VAKI Provides Flexible Service Options for Clients

VAKI is a leader in fish farming and wild fish conservation monitoring equipment and real-time video monitoring technology to advance fish health and welfare.

The company delivers a first-class service to clients across the globe, from training and assistance to ensuring that VAKI equipment is used and operated properly. Andri Kárason, service manager, details the suite of services provided by VAKI support staff to customers and service partners, as well as accomplishments and challenges over the past few years.  

A large part of VAKI´s services can be carried out remotely by accessing VAKI equipment over the internet. These support services need to be easily accessible as VAKI´s clients are spread across the world, with Norway, the United Kingdom and Chile as the biggest markets. However, the company has many customers in Australia, Canada, the Faroe Islands, France, Greece, Mexico and Turkey, among other countries. With the need for a wide range of support requirements, VAKI decided to create the VAKI Customer Care Package (CCP), which enables the VAKI Service Team to provide the after-sales support, ensuring the equipment is both functioning and used correctly for the best possible results.

Customer Care Package

The Customer Care Package (CCP) provides registered customers benefits, including preferential service, free updates and discounts on new software and hardware upgrades. “Another big benefit of the CCP are the routine service checks, during which we log into the counters to check the software is up to date and the counter is properly set up, “said Andri. “We also check previous counting sessions to ensure that the counter is used in the right way, to be able to give the customer a count quality validation.“ If  the VAKI team spots anything that could be an issue in the future, they recommend the required preventative maintenance to ensure a good count quality.

With the CCP, VAKI proactively has the service team in contact with customers to ensure the best possible after-sales support to make sure that the customers don't have any start-up issues, and that also makes it even easier for them be in touch if they run into any problems. Clients can always count on VAKI´s support, whether it is through on-site visits or through remote channels.

Celebrating Accomplishments and Overcoming Challenges

VAKI´s service team has seen many accomplishments over the years. Since January 2018, the number of counters registered on the CCP has more than doubled, which means that the amount of routine service checks and other customer relations has increased. By working together and sharing the load, the service team has been able to keep up with the increased workload.  

The company has increased the service team in recent years, which has been a positive development for clients. “With the exception of our operations in Chile, almost all our service was based on service partners up until four years ago,” said Andri. “Around five years ago we decided to start building up our operations in Scotland, and now have two service technicians working there. In 2017, we hired a service technician to work in Norway. These two additions have been a major contribution to making it possible for us to give support to those two major markets in the business, and we expect to add more service staff to strengthen these foundations even further. “

While accomplishments have been plentiful, this past year has brought a new COVID-19 pandemic challenge that no one anticipated, with the service team having to adapt to a new reality. “There have been times when we would have preferred to have been able to send our own service people to sites. With good remote support and cooperation with our partners in these areas, we can work successfully on the issues that our customers had, “said Andri. “We always have  been strong on the remote support side of things, and that has come in  handy during these circumstances, as we have had to work more with our customers to work out some issues which would have normally required on-site visits.“ The service team, in partnership with customers, has successfully navigated these new challenges.

While VAKI´s suite of services is strong, the service team is looking to make improvements. “We actively listen to the feedback from customers and ensure it reaches our development team to make our products and support services even better for our customers, “said Andri.