Electrical firm keeps current with Push 2 Talk
Stewart Browne Electrical Services is increasing productivity by using Telecom’s walkie-talkie style Push 2 Talk to communicate easily with electricians working on site...
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Tauranga-based Stewart Browne Electrical provides electrical installation and maintenance services for a wide range of domestic and commercial customers and its expertise includes security, underfloor heating, and underground utility services. The company is using Telecom’s Push 2 Talk as a quick and effective way to stay in contact with its electricians and increasingly subcontractors and suppliers. The walkie-talkie style service is saving time on the job for Stewart Browne and its clients alike. “The phones fit in your pocket so it’s easy for the guys to carry them whether they are on a roof or laying underground cables,” says Stewart Browne operations manager Bill Thomas. “Previously we used RTs [radio telephones] which were much bigger so tended to get left in their vehicles while they were working.” “There’s an added motivation to carry the phone because they can receive calls. The RTs were all work related, but with the phone the guys are not only in contact with work but with their friends and families so they are more inclined to carry them.” Thomas says the electricians also keep in contact with each other more as there is no worry about extra costs. “The $10 flat fee means you can make as many calls as you like. If one electrician is working on a job which is new to them and wants to check what they’re doing with a colleague with more experience of the site, they simply push the button and talk as they work.” “That means a win/win for the client and the company. The guys complete the job more quickly than if they were starting from scratch, and we can have the electrician off the job and onto another more efficiently,” says Thomas. In addition to using Push 2 Talk on a one-to-one basis, Thomas is also using the service to speak to up to five people at once. “If I want to find out where someone’s left an extension ladder I’ll make a blanket call. That saves making three or four individual calls,” he says. The ability to get an instant response is beneficial when dealing with customer inquiries. “A client will come in the office wanting to know if an order has been placed for a particular light fitting, I can get an immediate answer which creates a more efficient and professional impression for the client. “If we’re in a situation where we don’t want to get messages coming over the speaker we can turn it off. The phone will beep and we take it like a normal call,” says Thomas. Stewart Browne is using Push 2 Talk to complement Telecom Locate+, which combines GPS vehicle tracking technology with a job management system operating over Telecom’s mobile network. “We send the details of the job to the monitor in the vehicle and then let them know it’s there with a quick call. That way they know they have another job but they don’t have to write the details down,” says Thomas. “Like a lot of companies with people working on different sites we’re always looking at ways to be more efficient and productive. Communication is very important and Push 2 Talk is a great advantage for us.” For more information Further Reading from Telecom For more information on Telecom Mobile visit their online exhibit here. For more information about Mobility visit the Mobile Business Research Pavilion |
January 2007
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