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?

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:

You’re a Comm Center manager or supervisor and you’ve been tasked with buying new dispatch furniture. HOLY (insert choice four letter word) ! You probably feel like you are just not ready to tackle this monstrosity of project, or maybe you feel rather intimidated like buying a new car. Hey, we get it, this task is not an easy one. Infact, while reading this, you might already be thinking of the best way to secretly exit the building (never to return). Whoa-nelly! Take a minute and remember the beloved childhood icon, Thomas the Train. I want you to try whispering quietly to yourself “I think I can…I think I can…” and DON’T panic! Here are three tips to buying dispatch furniture that can help:

Purchasing capital equipment is always a fun and exciting endeavor (insert sideways glance). It always proves to be a politically driven, a molehill-out-of-an-anthill struggle that can make even the most seasoned professionals wave the white flag. So, how do you make nice with the powers that be in the ivory tower? You present strategic and economical solutions, that’s how!

Being new at something is equally exciting and terrifying. On one hand, you’re in uncharted territory and you are constantly in awe – think Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz stepping into Technicolor. You are a sponge, absorbing as much as you can to learn about the new challenge. On the other hand, you don’t know what you don’t know and there is an overload of information to retain.

Thinking of re-modeling your imaging center? Maybe even replacing a few desks? Purchasing new furniture? Here are a few questions you should ask your next imaging desks provider:

1. Is it possible to have custom sizes that meet our environmental constraints without paying custom up charges? It is possible. Look for manufacturers who build their own product. What does this mean? Doesn't every manufacturer build their own stuff? No. Some companies just buy parts from other manufacturers and sell them as their product. This limits them to supply only what they have available, not what you need. Ask if they manufacture their entire product?
   
   

Keeping your computers cool is an important concern to address in your dispatch center as a hot, running computer will show you the blue screen of death if it gets too warm. While this is a built-in fail-safe for the CPU itself, this is not what a dispatcher wants, especially in the middle of an important call. Computers that run on higher temperatures also tend to have shorter life spans which can lead to spending budget money sooner than you would like.

What is the average lifespan of dispatch console furniture? How long do they last?

I get these questions every now and then from potential customers. These type of questions remind me of some advice I got from a real estate agent when I was shopping for a new house. I asked him, “Should we ask why they are moving?” The answer was, “No, they aren’t going to tell you the truth, anyway.” He was right. The owners would never say something like, “The neighbor’s dog barks all night long and keeps us awake.”

I was listening to a Podcast interview with Robert Downey Jr. the other day, and the interviewer asked him how he goes about choosing his roles and knowing he’s going the right direction with what he does choose to do. Downey responded by saying that people who have 30 choices when choosing a fabric, for example, will never be 100 percent confident in their choice and will always think they could have done better. When given only three choices, people tend to be completely confident in what they chose, why they chose it and at the end of the day, feeling like they got the best bang for their buck. He’s picky! Downey’s response is so applicable in many arenas, but for the topic of this blog, I thought it was especially poignant — and not just because he looks awesome in that Iron Man suit.

Your top 3 price questions, answered

Most radiologists know the advantages of doing their work at a high-quality, height-adjustable workstation. The best radiology furniture not only delivers optimum comfort for doctors during long hours; it supports an ideal workflow and enables greater collaboration among the team.

So, what does a new radiology desk cost? We’ll cut straight to the chase here, followed by key considerations to help you maximize the furniture investment you make for the long term.