In an ambitious project at its office in Wroclaw, Poland, AmRest has adopted an integrated Crestron solution.

Overview

How did your team learn about this project and at what stage of development were you involved?

AmRest is one of the leading multi-brand restaurant operators in Europe, with a portfolio of top-tier brands in 22 countries, including KFC, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. To give you an idea of its scale, AmRest owns more than 2100 restaurants in 22 countries and employs over 48,000 people.

In order to meet the demands of both customers and staff, AmRest has a network of offices throughout Europe, including an office in Wroclaw, Poland. A+V has been the audiovisual integrator implementing AV solutions at this office, also providing service and maintenance under an SLA program.

As a top priority, we wanted to ensure we could provide quick and efficient support to the client, which is why XIO Cloud was introduced as a solution for us, as integrators, to offer even higher levels of service.

Since the IT team at AmRest in Wroclaw supports various offices across Europe, the A+V team proposed XIO Cloud as a platform to manage the AV infrastructure in a large number of meeting rooms in Wroclaw, as well as in other offices in different geographic locations.A+V proposed the XIO Cloud solution, which would enable the client to manage the AV systems in a variety of spaces within the AmRest office in Wroclaw, as well as in other European locations such as Germany, Romania, Hungary, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. These spaces include small meeting rooms for up to 4 people, medium meeting rooms for up to 6, 8, and 10 people, large meeting rooms for up to 16 people, staff cafeterias with Town Hall functionality, and boardrooms.

Had you worked with this client previously?

Yes, we worked with this client on the design and implementation of AV systems at the Wroclaw office.

Which other design teams were involved? Describe the collaboration among those groups.

No external contractors were involved, but we worked very closely with the AmRest IT team.

The client's overall priority was to implement solutions that adhered to a unique AV standard based on Crestron technology throughout the office. Moving forward, this AV standard was to be implemented in offices at other locations. Based on this, the client wanted to be able to manage the AV infrastructure in multiple locations, deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain the devices remotely.

What was the objective? 

The objective was to provide the client with an integrated solution that enabled troubleshooting, monitoring, software updates and upgrades, as well as AV infrastructure management. XIO Cloud accelerates the service and support that A+V provides, since many activities can be performed remotely.

The challenge

How did your team meet those requirements?

The proposed cloud-based solution was designed to address the specific requirements for efficient management and seamless control of the AV infrastructure across a diverse range of spaces located in multiple European sites. By offering centralized oversight and optimized functionality, the solution aimed to ensure optimal performance, scalability, and ease of use, catering to the complex needs of a geographically dispersed operation.Various local teams across Europe were generating service tickets in the IT helpdesk, and the challenge was to manage support effectively. The A+V team supports AmRest with the service and maintenance of the implemented AV systems, so XIO Cloud was the perfect solution to increase the quality and speed of service for the client, and to better support end users within the office.

During the first 6 months of our SLA program, we organized a training session for the AmRest IT helpdesk team and showcased the capabilities of XIO Cloud. The feedback was very positive, and the first licenses for AmRest IT staff were deployed.

A management software (Crestron Fusion), prepared by the A+V team, allows the management of meeting room reservations. It also collects data and generates reports for the IT team and makes it possible to prevent future issues. The solution provides real-time alerts and notifications, enabling us to proactively resolve problems to keep the client’s spaces operational. Crestron Fusion, together with XIO Cloud, reports system faults and enables remote repairs.

Thanks to the XIO Cloud licenses provided to the AmRest IT team, communication between that team and A+V has improved, tasks are completed faster, and the number of on-site interventions has been reduced.

Did your team add any additional functionality to the system as the project developed?

No, the functionalities offered by XIO Cloud, fully integrated with Crestron Fusion, delivered excellent performance, meeting the requirements and ensuring a seamless experience.

Did any obstacles arise along the way? How did your team overcome them? 

No, the implementation of XIO Cloud was smooth from start to finish, without challenges or obstacles during the process.

The solution

What made Crestron the right choice for this project?

There are various spaces within AmRest offices in Europe:

• Small meeting rooms for up to 4 people;
• Medium meeting rooms for up to 6, 8, and 10 people;
• Large meeting rooms for up to 16 people;
• Staff cafeterias with Town Hall functionality;
• Boardrooms.

And there are various AmRest office locations, for example:

• Poland
• The Czech Republic
• Hungary
• Spain
• Serbia
• Romania

The implementation of XIO Cloud on the system that was already operating with Crestron Flex and Crestron Fusion completed the ecosystem within AmRest's corporate standard.We created meeting rooms within XIO Cloud for AmRest, so that both the client’s IT team and the A+V service team can monitor the performance of the AV system, integrate new locations with the existing infrastructure, troubleshoot, perform software updates, system reboots, and general maintenance. It is a perfect solution to manage more than 20 rooms in the Wroclaw office and other AmRest spaces in Europe.

Thanks to XIO Cloud we can also collect logs from onboarded Crestron devices, which provide information about the root causes of failures. This allows us to prevent future issues.

A meeting room reservation system (Crestron Fusion) has also been implemented to facilitate the planning, organization, and attendance of meetings in the office. Once a meeting ends, after 5 minutes of inactivity in the room, the devices enter standby mode, which results in the automatic shutdown of the AV system. This automation is possible thanks to a dedicated and personalized configuration of Crestron Flex, created by the A+V programmers.

