Push-to-Talk Radios: Adapting Communications in the Age of Social Distancing - Motorola Solutions Blog

In the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, effective workplace communication is essential while we practice social distancing. From hospitals and medical centers, to restaurants and grocery stores, to factories and logistics companies that make and deliver critical supplies, enterprises are relying on their communications technology more than ever.

If you are finding yourself taking a fresh look at your communications due to social distancing, know that you are not alone. Many business environments have changed overnight; organizations may be short-staffed, pressed for time, or trying to train hundreds of new employees. No matter how simple or complex your communications needs, push-to-talk radios are one of the most reliable and intuitive means of connecting your organization. 

Radio Health & Safety Tips

Whether you are using your radios for the first time or depending on them more than ever, we’d like to offer you a few tips to help you stay safe while focusing on your work. 

• Thoroughly clean your radios on a regular basis. Follow these guidelines to learn how to properly clean your radios and accessories.
• If possible, avoid sharing radios. If this is not possible, clean your radios every time they change hands. 
• Consider providing employees with their own accessories to attach to shared radios to minimize the handling of the radios and the need to bring them to the face. Nearly all radios can be used with accessories like wearable earpieces and microphones, both wired and wireless. The radios and accessories should still be cleaned regularly.
• Depending on your business, investigate features like hands-free voice operation, GPS location tracking, and man-down alerts, particularly if you have a lot of newly-hired staff or employees who work alone, such as delivery drivers.
• Think about the settings in which your radios will be used. In loud environments, the right radio can easily cut through the noise, eliminating the need for staff to stand close and speak loudly to each other. Features like Private Call enable one-to-one conversations, without being broadcast to everyone on staff.
• If you’re deploying push-to-talk radios in a healthcare setting, make sure that they have strong encryption to safeguard patient privacy and that they have been configured to avoid interfering with hospital equipment. Discuss your needs with a radio dealer who is familiar with healthcare settings.

From building new hospital facilities, to managing patient intake at testing centers, to delivering food to our communities, we are proud that our push-to-talk radios are playing an important role in this critical moment. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of those assisting on the front lines and behind the scenes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact us if you need help with your business communications. Motorola Solutions and our community of dedicated local partners stand ready to assist you.