Managing to Manage Radio Communications Within Facilities Management

Facilities management is a complex and challenging role, often presenting a problem even to those who attempt to define it.

Essentially, the management requirements vary from facility to facility. The one constancy, to put it simply, involves handling the basic functions of the facility in question, allowing the other related businesses to go about their own day-to-day functions.

Facilities management is a £173bn a year industry, but it would be nothing without the use of two-way radios.

For a job that requires interaction with so many people and related parties, communication is key.

Think of a retail centre, an office block, a school or a hospital. Now imagine how many people visit, work in or use such a place, every single day. It boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

For now, let’s focus on the example of a retail centre. This space is likely to have multiple shops (all of which with their own staff, customers and management personnel, as well as health, safety and security concerns), car parks (which need to be monitored regularly), cafeterias and eateries, toilet facilities (including baby changing facilities) and an on-site office for the smooth running of things – and that’s just for starters.

The manager of such a facility will need to be able to speak to everyone, at any time. Two-way radios are the only clear and reliable way to achieve this. The manager will need to respond to safety issues, security concerns and any other problems that arise, she/he will be responsible for emergency procedures, use of resources and the smooth operation of the site itself, every single day.

Even analogue radios struggled with these tasks, so now most sites are using digital radios to relieve reception loss in various signal ‘black spots’ that were plaguing the bigger and more complex sites around the world.

For the modern facilities manager, a quick, clean and efficient two-way radio network, capable of supporting each and every layer of management, security, outside contractors, businesses, vendors and any other related group is absolutely essential to the smooth running of things.

Two-way radios are a massively important element of most contemporary businesses. The same system employed by the emergency services, the armed forces, building contractors and police is being used, every day, in our leisure facilities, shopping centres, office spaces and housing properties. Two-way radios are an amazing, indispensable part of day-to-day life across countless industries the world over.