When choosing an imaging desk in the modern day era of 2016, it is important to keep in mind the evolution of equipment you'll need on your desk. You want your imaging desk to evolve as your needs change and your equipment advances. After all, it is 2016 and those monitors aren't the same as they used to be!

On the first day of Christmas, my Xybix Sales Rep gave to me: a complimentary design consultation! That’s right, friends. If you are looking to upgrade your dispatch center, call your local sales rep, and they will come out to meet with you to collect all of the project details required to submit your project to design. There’s no project too difficult for our trained team to handle. We understand that each communication center is unique in its own way, and that’s why we customize our products to meet your needs.

I had a great opportunity to go to an open house for a newly remodeled dispatch center. This was in Shawnee, Oklahoma, a city of about 30,000 residents.  They dispatch fire and police for the city.  

I previously wrote a blog highlighting which companies selling imaging desks will be at RSNA.  If you are shopping for a new desk, the following advice should help get you to the right booth without wasting time.  

Once you get to the booth and start talking to the helpful (pesky?) salesperson, what are some good questions to ask?  If you are like me, you probably think of them after you’ve already walked away. Fortunately, I have put together some questions that will help you make your best decision.  

There is no place like the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to go shopping for new equipment for your radiology center.  Whether you are involved with a huge hospital system or a small reading room, RSNA seems to have it all and then some.  You can get hands-on with all of the latest technology to see what it can do to make your life better and improve the results for your patients.  One major piece of that puzzle is choosing the best imaging desk for your reading room.  

In today’s world, everyone has seen the studies on standing at your desk. They are EVERYWHERE! Seriously. They are in the New York Times,  Forbes , Huffington Post , and Smithsonian Magazine, just to name a few. Don’t worry; in case you have been living off the grid for the last three years, I have linked to a couple of the articles.

When it comes to purchasing dispatch furniture, there are many reasons why touring the manufacturing facility that you’re buying furniture from can be beneficial. Why should you take the time to do this? Why is it important to know how manufacturers build their furniture? Why is a plant visit a critical part of due diligence?

Last year when I wrote my review of the APCO dispatch furniture vendors, I went into the color themes and what I thought I saw as upcoming trends. This year, I noticed that not much has changed in terms of the design and color there is still a lot of dark colors and some wood-looking work surfaces.

What I noticed this year was how many dispatch furniture makers still put electronic equipment, mostly computers, under the console. I saw far too many sales reps doing presentations by bending down and showing the techs how they would access the computers, cables, radio, and power.

In my past life I worked in outside sales and was pretty active; I later accepted a position requiring me to sit at a desk for the majority of my working day. If anyone had told me then, in the nineties, that sitting at a desk all day could be hazardous to your health, they certainly wouldn’t have been taken very seriously.

APCO International’s 81st Annual Conference and Expo is right around the corner, and that means all of the newest and most innovative dispatch furniture will be on display for the world to see. Ha, ha, ha! Ok, not really! Similar to last year and every other year, you'll see almost all of the same vendors making a repeat cameo appearance!

So, same vendors, same sales pitch, pretty much the same product. With a variety vendors offering 911 furniture choices, it can be tricky arriving at an informed decision when it comes to who to make a purchase with for your next dispatch furniture project. This list of questions can be used to help narrow down which vendor has the product best suited for your needs: