In any school or workplace with a 1:1 device program, one thing is guaranteed: not every device will be where it should be, when it should be. Students forget them at home. Screens crack. Batteries fail. Employees misplace them. No matter how strong the technology culture or how sturdy the devices, a backup plan is essential.
That’s why loaner devices exist. They keep learning and work moving forward when the unexpected happens — but managing them the “old-fashioned” way can be exhausting.
The pains of traditional loaner management
On the surface, handing out a spare laptop or tablet seems simple. But if you’ve ever been the unlucky librarian, media specialist, or IT admin responsible for managing loaners, you know it’s anything but. Here’s what really happens behind the scenes:
- Manual tracking is messy. Paper logs and spreadsheets might feel manageable at first, but mistakes are inevitable. One wrong digit in a serial number and suddenly the wrong device is assigned — or worse, untraceable.
- It drains valuable staff time. Often, loaner management gets dumped on someone who didn’t sign up for it. For many librarians or support staff, this can mean losing up to two hours a day just keeping tabs on devices.
- Overdue devices are a constant battle. Students forget, employees procrastinate, and someone has to chase them down. It’s a time-consuming task that never ends. Some schools even integrate their MDMs to automatically disable overdue device — once disabled, devices tend to come back quickly.
- Mix-ups happen all the time. When every Chromebook or iPad looks the same, students regularly return the wrong one — sometimes even their personal device — without realizing it.
- Security is a real concern. A stack of 50 loaners in a library might look organized, but it’s also a target. Devices and chargers disappear — especially during after-hours events when no one’s watching.
- Access is limited. What happens when someone needs a device after hours? In higher education or workplaces, this is common — but traditional processes leave them stuck until morning.
- Accountability varies. In schools, it’s about ensuring students return devices on time and take responsibility for damage. In workplaces, it’s less about blame and more about visibility — knowing where spares are so they’re available to others.
- Every missing device eats into budgets. Replacing lost or stolen devices isn’t just frustrating — it’s expensive.
- Peak-time chaos is the norm. 30minutes before class starts, staff often get hammered by students needing loaners. During that rush, they can’t do any other work.
- Accountability is impossible without the right system. Without reliable tracking, there’s no way to hold users responsible — or even know where devices are.
Traditional processes for managing loan devices don’t just create headaches for IT — they waste time, burn resources, and leave devices (and budgets) vulnerable.
How Loaning in FUYL Smart Lockers works
Loaning is one of four pre-configured workflows within FUYL Smart Lockers by LocknCharge. Along with Charging, Deployments, and Repairs, they take the hassle out of daily device management. Here’s how it works:
The Loan Device workflow is designed to make borrowing and returning devices effortless, while giving IT teams complete visibility. Here’s how it works from start to finish.
Loaning a device
When a student or staff member needs a loaner, the process is fast and frictionless. Here’s how it works:
Users select “Loaning”, then tap “Loan a device” and log in using their preferred method — or simply scan a barcode or ID.
Barcodes in particular are powerful: they make login quick (up to 15 seconds), convenient, and completely eliminate human error compared to typing long serial numbers.
A bay with an available device opens automatically, so they grab it and walk away.
Returning a device
When it’s time to return a loaner, the workflow ensures accountability at every step. It works in the same way as the previous workflow, but a “Return a device” option should be selected instead of a Loaning one:
Barcode scanning confirms the right device is being checked back in. Plug-in detection also prevents “fake returns” — if a device isn’t really inside or isn’t charging, IT is immediately alerted.
Staff can see exactly who last borrowed the missing device, so any follow-ups are quick and precise.
Key benefits of Loaning for IT admins
Traditional loaner management drains time and creates unnecessary risk. Manual checkouts, paper logs, and chasing overdue devices all add up to hours of lost productivity. The Loaning workflow addresses these challenges directly, giving IT admins the tools they need to run loaner programs efficiently at scale.
Here are the four core features that make the difference:
1. Monitor devices with the Loan Dashboard
Gain a centralized, real-time overview of the entire loaner pool.
- See which devices are available, on loan, or overdue.
- Identify the last user associated with each device for fast follow-up.
- Search and filter by device ID, student name, site, or location.
- Remove devices from circulation if they are broken or out of service.
The dashboard eliminates manual checks and provides a single source of truth for device status.
2. Audit activity with Loan History (NEW!)
Access a complete audit trail of every loan transaction.
- Records include user, device ID, workflow name, site, loan status, start date, due date, and return date.
- Filter and search records, or export them for reporting and analysis.
- Investigate missing devices, confirm responsibility for damage, and identify frequent borrowers.
Loan History delivers the accountability data needed to manage large loaner pools effectively.
3. Automate follow-up with Loan Notifications
Reduce the need to manually monitor the system through configurable alerts.
- Send notifications for loan start, device return, and overdue status.
- Deliver emails directly to designated people or systems recipients — not just FUYL Portal admins.
- Trigger immediate overdue alerts, enabling quick action and increasing recovery rates.
Notifications ensure IT staff intervene only when necessary while building trust in the system’s accuracy.
There are also additional advanced loan controls in place to limit the number of devices per user, loan the most charged device first, and more.
4. Streamline continuity with Loan During Repairs
Minimize downtime when devices break by integrating repairs into the loaning workflow.
- Allow users to borrow a loaner instantly while dropping off a broken device.
- Enforce that the loaner must be returned before the repaired device is collected.
- Reduce reliance on coordinators or technicians to manage the exchange.
This feature ensures uninterrupted access to technology while keeping device circulation under control.
Loaning in action: The LocknCharge experience
Loaners aren’t a niche use case — they’re one of the most widely used workflows for schools and workplaces.
In the U.S., loaning is by far the most popular way FUYL Smart Lockers are used, with tens of thousands of loans happening every month.
Take one district with around 2,000 students. They run a pool of 50 loaner devices, and those 50 get used up every single day. What’s striking is that their device breakage rate is just 3% — far below average — thanks to rugged iPad cases and a strong culture of care. Even so, they still can’t go a day without students needing a loaner. No matter how careful kids are, devices get forgotten or broken.
Workplaces see the same need, but for different reasons. Spare devices often end up in cupboards or drawers, “borrowed” without record. With the Loaners workflow, every checkout is tracked, so devices don’t go missing and colleagues can share resources fairly.
Loaners flex to different environments:
- In schools, they eliminate the morning rush by getting students a device in seconds.
- In higher education, they’re available after hours, when support staff aren’t on-site.
- In workplaces, they provide transparency — no more guessing where the spare iPads or laptops went.
Conclusion
The real challenge isn’t whether to have loaners — it’s how to manage them without wasting staff time, losing track of devices, or creating bottlenecks every morning. That’s where the Loaning workflow changes everything.
By combining speed, accountability, and automation, it turns what used to be a daily frustration into a smooth, self-service process.
Contact us to see how the Loaning Workflow works in a quick demo.