Cell Phones, Technology, and how we do business

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The GPS is worth it's weight in gold. Tom Tom, megellian ect. Yeah they act crazy at times but no more asking mr. homeless were something is.

It does come back to time management. How, when and were to use things to be the most efficient.
 
khixxx said:
The GPS is worth it's weight in gold. Tom Tom, megellian ect. Yeah they act crazy at times but no more asking mr. homeless were something is.
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I just got a GPS, and I love that thing. Much better than trying to get my helper to read a map, or trying to read it myself when alone.
 
Cell phones also cause a loss of productivity when employees stop working to answer their phone, reply to a text message, etc.

My employee was receiving text messages and taking the time to reply. I finally told him, "The phone stays in the pocket. No more texting, no phone calls. If your wife calls to say the baby is sick and she's going to the doctor that's OK. If your wife wants to call to ask you to bring home some milk, tell her to call you at 3pm."

I know when I'm not around the phone is being used. I don't like it but when the cat is away.....
 
sparky 134 said:
Cell phones also cause a loss of productivity when employees stop working to answer their phone, reply to a text message, etc.

My employee was receiving text messages and taking the time to reply. I finally told him, "The phone stays in the pocket. No more texting, no phone calls. If your wife calls to say the baby is sick and she's going to the doctor that's OK. If your wife wants to call to ask you to bring home some milk, tell her to call you at 3pm."

I know when I'm not around the phone is being used. I don't like it but when the cat is away.....
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The last company I worked for had a simple rule: at break and lunch knock yourself out w/ the phone, all other times use it and get fired. Certainly you can't police all of the guys all of the time, but the owner of this company was credible w/ this threat as he was not afraid of firing people for slacking. Once that rule went into effect cell usage during the work day went waaayyyy down.
 
DanZ said:
What happened if he called them? Or if it was a work call?
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The journeymen had company issued Nextel's (just direct connect enabled, no cell service) and that was how communication was done between the office and the field. For work related calls we often used the job site trailer phone. If there was none available we would some times kick the question back to the office and let them deal w/ it. If we truly needed to make a call that was work related or even an urgent personal call we would. The guy wasn't totally unreasonable, he just wanted to cut down on the frivolous chatting.
 
Cell phones are great because of the capability to have GPS in the phone, the phone book that allows you access to important contact numbers, caller ID that lets you know who's calling so you can decide if you need to answer it or not, and Blue Tooth technology that allows me to answer my phone and keep working while I am having a conversation (although there have been many times when people thought I was some kind of lunatic because they can't see the blue tooth device in my ear). Cell phones have made the world so much smaller and safer. I don't have to worry about where my children are because I know I can contact them whenever I have a concern and they can always contact me even when I am away from home. My husband often works out of town and will be gone all week only coming home on weekends. Being able to contact each other whenever we need to during the day and in the evening makes this type of living situation so much less painful.

We all survived just fine before all this new technology arrived because everybody was in the same boat and it's all we knew. But, I don't think I would want to go back to not having it. Besides, the best part about it is, when I don't want it, I leave it all home, get in my RV and park by a lake somewhere and forget about it.
 
every time I see a helper texting his girlfriend when I'm waiting for him to do or get something for me I feel like taking his cell phone and sticking it where it will cause him great discomfort. And when I'm driving on the highway and the car in front of me is going 50 and slightly veering onto the shoulder every few minutes, because they are trying to text or call someone i feel like pulling along side and running them off the road. And my all time biggest pet peeve is when someone that is very close(proximity) to you and talking on their cell phone like its a Coffee can with a string and talking very loud. Like I really want to hear what they are talking about. Many people have no idea about cell phone etiquette. I am very tempted to order a cell phone blocker so when I am out to dinner or relaxing I don't have to listen to a bunch of clods around me.
 
I hope the future does not include those Bluetooth ear things that make guys look like they're part Borg. I hate the look of those.
 
mdshunk said:
I hope the future does not include those Bluetooth ear things that make guys look like they're part Borg. I hate the look of those.
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Me too.

They're talking and I think it's to me...then I realize it's not. I have the blue tooth built into my personal vehicle and it's nice, but still, when I hang up I can't recall the last few miles, or if I ran someone over. A matter of where your attention is at.

I hate that feeling when you're talking to someone and their phone rings and all of the sudden the person on the other end of the line becomes more important than you, as if it couldn't wait until we were done talking. :mad: :-?
 
mdshunk said:
I hope the future does not include those Bluetooth ear things that make guys look like they're part Borg. I hate the look of those.
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I hate ending up talking to someone who is using one.

First time I ever encountered one, I was exiting a gas station. I met another guy going in, and he looked me right in the eyes and asked, "So, you wanna go out Saturday night?"

I was stunned. I said, "Hell, no!" Then I realized he was on the phone. :mad:
 
mdshunk said:
I hope the future does not include those Bluetooth ear things that make guys look like they're part Borg. I hate the look of those.
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I finally broke down and got one because I was tired of the phone calls when my hands were full or I was on a ladder. Business calls mind you. :) It does come in handy while driving also. I try not to be one of those in the store with the cart and talking out loud to yourself, or so it seems.:grin:
 
I have to say that although I despised it at first I had to make the move to one of those bluetooth headsets because it is a $250 fine if you are not using a hands free device while driving, in the end I really ended up appreciating it.

*Disclaimer*- I do not purposely wear the thing in public, sometimes you just forget it is in your ear, that is when I feel like an idiot. DOH!
 
frizbeedog said:
What will be the next advancement that makes our lives in business more productive?

Will we really be better off?

What say you?
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The Unabomber said: no we won't be better off.

Not that I agree with any of the steps he has taken to protest, but you have to agree with his point that our technological advances had far outstripped man's advance as a spiritual human being. Most of human suffering comes from that.
 
weressl said:
....but you have to agree with his point that our technological advances had far outstripped man's advance as a spiritual human being. Most of human suffering comes from that.
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Well said. :)

I agree.
 
Now after that it is time for a laugh. My original "cell phone" was my Harris butt test set. This is how I would save a quarter. I would drive to find me a nice quiet street, and a nice quiet house on that street, and plug in my test set into the phone demark at the front side of the house and make me a call..... The old style demark boxes that slid upwards to remove the cover made that process a real snap. Never got busted once, but then again I made no long distance calls with it either. :rolleyes:
 
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