Feb 28

New Changes: Public Telephone is in Need of a New Teammates

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Shawna De Long

As you may have noticed in some of the most recent blog articles there have been a lot of new changes in Public Telephone’s world: we moved to a new office; not far from the old one, but this one has more space, cell phone reception and a killer view! We are changing our name: Wavetech Industries.  This new name change will be a gradual one, but with it we plan to gradually add new products and services to continue to provide leading edge technological solutions to help solve our clients ever changing issues with compliance, safety and performance.

With so many changes currently in motion and growth on the horizon our current team cannot do it alone.  We need help and by help we need new teammates, particularly in the marketing/media department and customer service.

We are looking to hire one new graphics editor.  We will need a new face: website, logos, and marketing materials.  If this is your specialty or know someone who is a hard working, driven individual who is looking to really grow within this field of design take a look and the job description and apply.

We are also looking for two new inside customer service representatives.  The ideal candidate for this position is again a hard working, driven individual who is not worried about getting their hands dirty. Our office is a fast paced work environment and with all the new changes coming up we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. This individual should host a desire to grow: personally and professionally.  If this sounds like it could be you please take a minute to check out the job description.

Please feel free to share this article to anyone who may benefit from this opportunity or if you have any questions please feel free to call me.  You can reach me at: 877-434-9069.

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Feb 20

Growth and Changes, Public Telephone introduces Wavetech Industries

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Scott De Long

Wavetech Industries logoThe staff at Public Telephone, which is actually a division of De Long Industries Group, Inc. has been trying for a few years now to come up with a new ficticious business name that more accurately reflects not only what we currently do, but where our business will grow in the coming years.

We are a company that provides communication services to our clients in the healthcare and higher education markets, in the past it was strictly telecommunications, and the old name Public Telephone served us well in that market, afterall we got our start as a pay phone company.  But as time went on, we found our communications niche growing, to include web based communications with web conferencing, and video communications with our Video Remote Interpreting program, and even satellite communications with PRI in the Sky, as well as remote VoIp over satellite used for disaster recovery, but also to provide phones for a video company who shoots on remote locations.  So the old name, just doesnt seem to fit any longer.

Our futrue will certaily include communications, but with technology driving change, these communications may be between devices rather than just people, so we decided to forgo the word communications and instead go with Industries, which will allow us to continue to seek great companies to partner with that dont see themselves as communications companies.

We are putting quite a bit of R&D into wireless technologies right now, with systems utilizing RFID, Zigbee, Z-Wave and other very interesting technologies.  These products along with our existing programs lead us into new markets as well.  It is a very exciting time around here.

The new name Wavetech Industries has several meanings to the staff here, sure our offices operate close to some of the best surf breaks in the world, but we are not a bunch of surfers just looking for a good time, we are actively researching the High Tech world constantly looking for unew applications to bring to our existing clients, while going coast to coast looking for ways  to serve new custoemrs as well.

We are looking forward to our future, with existing clients who have become old frineds as well as new ones, utilizing new technology or even existing technology in new ways.

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Feb 13

Family members…not ASL interpreters

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Shawna De Long

Last week we discussed why the Americans with Disabilities Act and The Joint Commission both state that using a friend or family member as an interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing.  They both focused on the lack of qualification due to training with medical terminology and briefly touched on the fact that medical situations typically cause intense emotional feelings that could interfere with accurate translation, but what neither of them talked about was the concept that when that friend or family member has to be an interpreter, their attention is taking away from being that supportive family member or friend.  One of my favorite stories about our product, NexTalk:

A Southern California hospital had been using our service for about a month when a husband and wife walked into the pre-op area.  The registration clerk quickly realized that the husband was deaf and his wife was translating for him.  The registration clerk asked the wife to wait for just a minute and returned with a laptop which had the NexTalk enterprise software loaded on it.  Within a minute an ASL interpreter appeared on the screen and began to interpret for the man. His registration complete, the interpreter stayed online and helped the nurse with instruction and when that was completed and the man was completely prepared for his surgery the ASL interpreter was excused and the laptop closed.

As the wife walked beside the nurse as they pushed her husband into surgery the wife gently laid her hand on the nurses arm and said:

               “Thank you.  For the first time in our marriage I didn’t have to be his interpreter, I got to be his wife.”

Now, if that sort of patient satisfaction isn’t a compeling reason to see a live NexTalk demonstration, I don’t know what is!  Please feel free to call us for your presentation: 877-434-9069.

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Feb 08

Healthcare Improvements

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Public Telephone


Ever wondering why people that are in jail for life get equal or better medical attention then you do and you pay for yours.There is a term that has been around for years called telemedicine, it is defined as:

“Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients’ health status.”

