Pagers comes in handy for a variety of industries. Now that business moves at such a fast pace, pager companies are constantly coming up with new and better designs for their business pagers. Those most dependent on the use of an alphanumeric paging service include hospital personnel and emergency medical personnel, although many other industries also depend on fast service from their employees.

The pricing and costs of pagers will depend on the features you want, and also the type of service you subscribe to. Some of the most common types of pagers used are:

1. Free pagers given out by the company that provides the pager service.

2. Numeric pagers that only display numbers.

3. Two way pagers that allow communication between devices.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Explore free pagers given out as promotions

Just like cell phone companies, pager companies also give out certain free pager models to those who sign up for pager services, whether through a contract or not. You must be careful when choosing free models because some are only free with a mail-in rebate.

I recommend: Calling Needs provides two different pager models, free when you sign a one year contract with its service. Free pagers are also useful in the medical industry, when a hospital wants to provide a paging service for family members. HME Wireless offers QuietCall, a pager-lending service that keeps family members better informed of their loved one's status.

Choose a numeric business pager to save money

If you just need a simple pager that can send a phone number or numeric message, then numeric pagers are a simple way to get the job done. Numeric pagers cost $35 to $70.

I recommend: ComServe Corporation provides a simple numeric pager with a sleek design. If you want a quick way to communicate through pages, you can always check out the the numeric pager codes from Graves Enterprises. These codes can send full messages in the form of numbers, as long as the person receiving the page knows the code.

Sign up for two way pagers to send longer messages

Two way pagers are a great way to keep in touch with people when they are on the go. A two way pager can send text messages, just like many phone models. They come equipped with a full keyboard so the recipient of the message can type a response. Two way pagers cost $80 to $150, plus monthly messaging fees.

I recommend: Verizon Wireless pagers for business come in two different models. With these pagers, you can text more than one person at a time. All Page offers many affordable monthly messaging plans.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you sign up with with a pager company, look for a plan that lets you lease a pager. This way, you can let the company replace it periodically rather than spend money on new models every few years.

Lots of business operators use pagers to make sure that roving staff members get messages for required communications while they're out and about. Pagers represent the most basic way to allow for 24/7 availability (provided your staff responds to pages). Although technology has boomed in the last 20 years, with Bluetooth, hi-tech cells and other new gadgets in circulation, pagers are still popular, especially with staff who might not need full communications 24/7.

Suppliers of field staff will issue:

1. Pagers to staff in a medical environment (doctors, nurses, techs, etc.) where cell phones or other technology might be too intrusive to the job environment.
2. Business pager units to staff members involved in surveying or other analysis that will only need to be called in for teleconferencing.
3. Numeric pagers to independent contractors in many industries that will only occasionally talk with management.

Find deals from pager companies online for small business solutions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Browse pagers by industry

Some online retail pager companies offer a truly diverse supply of alpha pagers, 2 way pagers, paging services and paging software specialized for certain fields, especially health care. You can also choose between pager models for paging staff, or for patient communications. Many medical offices use 'coasters' or simple issue beeper pagers to let patients or families know about various stages of the patient experience.

I recommend: The Interpage site has a specialized, categorized page offering solutions for hospital/fire staff. Interpage also has patient communications pager models. Customers can browse through the categories to find a good fit for their specific pager needs.

Get pager models free with paging plans

If price is your thing, you can look for deals on packages. Evaluate the offers of free pagers with alphanumeric paging service or plans to see if you will save in the long run. You can get high-quality pagers in these deals and add quality to your staff accessories if the price is right. Be sure to check out deals on Verizon wireless pagers as well.

I recommend: Paging companies like Metrotel offer deals on free Motorola pagers and alphanumeric paging service. Get Verizon Wireless pagers and more at Verizon's online services for small business.

Look for durability in numeric pagers

Though you may be enticed by sleek, modern-looking business pager models, remember this inevitable truth: everything you put out on the floor or with field staff has the potential of being knocked around a little. This is true of most industries, some more than others. Consider getting pagers that are durable, with heavier, sturdier cases rather than neat digital displays.

I recommend: The NP88, sold online by AllPage, comes recommended as a sturdy model that can take a few knocks. The hard plastic shell allows you to assign these to staff with confidence: still, let them know they can't play basketball with it.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Run the pager idea through the proper channels. If you're making a buy like this, you want to be sure the things get used. Just handing them out may not do the trick; use tested HR channels to get field staff involved in responsible use of their new pagers.

From salesmen on the road to traveling executives, pagers are a handy device with which to keep in touch with employees, co-workers and clients. The many pagers types and styles have an assortment of features and capabilities to choose from. Whether you're looking into Verizon Wireless pagers or other pager companies, you'll have no difficulty finding the right type of business pager to meet your needs.

Whether you're considering cheap pagers or more sophisticated business pagers, you'll soon find that pagers have come a long way since the early days of pagers beepers. The three main types of pagers are numeric pagers, alphanumeric pagers and tone and voice pagers, though two way pagers are becoming more popular. Consider the features of all pagers types and styles to decide which kind is best for you:

1. Use numeric pagers for you and your employees.
2. Get the benefits of an alphanumeric paging service.
3. Communicate using tone and voice pagers.
4. Enjoy the many features of 2 way pagers.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Keep it simple with numeric pagers

Numeric pagers were the earliest type of pagers and are still in use today. Numeric pagers display a phone number and vibrate or beep to alert you to call the number on the pager. Modern styles of numeric pagers include a wide selection of colors and styles that come in sizes as thin as credit cards.

I recommend: American Messaging has an easy-to-use numeric pager with features such as extended time display and group call identification. Beepers.com has neon-colored numeric pagers that have time, date and calendar displays, the ability to lock messages and save messages when changing the battery.

Extend your communication capabilities with alphanumeric pagers

Alphanumeric pagers display both numerals and text. You can still receive a phone number to call, or get brief text messages displayed on the screen of the pager. These pagers can display up to 500 characters and save a number of messages.

I recommend: All Page of Houston has an elite alphanumeric pager offering two- or four-line display, a selection of rings, battery backup and more.

Hear your messages with tone and voice pagers

Sometimes you would rather hear a message than read one. Tone and voice pagers alert you that someone has left you a message, and you then can call and receive a voice mail. Some styles of voice and tone pagers come with volume control and audio speaker capabilities.

I recommend: iPort Communications has a durable Motorola tone and voice pager with volume control, audio loudspeaker and battery saver. Find a tone and voice pager with a long list of features, from auto reset to telescoping antenna, at Multec Communications.

Go real time with two-way pagers

With two-way pagers, you can send and receive email using a keypad on the pager. Two-way pagers allow you to communicate in real time. You also can access the Internet using two-way pagers.

I recommend: MySecretaryUSA.com has two styles of Motorola two-way pagers with features such as lighted keypads, up to nine lines of text display and various address book functions. 2WayGadgets.com has a two-way pager that comes in four different colors with a long list of features, including pre-programmable message replies and group messaging.