Nowadays communications devices are all over the place, with workers using multiple cell phones and tablets and companies having "Bring Your Own Device" policies adding even more equipment into the environment. But the more technology we have, the more fragmented communication can often become. Business leaders—whether in public safety, manufacturing, education, hospitality or healthcare, must learn how to overcome this fragmentation and how to improve communication between teams in order to meet goals for productivity, efficiency and revenue. These strategies can help.
Assess your situation
An ideal first approach when looking to improve communication at your facility or business is to take stock of your current needs.
- What is the nature of your work—what’s at risk if communications don’t get through?
- Do you have multiple workers operating across a broad area?
- Who are the main stakeholders of your communications technology—are they staff, the public, clients, or customers?
- What are your current methods of communication?
- What obstacles or challenges are you encountering—poor coverage, lack of access to information, calls being dropped?
- What problems are you having with your existing technology?
- What are your business goals—what could you achieve if information could be relayed faster, more accurately, and to the right people?
Once you know where you stand, you can better assess what solutions may help in how to improve communication between teams.
Improve coverage
One thing many businesses find they experience is spotty coverage or dropped calls, especially in certain areas of facilities or on large outdoor campuses. This unreliability adds up to lost time and opportunities as workers scramble to redial and reconnect. This can be just inconvenient, or it can jeopardize critical knowledge passing or even put people’s lives at stake, as in a school safety situation.
In situations like these, you don’t have to just accept the status quo, look into new providers, or wait until someone builds another tower.
A distributed antenna system can be installed to fix poor connectivity issues. This solution, also known as a DAS, is a network of indoor and outdoor antennas that—combined with a bidirectional amplifier or BDA—can amplify the strength of your radio and commercial carrier signals and frequencies.
A distributed antenna system can be effective in properties that are particularly challenging:
- Buildings with reinforced concrete, brick or steel
- Structures with high occupancy, such as school campuses, high-rise office buildings or hotels, airports, stadiums or factors
- Secluded locations that have natural barriers such as mountains or hills
Explore a two-way radio solution
Another answer to how to improve communication between teams is to streamline device use down to one system—two-way radios. There are several reasons why two-way radios are better than cell phones, which are not built for business, heavy industry or public safety. Two-way radios provide better connection and performance. Users can often overcome dead spots without investing in additional technology. Also,users can stay connected during emergencies, power outages, and natural disasters when cell phone towers become overloaded.
They also come with a variety of features that can improve communication and increase safety, including push-to-talk technology, emergency call features, and GPS. Further, two-way radios let team members access information from each other instantly in real time. There is no wait time for calls to connect or for the recipient to answer.
When it comes to how to improve communication between teams, a first step is making sure you have the right technology. Look at your needs, and from there, know that there are steps you can take to align your business with success. To learn more, contact us or download our free white paper on Why Two-Way Radios are Better than Cell Phones.
