It is nice when employees receive their laptops and company phones on time at onboarding. What is often underestimated is the effort of getting devices back when people leave the company.
The good news: with DaaS (device as a service), returns can be automated to a large extent. It works best when the exit recorded in the HR system triggers the return, for example through an API connection to the DaaS provider.
Employees are notified and receive a return label with a deadline. After the last working day, the device is reset and sent back. A device-as-a-service provider like Everphone then also takes care of erasing the data and profiles and of refurbishing the device for further use.
Most companies have a process for joiners and a spreadsheet for leavers. The device comes back when someone remembers to ask.
Our view: a return is not a special case, it is the rule. If you have automated provisioning, you need the same building blocks for returns. It follows naturally. Only the trigger is different.
How does an automated device return work?
An automated process has six steps. A human steps in at one point only: when something does not come back as planned.
| Step | What happens | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trigger | The exit is recorded in the HR system | HR |
| 2. Order | A return order with a deadline is created | DaaS provider |
| 3. Notice | The employee receives the deadline and instructions by email | DaaS provider |
| 4. Lockout | Access ends on the last working day | System |
| 5. Return | The device is collected or sent in | DaaS provider |
| 6. Completion | Receipt is recorded, device is erased and inspected | DaaS provider |
The second step matters most. The return order (“return case”) is created as soon as the exit is confirmed in the HR system, not on the last working day. That leaves time for the deadline.
How to connect the HR system technically is covered in the article on ordering devices through the HR system. The “exit” event uses the same interface as “joiner”.
Why do devices not come back after an employee leaves?
Usually it is not a question of willingness but of process. Nobody tells the employee by when to send what where, and IT only learns about the exit when the mailbox is locked.
Typical reasons we know from day-to-day IT work:
- The exit is recorded in HR, but IT does not see it.
- The device is at the employee's home and nobody has organised the return shipment.
- Accessories such as the charger, dock or SIM card are missing.
- The return was discussed when notice was given, but never written down.
Which device flows can be automated?
Almost all of those that follow an event. You can automate anything that has a clear trigger and a clear next step.
| Device flow | Trigger | Automatable? |
|---|---|---|
| Order a new device | Contract signed | Yes |
| Start a return | Exit recorded | Yes |
| Swap a device | Role change in the HR system | Yes |
| Replace a defective device | Report by the employee | Yes, from the report onwards, also possible as self-service in the Everphone portal |
| Lock a device | Last working day | Yes |
| Track a missing device | Deadline passed | Partly |
| Decide in a dispute or loss | Follow-up needed | No |
Ordering and returning are two sides of the same process. A device that comes back can also be handed to another employee. More on provisioning is in the article on automated device provisioning at onboarding.
How does automated device replacement work?
Replacement is a return and an order in one. The old device goes back, the new one arrives, and both processes sit in the same system.
Three occasions come up in practice:
- Defect: The employee reports the problem, a replacement is shipped, and the defective device is simply sent back in the new device's shipping box. At Everphone, damaged devices are covered as part of the service and the replacement costs nothing. We include a return label.
- Role change: Someone moving from accounting to field service does not need a dock but a smartphone with a mobile plan. How such a role change is implemented depends on the configured tiers (device groups) and cost centres. If you want to know what this would look like in your case, please contact us.
- End of term: When the contract term ends, employees can upgrade their device: a new device is delivered and the old one is collected.
What happens to the data on the device?
The order decides: first lock access, then collect the device, then erase, then inspect. Reverse it and you have an erased device and still open accounts.
- End access on the last working day. Email, VPN, single sign-on and authenticator registrations.
- Lock or reset a missing device via MDM. The result is logged.
- After the return, erase with certification. For Apple devices this includes making sure no private Apple ID is linked any more, otherwise the activation lock stays.
- Inspect and document the condition. Serial number, accessories, damage.
Legally, this is about the integrity and confidentiality of personal data (Art. 5 GDPR) and about appropriate technical measures (Art. 32 GDPR). A documented, repeatable process is the simplest proof. More on this in the article on the audit trail for company devices.
At Everphone, certified erasure and refurbishment after the return are part of the service at no extra cost.
What you should not automate
The return runs automatically, the exception does not. Three cases belong with a human:
- Disputes over handing the device back.
- Loss. Whether a device is lost, stolen or just cannot be found decides what happens next. The process is described in lost company phone: the first 72 hours. In case of loss, Everphone applies the current value of the device.
- Takeover by the employee. If someone wants to buy their device, that is a decision with tax and data protection consequences. At Everphone there is a purchase option at the end of the term, by arrangement.
An example of the scale, expressly as a worked example: a company with 120 employees and 15 percent turnover has 18 leavers a year. With a laptop and a smartphone each, that is 36 devices that have to come back. That is too many for “someone will remember” and too few to justify a dedicated position.
Who benefits from automated returns?
It pays off as soon as people leave regularly and more than one person is involved in the process. That applies to 30 employees as much as to 3,000. The smaller the company, the more likely a well-maintained order in the portal is enough. The larger it is, the more likely an HR system connection belongs in the picture.
It pays off less if all devices are private and no company phone is issued. Then there is nothing to collect.
Companies with up to 250 employees order directly in the Everphone shop. For larger organisations with an HR or ITSM connection there is a short consultation. What an integration looks like is shown on the page about integration options.
Frequently asked questions
How do I automate device ordering and returns at the same time?
Connect the HR system as the shared trigger. “Joiner” triggers the order, “leaver” the return, “role change” the swap. The supplier receives all three events through the same interface, and the data is in the portal.
Can I automate device replacement with a DaaS provider?
Yes, if the provider treats the replacement delivery and the collection as one process. For defects, the employee's report starts the swap; for role changes, the HR system does. At Everphone, damaged devices are covered as part of the service.
Which device flows can be automated?
Ordering, return, swap, lockout on the last working day and erasure after the return. You should not automate disputes over handing the device back, loss cases and the takeover of a device by the employee.
What happens if employees do not return the device?
For a device from Everphone, we keep reminding the employee persistently.
You can lock and reset the device via MDM, assert the ownership claim in writing and, if necessary, enforce it legally. For purely business use, you can demand the device back at any time. For enforcement in an individual case you need legal advice.
Do I have to erase data on the device when someone leaves?
Before shipping, employees have to remove their accounts and, if applicable, memory and SIM cards, and reset the device. We send them detailed instructions for this. We then overwrite the storage with specialised software and certify the erasure for the customer's audit trail.