Those charged with maintaining or upgrading the communications system of a busy hotel have their work cut out for them. They're charged with both keeping up with increasing guest expectations when it comes to wireless, and making sure critical staff communications run smoothly. Depending on the size, prior communication equipment, and budget you have to work with, some options may be aesthetically more appealing than others. For example, in a smaller hotel, the upfront cost of using cellular devices can be more appealing than putting down a lot of money for two way radios and other communication devices. Or if you’re in need of a quick fix, ordering communication equipment (two way radios and cellular devices alike) from a website may seem to be the answer.

Our rental department at Chicago Communications is one of the services that often times goes overlooked when prepping for an event. However, if utilized correctly, having a communicationsystem in place for your event, no matter how big or small, really determines whether or not it goes off without a hitch. Ask Justin Thaler from STEVE HARVEY on NBC .

     On this blog we talk a lot about mission critical situations and the communications and technology that assist first responders and public safety agencies every day. But the importance of good communication doesn’t stop there.  We realize that it's essential to keep everyone connected to their teams, everywhere they go.  We’re able to provide solutions that reach industries very diverse in nature from public safety, whether it’s helping customers in schools, casinos, hotels or sports stadiums. Take for instance our rental department, which puts radios in the hands of security crews at concerts,  videographers covering special events (like the Tour of Elk Grove) and even engineers running environmental tests on equipment at a power plant--which probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of places using two way radios. Let’s take a closer look at the last scenario mentioned, since we happen to know of a nearby environmental testing firm called Mostardi Platt, that was willing to share how two way radios help their staff stay connected.

Pointer from the Principal: Perseverance and hard work ….. it really does pay off.

     Anyone who’s ever been in a job that involves serving customers has had one of “those” meetings.  You know the one I’m talking about.  The one where the customer tells you he or she is disappointed with your service.

     Well, I had one of “those” meetings a couple of years ago with a customer who we asked to meet with because he was anxious about doing business with us following an experience he had with us several years prior where he was less than pleased with our company’s service level (a lesson in itself ….. unsatisfactory service experiences stay with people for a very LONG time).

     During the meeting I tried my best to convey to the customer that we were a different company than the one he dealt with years back, and that I was confident we wouldn’t let him down if he gave us another try.  I promised him that everything would go well and gave him my direct line should he have any concerns along the way.  Thankfully in the end he agreed to give us another try.

Two-Way Teamwork with the City Of Berwyn

     Curtis Nekovar is the 9-1-1 System Administrator for the City of Berwyn, which means his responsibilities involve all of the equipment in the 9-1-1 center. He's been in the industry for almost 30 years and has worked at several agencies where Chicago Comm has been involved in one way or another. A couple years ago Berwyn completed a system upgrade project with Chicago Comm that remodeled the entire 9-1-1 center. The furniture was replaced, the radio system upgraded, the phones re-installed, and the dispatch center itself was relocated.  Most recently ChiComm assisted Curtis and the City of Berwyn in a "National Night Out" event that reminded us Public Safety Telecommunicators are a critical piece of the puzzle. The following is a letter he wrote to our maintenance director following that event's success.

Pointers from the Principals: Emphasizing Each Customer's Importance

      Over the years I’ve been a part of many different service-oriented organizations.  I’ve spent time in System Implementation roles, Help Desk Supervisory roles, Dispatch Center management, Support Center management, and in Human Resource management, where every employee is a customer.  In each of these roles, as in any customer service role, there were many challenges. Every time the phone rang I had to assume it was a customer calling with a problem of some kind. And throughout the day I’d always say to myself , “That's why I'm here, to help them." It was unlikely the phones were ringing with customers eager to share how wonderful things were.  But there was one phrase I heard frequently over the years and it always surprised me to hear this from a customer: "I know I'm not one of your big customers, so I understand I might not receive the same level of attention but..."

      Every time I've heard this statement, I've always been taken aback by it. My automatic response upon hearing it has always been, "Really?  You're not one of our big customers?  Does knowing that information cause me to behave any differently, or treat you as any less important?"  And my answer to this was always the same -- an unwavering "No, not at all." I didn’t realize an answer that was so obvious to me, could be so unclear to others.