A joint pilot project by Unigrafia and the University of Helsinki’s property services unit, HY247, running until mid-December, is investigating the kinds of challenges users face with AV equipment across the university’s city centre campus. It also aims to determine what type of in-person AV support staff and teachers may need in the future.
“Up until now, we’ve often assumed what kind of services users need and then provided them without asking what they actually want,” says Jyri Poittinen, Service Manager at HY247. “This pilot is designed to find out what users really need and how many resources those necessary services would require. It covers all university spaces equipped with AV technology and includes evening support to assess demand outside regular hours.”
“We want to see how this on-site AV support is received, what kinds of help requests we get, and how user needs evolve throughout the pilot. That’s why we deliberately left the scope of the service open,” adds Jorma Ahlqvist, Chief Technology Officer at Unigrafia. “Each support request is logged using structured forms, creating statistical data for analysis and reporting.”
The AV support team began their work during the summer by familiarising themselves with all teaching spaces included in the pilot and their equipment. Testing projectors, speakers and other devices in advance proved worthwhile — many technical issues were resolved before the start of the autumn term.
“Even at this early stage, it’s clear that both maintenance incidents and the associated costs have decreased on the city centre campus,” Ahlqvist notes. “Support requests have shifted from putting out fires at the start of lessons and fixing broken equipment, to preventative maintenance and ensuring the smooth running of AV setups for events.”
University Services Coordinators Arja Laakso and Silpa Karjunen-Aguilar are enthusiastic about the support they’ve received during the pilot. “We were genuinely delighted when this support was offered to us without us even asking,” they say. “Just knowing there’s someone to call and rely on is already hugely valuable. Having help with AV equipment and Skype has lowered the threshold for setting up remote meetings — so we’re really hoping the service continues.”
New AV systems and remote connections often go unused if there isn’t adequate support available. One of the most common types of requests relates to the technical setup of meetings or lectures. In such cases, AV support provides hands-on guidance before the event, or is present at the beginning to make sure everything runs smoothly. However, not all problems can be resolved by AV support alone — sometimes help from the university’s IT Helpdesk is also needed.
“We’d love for the AV team to get additional permissions on the IT side in future — such as access to lecture hall computers and network registrations — so we could offer a true one-stop-shop for users. That way, they wouldn’t have to wonder whether an issue falls under IT or AV,” Poittinen says.
The service has been warmly welcomed, and word has spread to other campuses as well. Positive feedback has also been given to AV specialists Arttu Hinkkanen (HY247) and Teemu Lehtonen (Unigrafia), who have been delivering support throughout the pilot. “Customers are really appreciative when we’re able to solve their problems,” they report. “In just a couple of months, we’ve already gained some regular users who clearly benefit from the service and trust us to help.”
Both agree the collaboration between Unigrafia and HY247 has been a great success. “Everything’s gone smoothly — we’re doing the same work regardless of who’s on whose payroll,” says Hinkkanen. “Open communication is key, and it’s important that we’re able to share knowledge among colleagues about how we’ve solved different issues,” Lehtonen adds. “The atmosphere is great!”
The AV support service is available on the city centre campus and is free of charge for users. The continuation of the service will be decided after the pilot ends. You can find AV support contact information on the University of Helsinki’s Flamma intranet (login required). Don’t hesitate to reach out when you need assistance!
On-site AV support available (Flamma)