Does the thought of buying dispatch furniture make you want to run screaming and clawing your way out of a nightmare? For some people it does. The thought of talking to a sales person, researching options, submitting an RFP, dealing with quote comparisons, not to mention the stress of getting it all right; no wonder you’re feeling like you’re in a nightmare. Trust me, I get it! What we’ve learned from our customers is that transparency means everything. Therefore, we want to lay all our goods out on the table and let you do the deciding. Unfortunately not all dispatch furniture companies are as open and honest. So put on your detective glasses, you’re going to need them.
So, instead of hap-hazardly ranking dispatch furniture companies (based on my opinion alone) and then listing the reasons why you should or should not buy from companyA or companyB, I’m going to encourage you to try this, a simple thing called research. Now, what I’m talking about here is the plain and simple, down and dirty approach to gathering insight and reviews on a product or company before you buy. You know, similar to reading the reviews on Amazon before you buy that pair of sunglasses or new area rug?
According to a relatively old study (2009) by Harris Interactive, the most common methods of gathering information prior to making a purchase are:
- Using a company website (36%),
- Face-to-face conversation with a salesperson or other company representative (22%),
- Face-to-face conversation with a person not associated with the company (21%).
We know that you want to read about other companies, selling similar products and find out who says what about whom. Then arrive at your own conclusions through even evaluation. This same concept can be applied for dispatch furniture. I would actually want to encourage this process of learning through reviews. Here’s how you gather your purchasing ammunition:
- Use your resources, call and visit comm centers and PSAP’s in your area to see their furniture.
- Take this time to see what they have to say not only about their dispatch furniture, but the installation process and customer support. (make sure you don’t just call one place either)
- Compile a list of pro’s and con’s and dare I say “red flags”.
- Don’t forget to ask for (actual) proof of performance national standards such as BIFMA and ANSI/HFES.
- Gather your list of must have’s and questions for the sales rep.
There is nothing that should be more intriguing than hearing from some sales person that you “shouldn’t” do business with a particular company. It is in the basis of human instinct to ask “why”, it’s natural to feed this curiosity. As a 911 dispatcher, you have this 6th sense ingrained within you. USE IT! So, if you are provoked by a sales person to reject a company based on their opinion alone, I urge you to act on this instinct, research on your own to find out why.
When you research all companies regardless of their “so-called” ranking, at the end of the day, you can say you’ve done your “homework”. Then you can proceed to making an informed and educated purchasing decision. You are your very own private detective – now go out there and learn!
