It’s one thing to see the folks at your favorite fast-casual restaurant using radios to speed orders from the kitchen to your table. You realize, “yeah, that’s exactly why we need radios for our staff.” It’s quite another to confront the logistics of installing a
two-way radio network in your workplace.
All of asudden you have to worry about:
- Specific radio models — analog or digital, portable or mobile units
- Coverage range — how far your radios need to send and receive
- Accessories — headsets, batteries, rechargers
- Network infrastructure — repeaters, antennas, base stations
- Regulation — FCC licenses and interference issues
- Training — tutorials, cheat sheets, mini-classes
You need expertise, and lots of it. Providing that expertise has made
BearCom one of the America’s largest dealers of two-way radio and wireless networks for businesses, municipalities, college campuses, sporting events and just about anyplace where push-to-talk radios are required.
BearCom’s service has seven components:
- Consulting and customization
- Installation and systems deployment
- Extended warranties
- Preventive maintenance
- Managed services
- Service level agreements
- Repairs and field services
We’ll review each of these services in a separate article. Here’s a quick overview of our consulting and customization services.
The interview
We start by asking you why you need a radio network, getting into the nitty-gritty details of exactly when, where and how you plan to use it, and why you think you need radios in the first place.
If you’ve never had a radio network before, relax: BearCom has worked with hundreds of
businesspeople facing all the unknowns you face. And we can fill you in on all the things you might not have anticipated.
If you already have a radio network, we can inspect all of your equipment and recommend upgrades. For instance, you might be able to double your network capacity by upgrading to digital radios. Or you may be able to save by
renting two-way radios instead of buying.
Developing a statement of work
After the interview helps us determine your bandwidth and capacity requirements, we’ll draw up a document that outlines the hard equipment (radios and gear) and soft services (extended warranties and service contracts) that we recommend for your precise business needs.
At this point, we’re already envisioning the design of your network, from antennas to transmitters, radios to earpieces. If you have complex needs, we can help you figure out how to integrate your communications devices into your data infrastructure. With digital radios, for instance, you will be able to collect digital data that can be analyzed to streamline and optimize your business.
Once we've gleaned that information from you, we start developing a statement of work and a proposal that meets your requirements. We sit down with you and go though all your requirements point by point, and adjust in any areas where we’re coming up
short.
The final system design
Next, we'll come up with a final system design — that is, a plan for our ultimate deliverable
to your business. The final design represents our best model for implementing your new network. You can take all of it from the start or install portions of it over time. It’s all a matter of what works best for your business.
Once we agree on the final design, it’s time to develop a project plan and a timeline for implementation.
Coming up in Part 2: Installation and
systems deployment of your new two-way radio network
Locations
