What To Look For Before Investing In An Employee Paging System

You might consider employee paging systems a dead or dying technology, so it may come to you as a surprise that it is not the case. When it comes to communicating in times of crisis, the paging system still comes out on top.For example, if you’re a restaurant owner and someone trips over the fryer in the kitchen and everything is a mess, what do you do? You might consider calling or emailing your employees, but is it that efficient? Who checks their emails every 10 minutes? Not to mention people’s phones are more often than not on silent mode.There might be a signal issue, and you would not reach the person in time. Hence, the employee paging system takes the victory in times of crisis and need.This article will see what factors you should consider before investing in an employee paging system. We will also discuss the benefits of the employee paging system in restaurants and hospitality venues.

Introduction to employee paging systems

In restaurants, an employee paging system is a wireless communication network, similar to a walkie-talkie. Staff paging systems work on small plastic devices which often have a screen. These devices can make sounds or vibrate to notify, and they can also display a message on top of the screen. All devices on the network are connected via radio. Pagers were extremely popular in the 90s, and they’re still an extremely efficient way to communicate in restaurants.

Benefits of an employee paging system

Have you ever been to a restaurant where you would have to go up to the host and ask every few minutes whether a table had become available? Several restaurants would hand you a pager and buzz you when your table was ready.Similarly, customers can now page their server instead of raising their hand to call them to the table. Moreover, a paging system in restaurants allows the staff to communicate. For example, if your food is ready, the waiter would receive a notification to pick it up and bring it to your table. In summary, here are a few use case for a staff paging system in restaurants:

1. Host-to-staff communication
2. Customer-to-staff communication
3. Kitchen-to-server communication

What should you look for in a paging system?

So, you have made up your mind that you need a paging system for your restaurant or hospitality organization, but you’re not sure what characteristics to look for. Let's review some of the features that set apart a good paging system from a great one.

Battery life

There are different usage scenarios for employee paging systems in restaurants. As we discussed earlier, if you are only going to use your pagers to notify your hosts, it would not be in constant use. However, if your staff paging system is going to carry out extensive communication between your staff and server, the battery life would certainly take a hit. Of course, you can recharge the batteries several times throughout a shift. But this isn’t ideal. Your pagers' batteries should last you at least several days. If the batteries run out during a workday, then you can't rely on that paging system. Some pagers use disposable batteries. However, while that sounds good on paper, it’s neither cost-effective nor environmentally friendly.

Range

The range of a paging system is also an important factor that you need to consider before investing. If your paging system is a staff-server communication system, the range wouldn't matter much. Unless you own a multiple-story restaurant, paging systems have a decent range, and you wouldn’t face any problems. However, if you want to invest in a host-staff communication system, which your customers can use from the outside of your restaurant, then you look for an LRS (long-range system). LRS would allow you to notify your customers, even when they are across the street sitting in their car.

Number of pagers supported

The last thing you must consider in an employee paging system in restaurants is the number of units the system can support. A typical paging system usually supports 15 paging units for your waitlist. However, if your staff units are also based on the same server and have a busy night, you might have a problem managing all your customers. Hence, based on your usage, you should invest in a paging system that would meet your needs.

Summary

Employee paging systems are crucial for some hospitality businesses. Restaurants rely heavily on a good paging system to communicate seamlessly with their staff and customers. An employee paging system in restaurants lends a more professional feel and enhances the guest experience . If you are looking to invest in a paging system, consider some factors explained in this article.