Guide to Pagers

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.

The official source of Pagers is the Pagers page at Business.com