Who benefits from automated key management?

The number and movement of keys point to different needs

When there are many keys, you need to know which keys have been given to whom, when they were handed over and when they must be returned. These events must leave a history you can refer back to later. The information may already be in a system, but following up returns is still left to the staff. Tracking becomes easier when the system reminds the user before the return date and keeps sending reminders if the key is not returned. If needed, it also notifies the person responsible for the keys about the delay.

On the other hand, even a few key handovers can create a lot of work if every pickup has to be arranged and someone has to be present.

If tracking creates the most work, you can start with a key register. If the problem is arranging pickups and returns, a Key Automat makes handovers easier. Often both are needed.

You do not always need a separate locker for each key. The size and number of automats depend on how many keys need to be in them at the same time, in other words, how many pickups and returns need to be handled at once. With automatic locker allocation, a locker is reserved for a pickup or return and is released for the next use after the pickup. Keys held by users are tracked in the register.

Making the Key Automat part of everyday work

It is easy to think of a Key Automat as a cabinet used only for storing keys. With Livion's automats, keys can be handed over not only to your own staff but also to customers, residents, guests and contractors. To support the event history, photos can be saved of the user and of the locker before and after each visit. The photos make it possible to check afterwards what was returned to or taken from the locker.

Key handover and tracking need to fit the customer's other work. Every industry has practices that an outsider does not see straight away. We cannot expect customers to reorganise everything on the device's terms. It is our job to understand these practices and adapt the software and integrations to them.

Information about a key pickup or return can also trigger the next work step. For example, in short-term rentals, the system can notify the cleaning or maintenance team as soon as a key is returned. Work can then start without separately confirming that the guest has left, and the property is ready for the next guest sooner.

Needs vary by industry:

• Hotels and holiday homes: LivionKey connected to the booking system can deliver the PIN code automatically. A guest arriving late gets their key card or key without anyone having to wait for them.
• Car service: Cars can be dropped off and collected outside opening hours. With a payment integration, the PIN code can be sent only after the service has been paid for.
• Property management: A resident moving in at the weekend or a maintenance technician arriving early can collect keys left ready for them without a separate meeting.
• Locksmiths: There are many keys, and personal handovers are a large part of daily customer service. The LivionKey Register workflow is optimised for personal handovers. A Key Automat can easily take over some of them.
• Critical infrastructure: Keys needed for maintenance can be stored on site or nearby. The maintenance technician receives a PIN code to collect the keys at the agreed time.
• Healthcare: A new employee or substitute can collect keys prepared for them in advance, regardless of the administration's working hours.
• Industry and manufacturing: During a maintenance shutdown, many contractors need keys at once. Regular partners also need keys when visiting the relevant sites. Handovers prepared in advance reduce queuing, and the PIN code's validity can be limited to the duration of the work.
• Cities and municipalities: When key handover is connected to the facility booking system, users can collect the key to a sports facility according to their booked slot, including evenings and weekends. Temporary workers and partners can also pick up and return keys as their work requires.

The handover method can be chosen to suit the situation: the same key can be handed over in person or left in the automat for collection. The integration can be built by Livion or by the customer.

Change needs an owner

A company starting a new operation can plan for automated key management from the outset. In an established organisation, it is worth planning the change together with employees: they know what works and how exceptions are handled. The more ready an organisation is to examine its own practices, the more it can benefit from automation.

The change needs one owner within the organisation. This person must want to drive it forward. They also need management support, time and the authority to agree on practices. Livion and our reseller partners can help with implementation. The organisation's own owner makes sure the agreed approach is actually adopted and follows whether it makes work easier.

Many start with one automat for a chosen use case. It is worth monitoring the pilot and agreeing when to review the experience. Depending on the organisation's needs and day-to-day operations, the pilot can be monitored and reviewed regularly, for example once a month. How has the system been used? How has it made work easier, saved time, helped people use their time more efficiently or improved customer service? What changes to working practices or other fixes are still needed? The owner makes sure that the experience also informs decisions about what comes next.

A successful change shows in an ordinary working day. Keys are available at the agreed time, their holders are known, and staff spend less time arranging pickups and chasing returns.