With travel restricted and Covid-19 health concerns keeping many of us working from home, getting out to see machinery in the metal is proving difficult. But B2B online equipment platform Krank has devised an online walkaround solution. Although prompted by the current crisis, the integrated function is now to be made permanently available as a more sustainable, flexible and accessible solution for customers around the globe.
Potential buyers need only look for the blue camera icon on listings to arrange private viewings with sellers at a time to suit them. Hosted through a bespoke user interface on the Zoom conferencing platform, developed especially by Krank over the last seven months, viewers can get up close to the machines with just a click on their mobile devices or computers.
An added benefit is that both buyers and sellers can invite colleagues from anywhere else in the world to join them – as long as they are listed in Krank’s network – making viewings available to far more people than ever before.
“In our current Covid world it’s a brilliant solution, but in a post-crisis world it will prove equally useful,” says Krank’s chief executive Mark Turner. “Without the ability to actually see the machines, buyers were having to make important financial decisions based mainly off inspection reports. Now not only do our virtual viewings ensure everyone is just as informed as they would be in a physical viewing, but with the ability to invite service engineers and operators from anywhere else in the world, a simple viewing is now more connected and comprehensive than ever before.”
No valve left unturned
As part of Krank’s secure owner-auction platform ethos, sellers can continue to host their own auctions and create their own private marketplaces online – all with zero commission – in exactly the same way as before. But by simply clicking on the blue camera icon when making their listing, they can now add virtual viewings to their offering.
During the pre-arranged video call, the seller’s service engineer will lead the viewing by filming all around the machine, answering any questions as they go and zooming into any particular feature, under or in the machine, as directed by the potential buyer.
“Anybody could incorporate this function into their platform,” continues Mark. “But where we’re uniquely positioned is with our networking architecture making the whole process simple and logical for both sides.”
