There’s a new Office of Endangered Species, and it has nothing to do with animals. It has to do with our offices, how we operate, and the technologies we employ. LinkedIn took a survey recently, and their findings regarding which office tools and trends are most likely to go away by 2017 are revealing, and something all of us should be thinking about as we look at new ways to better manage alarm systems.
The top six tools/trends expected to disappear (along with the percentage of respondents voting for that item) included: Tape recorders (79%); fax machines (71%); the rolodex (58%); standard working hours (57%); desk phones (35%); and desktop computers (34%). Probably the most significant trends for our industry are last three because they speak to the growing mobility/on-the-go nature of our society, our workforce and how we’ll do our jobs in the years ahead.
As an industry, our companies must remain flexible to meet with customers, for example. This ensures we talk about proper alarm management when the customer has time to listen and ask questions. We’re not going to succeed just working 9-5.
Beyond that, most companies are already installing wireless systems, working from their smart phones and deploying field tablets rather than tethering their employees to their desktop computer. Giving sales and service reps tools when they are in the field helps with high quality installations and gives security companies the ability to provide the most relevant information to customers.
Interestingly, the LinkedIn survey said the new technologies/trends that most often now affect their work lives include tablets, flexible work hours and cloud storage. So stay flexible.
To send you away with a piece of humorous information for this week, here are a few of the “dream” things people would like to see more part of the office experience:
• A clone or assistant to help during the workday (25 percent)
• A place in the office that provides natural sunlight (25 percent)
• A quiet place in your office where you’re allowed to take a nap (22 percent)
• And a mute button for their co-workers, so they don’t have to hear them talk.
We can hope. Have a great week.