Many jails are using this term and using web conferencing as there platform. Instead of using their spending on costly and  at times risky trips to local facilities they are using web conferencing to get advice from doctors or specialist. By the use of Telemedicine states have cut unnecessary expenses. In 2008, the state of Arizona saved $237,000 dollars by using telemedicine at 9 of their correctional facilities.  While there will always be those that are against the use of technology, feeling that by relying on technology only furthers interpersonal interactions.

In Georgia, there are about 1,000 web conferencing calls per month from their 700 facilities. Psychiatric situations are often the most popular use of Telemedicine/Web Conference and less use when it comes to physical problems.

There are currently 26 states utilizing web conferencing and telemedicine. The facilities are finding that the cost savings and safety of the public are just a couple of reasons to switch to the use of web conferencing. Additionally, this technology has proven to cut costs for the tax payers, especially in prisons located in rural areas. Telemedicine has opened the playing field for medical providers to compete for government contracts.

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Feb 07

Public Notice: Nuclear Water

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Kyle McGuire

San Onofre- an area known for the great surf and its large population of resident Great Whites, both inhabit the waters for the same reason, the nuclear power plant. The facility uses water to cool the reactors prior to pumping it out to the ocean, resulting in warmer water. The temperature increase creates great swells and an ecological change that is a prime hunting ground for the Great Whites.

In recent events, the San Onofre Nuclear plant has reported premature ware issues with some pipes, which cool the reactors. This has led to nuclear waste being expelled into the ocean.

Unfortunately, for most residents in the area there has been little done to inform people of the leakage. In this event, it has been described as allowing a “small amount” of nuclear waste into the atmosphere, the public notice was in the form of leaking a short story to a few local papers and creating a brief video for the 6pm news.

How does the plant warn residents during a larger event?

Businesses can be affected by disasters for several days, while teams scramble to clean and repair the damage. And depending on the business, that lack of communication can cost exponentially more than a backup system.

The good news is that technology has made leaps and bounds, creating systems that can ensure communications are available, even during an outage or disaster. For San Onofre, they had an internal alarm to warn of the leak and the level of contamination was controlled quickly. In the event of a larger impact a service such as PRI in the Sky can create a diverse pathway into their facility and allow for mass notification features to be set for varying levels of instances to notify the public in the surrounding areas quickly and efficiently.

 

 

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Jan 31

Gain Face to Face Customer Experience

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Public Telephone

Web conferencing is used in many different industries across the board. One of the most interesting industries that uses web conferencing is the banking industry. To must, the banking industry is just a place you go to get money out or  to deposit; many people utilize online banking so that they never need to go to the bank. They can pay all their bills online.

Now that many people use online banking they feel that they aren’t getting the best customer service because everything something doesn’t work they have to call in. Many financial institutions are finding that by utilizing web conferencing that they are enhancing their customers over all experience.

While all web conferencing improves over all customer experience it is also closely tied to the number of new services banks offer in today’s market, portfolio management and financial planning just to name a few. We are far beyond the days of just making deposits and accessing wire transfers. In today’s world it is often the norm to have a bank account that is not near where you live or do business. Many people hold international accounts and access them through the use of web conferencing over seas.

While you still might use your local credit union, don’t be afraid to step outside the box, there is a digital age of customer service out there awaiting you.

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Jan 30

Let Patient’s Family Members be that, not Interpreters

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Shawna De Long

Video Remote Interpreting in the hospital

Effective communication, we all know that phrase by now.  With the release of the Joint Commission’s: Advancing Effecitve Communication, Cultural Competance and Patient-Centered Care standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 those words can cause a lot of concern for compliance officers within your facility.  So why is “effective communication” so important in the health care setting?  The Americans with Disabilities Act answers that question like this:

“Effective communication is particularly critical in health care settings where miscommunication may lead to misdiagnosis and improper or delayed medical treatment.”

So let’s say a person who is deaf and hard of hearing comes into your facility and you do not have an interpreter available to you.  What do you do?  Some hospitals, might use a family member or friend, they do communicate daily right?  Wrong! The ADA has this to say about the use of family members or friends as interpreters:

“Sign language or other interpreters must be qualified.  An interpreter is qualified if he or she can interpret competently, accurately, and impartially. In the hospital setting, the interpreter must be familiar with any specialized vocabulary used and must be able to interpret medical terms and concepts. Hospital personnel who have a limited familiarity with sign language should interpret only in emergency situations for a brief time until a qualified interpreter can be present.

It is inappropriate to ask family members or other companions to interpret for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. Family members may be unable to interpret accurately in the emotional situation that often exists in a medical emergency.”

So, now what? Well, on site interpreters are a possibility, but what if you could have access to a live, on demand ASL interpreter?  Imagine the kind of care you could give to that patient without waiting for an on site interpreter to be available.  You can, with Public Telephone’s on demand Video Remote Interpreting Service provided by NexTalk.

NexTalk is an on demand video remote interpreting (VRI) service for the deaf and hard of hearing. With a secure Internet connection you can be connected to an American Sign Language interpreter in less than a minute.  This software also allows for point to point and VRS calling and keeps you in compliance with your ADA regulations working as a portable TTY unit.

