LAKE MARY, Fla. – Copying a tactic the company has used for its metrology products, Faro is doing a trial run of a Technology Test Drive program that allows customers to try out a Faro Focus3D laser scanner for a 30-day period and then return it should they decide not to buy.
“It’s something we’ve been doing for a while with our other products,” said Ben English, director of marketing. “It’s been very successful with our tracker product … One of our goals is to democratize scanning and get scanners in the hands of as many people as possible … The hope is that they’ll fall in love with the technology and decide to keep it.”
The Technology Test Drive also includes two days of training at the customer’s site, a Scene software license and laptop, a tripod, targets – essentially everything someone could need to complete a scanning project.
The program is going to be available through the end of December, at which point Faro will evaluate how it’s being used and whether it’s effective.
It’s also possible there won’t be any more scanners to test drive: “We’re still in the enviable position of perhaps selling them a little faster than we can make them,” said Greg Richards, supervisor for public relations and events, “so there’s certainly not an unlimited quantity, or even a very large quantity. There’s a fixed number and a fixed amount of time to this.”
About a half-dozen customers were offered the opportunity initially, generally after they’d expressed interest in taking it for a test drive and spurring Faro to bring the program to the Focus3D. A few others have jumped in over the last week or so.
Does this undercut resellers who might be renting out Focus3Ds? Will people just use the Test Drive program to inexpensively complete a quick job when they need an extra scanner?
“From a reseller’s perspective, we don’t want them to be concerned,” said English. “This is not a rental program; this is really for potential customers who are considering already the purchase of laser scanning technology. This is an opportunity to try it first and then buy it at a later date. A rental is just that, a short-term proposition, and we’d expect people who were looking for a short job to go where they always do – our partners – and rent through them.”
Nor is the program just for those completely new to scanning, though. Faro says that’s not a prerequisite.
“We had some fairly good success with our test drive programs with our other products,” English said. “In most cases those who take advantage end up purchasing. It’s something that’s fairly low risk for us and ideally we’re mitigating the risk for the potential customers as well.”
