Why Remote Device Returns Keep Failing
The rise of remote working began with the pandemic in 2020 and has since grown into a full-scale way of working. Most businesses have remote or hybrid employees, and schools switch to remote learning during inclement weather. The digital era has enabled remote working, helping the business world adapt to worldwide challenges, but it has also created new hurdles in the ITAD space. Remote employees mean remote workforce returns, such as laptops, PCs, or tablets, that often go missing during employee offboarding, role changes, and IT refresh cycles. Common failure points include informal shipping, missing serial numbers, and missing proof of receipt, which prevent enterprises from tracking assets and result in confusing return procedures for employees. Managing remote assets can be difficult, but we’ve developed a playbook with seven proven controls to reduce loss rates.
Control 1: Standardize Mail-Back Kits for Every Remote Return
Because remote employees are typically spread out, remote devices are often lost during offboarding, or communication is poor, and employees end up keeping enterprise IT devices due to a lack of direction. Some companies use ad hoc boxes or personal shipping, but both methods break the secure chain of custody and increase data security risks. Both methods also place the responsibility for returning the device in employees’ hands, which can create legal issues for the company, mainly if no offboarding procedure exists.
Standardized mail-in kits provide a clear path to follow for remote device return, and mitigate data security risks and confusion while keeping a documented chain-of-custody intact. A compliant mail-back kit should include:
- Tamper-evident packaging
- Clear instructions
- Return checklist
Having a long-term, compliant device return plan protects enterprises and employees from any legal issues and improves audit readiness by creating a clean audit trail for remote assets.
Control #2: Require Prepaid, Trackable Return Labels
Remote device retrieval can feel overwhelming, especially in large-scale companies, and many focus on getting devices back quickly rather than efficiently or safely. Some companies even use reimbursed shipping, which increases loss rates through a combination of direct financial impact, increased operational costs, and fraud vulnerabilities. Reimbursed shipping puts too much at risk, but utilizing prepaid labels provides:
- Centralized carrier selection
- Predictable routing
- Automated tracking
Prepaid labels help streamline reverse logistics, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance cost control and operational efficiency by reducing tracking inquiries. They also support a secure chain-of-custody by providing end-to-end tracking, ensuring correct destination, linking specific assets to their return, and creating a documented audit trail. Simplifying device returns reduces lost items and data breach risks by providing clear-cut instructions and minimal confusion.
Control #3: Capture Serial Numbers Before Assets Leave the Employee
A crucial step in remote device management is capturing serial numbers before assets leave the employee’s possession. Especially in larger companies, a quick “send us your laptop” creates room for theft, data breach risks, and numerous human errors. To ensure assets are returned securely, logging serial numbers first links specific users to assets, deterring theft and simplifying the process of recovering lost or stolen assets. Serial numbers also serve as a unique identifier, making it more difficult for assets to be resold or reused.
Pre-return serial tracking should require:
- Asset tag
- Serial number
- Device type
Integrating serial capture with HR offboarding and IT workflows helps companies ensure all enterprise assets are accounted for and data access is revoked efficiently. This improves audit readiness by creating a traceable asset return trail while deterring device theft.
Control #4: Enforce Photo Submission Rules at Ship-Out
Visibility is key in tracking remote asset returns. In the chaos, fully documented numbers can blur together and become confusing. Enforcing photo submission at ship-out closes visibility gaps by providing clear photos of the device. This reduces questions and any confusion during device return and reduces shipping delays. Photo requirements should include:
- Device powered off
- Serial number visibility
- Device packed inside the kit
This protects the employee from theft allegations by providing photo evidence of the return and the device’s condition while creating concrete audit documentation. Timestamped photo storage and retention also provides a clean audit trail with minimal questions. This also reduces disputes when shipments go missing and improves traceability by providing a precise date and time, leaving no room for arguments.
Control #5: Implement Serialized Intake at the ITAD Facility
One proven method of remote device management is serialized intake at ITAD facilities. Intake scanning and reconciliation close any gaps and ensure every device is accounted for by improving the traceability of assets going in and out of the facility. Serialized intake enables enterprises to match received assets against expected serials and identify which assets are missing. This minimizes delays down the road and enhances visibility. During remote asset management, documenting everything is crucial. Exception handling for missing or damaged items provides formal documentation for audit trails and includes accountability and transparency. Intake documentation is critical for audits as it serves as foundational evidence and proof of compliance, validates processing, and provides a clear audit timeline to protect enterprises from liabilities.
Control #6: Centralize Returns Through a Single ITAD Workflow
Keeping track of hundreds of remote device returns can be overwhelming on its own, but working with multiple vendors and return addresses creates a plethora of risks, including data breaches, theft, logistics backups, and chain-of-custody gaps. Centralized logistics includes:
- Fewer hands
- Consistent documentation
- Clear ownership
With a single provider, all equipment is processed at a single ITAD facility, creating a clear audit trail. With multiple vendors, assets can easily be lost or stolen, and logistics delays can create bottlenecks and backups. This results in idle assets and increases data security risks. A centralized workflow eliminates the hassle of working with multiple vendors and addresses, reducing loss and delays.
Control #7: Publish a Clear Remote Asset Return Policy
Assets often become lost in the chaos of remote employee offboarding. Communication gets misconstrued, confusion ensues, and assets are eventually kept or lost due to poor instructions. Policy clarity is critical for remote asset return. When there is a defined device return policy with precise instructions, assets are more often returned correctly and promptly.
Policy elements to include are:
- When returns are required
- What must be returned
- Deadlines
- Proof requirements
- Consequences of non-return
If there are no repercussions for failing to return remote devices, there is no incentive to return them, and companies will lose significant amounts of IT equipment. For this reason, alignment between HR, IT, security, and legal is essential for maximum efficiency and cooperation.
Sample Remote Asset Return Policy
Asset return policies don’t have to be a twenty-page document. A brief introduction stating clearly and directly what is expected and what will be enforced upon failure to comply will suffice. Include clear, detailed instructions such as:
- Return timelines
- Packaging and label requirements
- Serial verification
- Photo confirmation
Consistency and enforcement are key. If there is no incentive to return assets, the company faces significant asset loss. Detailed instructions provide evidence to auditors that a remote return policy is in place and documentation linking devices to specific employees.
Turning Remote Returns Into a Controlled Process
Control remote asset returns with this seven-step playbook.
- Implement standardized mail-in kits
- Require Prepaid, trackable return labels
- Capture serial numbers ahead of time
- Enforce photo submission rules at ship-out
- Implement serialized intake at the ITAD facility
- Centralize returns
- Publish a clear remote asset return policy
Returning remote assets doesn’t have to be a hassle. Eliminate delays, strengthen audit readiness, and prevent asset loss. Prioritize prevention over recovery with proactive ITAD solutions ahead of the problem.
Don’t lose assets because of poor remote device return management. Evaluate current loss rates today with a certified ITAD provider and create a plan of proactivity with ITAD-managed remote return programs designed for remote workforces.