If you are interested in seeing a live demonstration of this product and how it can keep you and your facility in compliance with the Joint Commission and Americans with Disabilities communication standards give us a call!

 

 

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Jan 25

Interviewing “Virtual” Anywhere

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Public Telephone

The economy is down and jobs are scarce as businesses try to minimize overhead expenses just to keep afloat. Company growth is important for business, period. With training a new employee, how do you find the candidate that is the best fit for your organization so you can reduce turnover?

The perfect candidate could be around the corner or across the country, you may never know because your interviewing scope can only be so wide. Utilizing virtual interviewing, you can now expand your potential market by taking advantage of your existing web conferencing service to effectively broaden your interview scope by about 40%.

It’s a new year and times are changing. Here at Public Telephone we are gearing up for a big 2012, beginning with a few in house changes as we are currently seeking to expanding our team with some additional talent. The economy is still working on producing more jobs, I have found that it costs around $1,000 to recruit and hire a new employee. Now we are not a large company, nor did we make the Fortune 500 list, so our company does not have an outrageous recruiting budget, but we do want the best candidate we can find. Job posting boards can be an effective measure, but tend to be a bit pricey. A job board such as monster.com can cost $375 for a 30-day ad, where LinkedIn charges $195.00, yet no results are guaranteed.

By using virtual interviewing tools it allow us to:

  • Save money on travel costs
  • Save time
  • Improve candidate experience
  • Reduce Hire time
  • Increase Candidate Pool
  • Improve quality of hire

Many companies, like Green Job Interviewing, offer web platforms with integrated interviewing tools. The most essential tool for improving the interview process is web conferencing. Web conferencing allows you to not only ask the questions you want to ask but it allows you to interact, much like a face to face manor, while it is not as personal, it is the next best thing, especially when it comes to the first and second round of the interview process to help narrow the selection down to the candidates that are the best fit and invite them to the face to face interview.

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Jan 24

A Day Late, A Report Short

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Kyle McGuire

A plan of action is important. In unfortunate events, only 9 months ago 243 fatalities occurred after a series of tornadoes wiped through Alabama between April 25-28th.

In the wake of the event, the Tornado Recovery Action Council (TRAC) was tasked with creating a recommendation for becoming more prepared for future events. Through interviews and communicating with 1st responders, the general public and many state officials, the TRAC group created a report of best practices and to note improvements that could be made in preparation for future events.The document was to be turned into Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, unfortunately the recommendation was not presented to the Governor on schedule.

On Monday morning (January 23rd) members of Maplesville, Alabama were awoken with debris flying through windows and into their living rooms with winds exceeding 150 mph. The tornado left a large path of destruction from Chilton county to Clanton, AL. Reports given through local new entities tallied: 2 fatalities, over 211 homes left destroyed and a trail of wreckage including several hundred homes, businesses and schools requiring significant repair. Currently there are limited plans for facilitating the several thousand students whom are currently left without buildings to learn in.

Interviews of the effected residents conducted through CNN and Insurance Journal presented no current plans on how to recover from the wreckage. Since the impact of this recent event, Robert Bentley has since postponed his meeting with the Tornado Recovery Action Council, stating that it will be rescheduled.

As a harsh reality, disasters do occur. Often the creation for a disaster plan is fueled by a recent event that presented a weakness or limitation in your current system. What would your company do if you were left without an ability to answer the phone? Telecom Recovery provides a powerful business continuity service that allows your company to communicate through many avenues, during an outage or disaster. Also, our system comes with a omprehensive Emergency Communication Plan (ECP), allowing your facility to plan ahead and be better prepared for an outage, no matter how big or small.

 

 

 

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Jan 23

Public Telephone is proud of their client, USC Medical Center

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Shawna De Long

Friday, January 20, 2012, after spending the first five months of her life in an incubator, one of the world’s smallest surviving babies was discharged from USC Medical Center.

Born August 30th, Melinda Star Guido was born weighing a mere nine and a half ounces (that’s less than a can of soda).  With the help and amazing care of the doctors, nurses and staff at USC Medical Center she now weighs four and a half pounds, has passed her hearing test and the car seat test for premature babies, making her doctors comfortable with discharging her with the aid of an oxygen tube as a precautionary measure. Her doctor,Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan had this to say about her:

“I am cautiously optimistic that the baby will do well, but again there is no guarantee.”

Doctors and nurses gathered to bid Melinda farewell.  Her mother, Haydee Ibarra, said:

 ”I’m just happy that she’s doing well. I’m happy that I’m finally going to take her home … I’m just grateful.”

Public Telephone would like to congradulate the entire staff at USC Medical Center for an amazing job well done.  We are proud to be working with such an amazing facility that takes the utmost care in providing excellent customer service!  Well done, USC!

 

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