Two-way radio technology and body cameras are ideal tools for plumbing companies and their employees to maintain effective communication and improve efficiency in the office and in the field.
Body cameras improve safety and accountability
Body cameras have proven to be an effective tool. The ability to record jobs, interactions with clients, or anyone a plumber may interact with is good for worker safety and employee accountability. Body cameras get smaller and smaller every year while camera quality gets higher. They are nearly unnoticeable on a plumber's uniform. This tech is a good way to ensure any difficult interactions your plumbers have with a client or outside person are recorded so your company and employees are protected from undeserved liability. Some customers are difficult, and some people are dangerous, and body cameras give you a record of what happened. Efficient companies protect employees so they can keep working for you.
Body cameras are also a great tool for keeping plumbers accountable to their managers. Recording jobs ensures video proof that jobs are being done correctly and in a timely manner. They also record any issues the plumber is having so you can troubleshoot issues quicker or use the footage to educate your team on certain jobs.
Push-to-talk over cellular radios makes communication instant
Push-to-talk over cellular radios is a communication cheat code for plumbing companies. These systems allow you to use digital radios over a cellular network, giving you the benefits and reach of a phone network without all the time wasted dialing a number.
Like any other dispatch service, plumbing companies want to know where their technicians are and be able to get ahold of them at all times. Push-to-talk over cellular is the perfect tool to meet this demand. Everyone from the front of the house to a plumber on the fringes of your service area can instantly talk to anyone on your team. If a plumber needs help, they can radio in that help. If a client cancels on the way to a job, dispatch can radio that plumber and send them to a new job. Pick up a new emergency job, and dispatch can alert a plumber instantly.
Push-to-talk over cellular radios creates instantaneous communication, and someone is always at the other end of the walkie-talkie. Making a phone call or sending a text always takes time, and people don’t keep their phones on them all the time. Plumbing teams that can reach each other easily from anywhere will be more efficient because the communication barriers are broken down. It should be noted that push-to-talk over cellular does require a monthly subscription to a cellular provider, while traditional radios do not. However, you don’t get anywhere close to the same range as conventional radios.
Bluetooth speaker mic and hands-free communication
Plumbers work with their hands, and the more time their hands are dealing with something other than a job, the less time they have to see more clients. A speaker mic with Bluetooth capability allows your plumbers to communicate while continuing to work. The speaker mic straps onto your shoulder while the two-way radio sits comfortably on your belt strap. Minutes in a day add up quickly, and a speaker mic ensures none of those minutes are spent fiddling with your radio. It is a simple accessory, but it adds a lot of efficiency.
Efficient communication requires employees to have the right tools. Push-to-talk cellular radios, body cameras, and hands-free speaker mics allow everyone, from plumbers to dispatchers, to communicate instantly and effectively.
About the Author
Stewart McClintic is the owner of HQ98.com, a two-way radio retailer in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company specializes in providing two-way radios and body camera equipment to contractors across the United States.