The meeting rooms are equipped for video conferencing. They have been designed following an ONLINE standard: the meeting is started by pressing the "one-click conference" button on a dedicated touchscreen (a video conferencing codec) permanently installed in the room. Thanks to XIO Cloud, the AmRest IT team can collect data from the AV system and Crestron devices, and receive notifications if a fault occurs in any of the rooms.

All the meeting rooms in the AmRest office are connected to a Crestron Fusion meeting room reservation system. A 7” Crestron touch panel has been installed next to each door, which displays useful information such as:

• Duration of the room’s occupancy;
• Room name;
• Date and time;
• Room availability later in the day/week.

All the information is also visible to the AmRest IT staff thanks to the XIO Cloud solution. In addition, we can see whether the room is available, operational, and how frequently it is used.

A Crestron Fusion service oversees the operation of the room reservation system and manages the AV devices, combining them into an efficient audiovisual system. A management software, especially prepared by the A+V team, allows the administration of reservations, reports system faults, and enables remote repairs. It also collects data and generates reports for the IT team, making it possible to prevent future faults. The Crestron Fusion system collects data about meeting room usage (for example, reservation frequency, meeting timings, and durations) and information about device usage (for example, frequency of AV system use during meetings). Moreover, the reservation system integrated with the Crestron Fusion service displays information about meeting room availability and upcoming meetings on a screen in the office reception area.

Thanks to the implementation of XIO Cloud, devices in various geographic locations can be managed remotely from Wroclaw. The integration of Crestron Fusion in the AmRest office in Prague was carried out 100% remotely, which resulted in significant time and cost savings for the client.

Why did you choose the solutions you did?

We selected Crestron solutions because we tested and evaluated them in several previous projects and knew they would offer the best quality, flexibility, and scalability for the client. We were confident that it would be a stable ecosystem for the user, especially considering that an AV standard based on Crestron technology would be established within the organization and that more offices could be added to the infrastructure.

Crestron XiO Cloud improves the efficiency and speed in problem resolution, allowing Crestron-compatible devices across an enterprise to be managed and configured from a single central and secure location in the cloud; all features sought by any IT and AV support team.

The A+V team supports AmRest with the service and maintenance of the implemented AV systems, so XIO Cloud was the perfect solution to increase the quality and speed of service for the client and to provide better support to end users within the office.

What was the outcome of the experience delivered to your client?

The fruitful collaboration between AmRest staff and the A+V team resulted in a long-term business relationship. A+V manages AmRest’s AV systems under an SLA agreement and provides support in other office locations, such as Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, and Munich.

Professional AV systems based on Crestron technology have been implemented in several AmRest offices in Europe, supporting the standardization and efficient management of the AV infrastructure. It is a perfect example of how consistency and standardization create a stable and efficient AV ecosystem. The A+V support team manages the AV infrastructure and, thanks to the XIO Cloud solution, can perform various tasks remotely. All Crestron-compatible devices across the enterprise are managed and configured from a single, secure location and from one dashboard.

How is the system commonly used?

XIO Cloud is commonly used for the integration and deployment of new office locations within the AV infrastructure, AV system monitoring, regular reboots, and updates. The client decided to use the XiO Cloud service, which allows us to monitor and service all Crestron devices 24/7. AmRest benefits from shorter service response times and remote repairs, without the need for emergency calls or on-site technician visits, resulting in greater audiovisual system effectiveness, fewer failures or device faults that could prevent staff from using the office meeting rooms. This positively impacts the productivity of AmRest employees.

The AmRest IT team gained immediate access to information about meeting room usage and system operation. System reboots and firmware updates can be carried out overnight, and troubleshooting occurs faster, reducing the need for on-site support or additional programming.

What has been the greatest benefit for the client?

Thanks to XIO Cloud, the client receives detailed information about its infrastructure and end-user habits. The maintenance and management of the AV infrastructure are more efficient, generating cost savings for the organization.

How do these solutions enhance the client's workplace?

The AV solutions implemented at AmRest by the A+V team improve staff productivity, as meeting rooms are always ready to use and employees can intuitively utilize the AV functionalities. Moreover, the work of the IT team has been optimized thanks to XIO Cloud, making the maintenance and management of the AV infrastructure more efficient and less time-consuming.

The category

What makes this project unique compared to others you have completed in the past?

This project covers more than 20 rooms in Wroclaw alone, all equipped with Crestron Flex and seamlessly integrated with Crestron Fusion, in addition to multiple rooms across various international locations. Together, these elements have enabled the creation of a highly efficient and cohesive AV ecosystem, powered by the robust capabilities of XIO Cloud.

The involvement of AmRest, a renowned and respected brand, adds significant prestige to the project, underscoring its importance and the level of excellence achieved in its execution.

This project is unique compared to others we have completed due to its geographical scope, involving Poland, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. With each additional geographic location, the project grows and becomes even smarter. It demonstrates a complete Crestron environment built using Fusion, Flex, and XIO Cloud.

The AmRest Project in Wroclaw is special to us due to the thoughtfulness and forward-thinking of the staff involved in the process. All best practices for AV project implementation were applied, resulting in fruitful collaboration and a successful implementation.

Are there any aspects that are surprising or that create a "wow" effect?

The combination of various Crestron-based solutions, such as Crestron Flex, Fusion, and XIO Cloud, resulted in the creation of a stable and consistent ecosystem, which can be considered a "wow factor" in the corporate office AV industry.