In 2014, we built an entirely new 911 center. Prior to our new center, we were in a basement for 36 years, our last furniture system (a Xybix competitor) we had for over 10 years. “We won’t make that mistake again”. 

With another year of RSNA is behind us, we have had a weekend to rest up and now it is time to go back to work. With over 20 years of building and selling height adjustable desks for imaging centers and 24/7 markets I always like to cruise the show floor and see what is new each year at RSNA. 

In the business world, everyone talks about return on investment (ROI). Recently, I have been seeing this term pop-up more and more in relation to buying dispatch furniture.  It’s often illustrated like this:  

Cost of work station: $22,000.00

Longevity in years: 15

Cost per year: $1,466.00  

This magic number of dollars to return on investment is simply about profit margins and the bottom dollar. When in fact, ROI can actually be much more complex than this.

I want to ask a simple question: how often do you read the labels on your packaged food? Are you Person A, meaning you thoroughly inspect the label for hidden chemicals or cleverly-named additives, or are you Person B, which means you just toss the package/can in the cart because you know Uncle Sam won’t let companies put anything too crazy in the food?

What Does Your Makeup Say About You?

There’s a lot of talk about durability in the dispatch furniture industry, and we get asked a ton of questions. Is steel stronger? Is wood stronger? Is 12-gauge steel really better than 14-gauge steel? What is the lifetime of the furniture? 10 years? 15 years? 20 years? The truth is, a dispatch console could be made of bulletproof glass and hurricane-rated I-beams, but if the integrity of the completed product isn’t tested, it couldn’t withstand a Donald Trump temper tantrum, let alone the amount of abuse a console takes in a comm center!

“What is the lifetime of the product?” That is a question we get usually during the bid process. The answer is simple.  It is an arbitrary number of years the salesperson will tell you depending on how much they want to win the job. 

Really?  Yes, it is that simple.  Any salesperson can throw out a high number like they’re at an auction.  Some may say their design will hold up for 20 years while others will say they’re good for 100 years. They are safe doing this because, more than likely, the salesperson will move on to another job in the next few years, and in a few more years, you can almost bet that the staff at the center will have enough turnover they forget this claim entirely.

You’re about to launch a project to upgrade your center that includes a dispatch furniture purchase. When you meet with your committee or supervisor, what is the most common thing you’ll hear?  “For the amount of money we’re spending, we need furniture that will LAST.”

I read on a 911 blog how a dispatcher felt that it was a great benefit that a company made their products in the USA. This got me thinking; does it really matter? I don't hear that as a major part of the decision-making process for most centers, so it got me wondering about a couple of things.  

Some of you may not know that there are a variety of methods to look into when purchasing dispatch furniture, and agencies have a couple of different options when it comes to paying for it. Traditionally, purchasing console furniture is done by making a large purchase upfront through a purchase order, or PO, but many smaller agencies can struggle to come up with the funds needed to go this route. If you are one of these agencies, it may be time to look for alternative purchasing options.

WARNING: This is a baby-free article. ☺

Buying new dispatch furniture for your communications center can be a daunting task. It comes with a lot of recommendations, shared experiences and horror stories, and it's kind of like a blind date. You've heard from your friend at Comm Center A that Vendor X is a great catch! They’re attractive, timely, well-behaved, plus they come with great references; everything fits! However, when you get down to the nitty gritty, everything falls apart and nothing works out like you thought it would. As a recipient of several, horrible, no good, very bad dates, it really makes you question what you ever did to your friend at Comm Center A. I mean, this is what they REALLY think of you? But I digress…