied on Excel spreadsheets to track and manage thousands of assets. According to Jane, the data stored in Excel was not dynamic and became siloed and offline. Due to this constraint, the data had to be regularly manually updated, entailing 5-6 labor hours. Offboarding employees and retrieving assets was quite a hassle.

Lack of a central database: With Excel, there were no formal asset ownership records, forcing admins to chase down people to get equipment kits back. At one point, Jane noted three instances of not being able to retrieve equipment back, each worth hundreds of pounds – in just one department. As the saying goes, no data is better than bad data.

Lack of audit history: Anyone could update the asset records, and there would be no history of the previous records. Ensuring accurate data without audits and accountability is a near-impossible task.

From Lost Assets to Recovered Value: Tangible Results with EZO

In 2017, the BBC made a pivotal decision: To embrace EZO, a dynamic asset management solution that promised to revolutionize their operations. This wasn’t just an upgrade; it was a complete transformation.

The main workflows across the seven instances include check-in and checkouts with approval workflows, alert automations, with some departments using reservations and availability calendars.

Here is how EZO has helped the organization achieve efficient workflows:

Reclaimed Value

In a single offboarding instance, the BBC recovered over 100 assets, worth an estimated £10,000 ($12,400), that were previously unaccounted for. This wasn’t just about recovering equipment; it was about recovering lost value and demonstrating the power of accurate tracking.

Time Savings

The BBC eliminated 5-6 hours of manual data entry per week, freeing up valuable time for their teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Imagine those hours going back into producing world class content.

Automation and Data accuracy

Real-time asset tracking improved data accuracy by 50%, driving successful audits and compliance. Furthermore, BBC Sport has created 30+ automated email templates for different actualities such as check-ins and checkouts – tailored to branding.

Enhanced Accountability

EZO’s audit trails and approval workflows brought unprecedented transparency and accountability to asset management. No longer could equipment simply disappear without a trace.

Tailored Insights

The BBC leveraged EZO’s customizable dashboards to gain personalized insights into their asset usage, empowering them to make data-driven decisions.

“The ability to tailor the system to our specific needs was a game-changer,” says Stephen.

Empowering Efficiency and Compliance

EZO’s impact extended beyond simple tracking. The BBC Sport team, for example, used custom fields to meticulously document equipment details, ensuring compliance with critical Carnet documentation. This level of detail was essential for smooth operations and successful audits.

Seven Years of Partnership: A Testament to EZO’s Exceptional Support

The BBC channel has been using EZO for more than seven years and has significantly improved its workflow by providing dynamic equipment records for various departments. Jane and her team are quite happy with the customer service and the latest developments in EZO.

‘You are always willing to take feedback, and we appreciate our relationship,’ says Jane.

The BBC’s story is a powerful testament to the potential of efficient asset management. It’s not just about tracking equipment; it’s about unlocking hidden value, optimizing efficiency, and empowering your team to focus on what matters most.

EZO empowers organizations to take control of their assets, drive efficiency, and achieve tangible results.