Chicomm Blog

The global outbreak of COVID‑19 has fundamentally changed the way we interact with one another. Despite the turmoil of the last year, advances have been made in technology and healthcare. Innovative solutions and technologies can be carried with us into the future, pandemic or not.

Below, we explore the ways artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in the fight against COVID‑19.

We often talk about the communication challenges of loud or busy environments. Manufacturing workers need to be able to speak to each other above the noise of machinery. Hospital workers might need to summon medical help from across the building. Fleet drivers must arrange pickups and deliveries from their locations on the road.

Lynne Kelliher, a 7‑year member of the Chicago Communications customer service team, still describes herself as “the new kid in town.” She says she enjoys working with “so many super‑smart people” who have spent their entire careers developing expertise in ChiComm’s communications equipment and services.

“My co‑workers at ChiComm are top‑notch,” says Lynne. “They are a great blend of helpfulness, knowledge, professionalism, and occasional in‑office pranks. It is a nice place to work.”

A recent article in Fleet Management Weekly noted that when the COVID‑19 pandemic hit the United States, many fleets were riding the high of an economic boom. The fall from full‑time employment and growing fleets to lengthy lockdowns presented fleet management with new challenges. The ebb and flow of restrictions across the country means that safety is still a fundamental concern — but in business, productivity matters too.

As essential workers across the country continue performing their jobs each day, they must maintain strict social distancing protocols. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends workplaces keep desks and chairs 6 feet apart and avoid employees from facing each other. Of course, keeping your distance while communicating in fast‑paced environments such as assembly lines, healthcare facilities, and schools isn’t easy. That’s where technology like two‑way radios, loudspeakers, and text‑based communication comes in.

When schools closed their doors to slow the spread of COVID‑19 in March 2020, many teachers and students found themselves scrambling to navigate new online learning platforms, video conferencing calls, and a sudden absence of face‑to‑face interactions. Standard classroom challenges were quickly compounded by technical difficulties, including.

• Unstable internet connections
• Inadequate capacity on the school virtual private network (VPN)
• Cybersecurity threats
• Long call wait times for campus IT support

Whether you’re supervising the manufacturing line or the bus lane, at a medical site or a construction site, you need your two‑way radio to operate continuously. Reliability is key.

Your radio can’t stop when it’s dropped, break when it’s shaken, fail when it’s shocked by static electricity, or lose power when the temperature drops.

As one of the Field Service Technicians on the Chicago Communications team, Grant Glashagel spends a lot of time on the road. He sets up radios in police patrol cars. He fixes communications equipment in loading vehicles at manufacturing plants. Regardless of where his work takes him on any given day, you'll find him completing mobile installations for ChiComm customers.

“I have an Associate’s of Applied Science Degree in Automotive Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Management,” he says. “My degree in Automotive Technology and all of the years I spent working on cars and trucks provided a good foundation for me to begin working full‑time at ChiComm.”

When it comes to stopping the spread of COVID‑19, advice from health experts is clear: Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Wear a mask. 

Of these three recommendations, the easiest to enforce is face masks. That’s why governments around the world, from international leaders to local mayors, have implemented mask mandates. For instance, the Illinois Department of Health states that anyone over two years of age must wear a covering over their nose and mouth in public places.

Across the country, many communities, schools, and businesses are reopening. But in some states, spiking COVID‑19 numbers are triggering a second wave of restrictions. Regardless of the current data in your region, doing business safely is still a top concern. The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we interact with one another.