Information provided by Motorola Solutions Inc.
Do you have a great public safety software system but struggle contacting your vendor when needs arise? Perhaps your vendor provides decent services but you constantly have to deal with a product or software system that doesn’t work efficiently during critical moments or lacks important built-in functionality. Both of these situations can make you feel like you’re trying to do your job with only half the tool. And, especially in the world of public safety, working with half the tool doesn’t cut it for you or your community.
Many public safety software providers focus on product innovation OR providing the services to back that product up. Which means agencies like yours are forced to choose between software that supports your policing efforts or a vendor that supports you. Choosing between quality technology or quality services means that either way, you’re missing vital elements that can put your agency personnel and your community at risk. With a complete solution like Spillman Flex, you don’t have to choose: you get quality technology using Flex AND quality services through Motorola Solutions and a commitment to stand by customers through every critical moment.
Quality Services, Quality Products: You Should Have Both
The public safety industry is constantly changing, and new software vendors are popping up everywhere touting seemingly cool functionality but with little-to-no proof to back up their claims. With all of this instability, it can be confusing to know which software vendors can truly deliver on their promises, let alone which one to choose. Many agencies today combat this problem by working with multiple vendors in order to access all of the tools they need to get the job done. There is a better solution, though - finding a vendor that has everything you need, all in one place. To get that, your agency needs a truly end-to-end public safety software experience backed by a vendor with decades’ worth of industry expertise.
It’s not enough in this fast-paced world for a public safety software vendor to only offer great products or on the other hand, only boast great services. If your system is lacking in features, such as innovative searching capabilities, your team could be wasting valuable time and resources. It can be especially frustrating to have to run multiple reports and dig deep into your system’s tables again and again just to ensure you catch all of the information you need. Gathering information can also be difficult and time-consuming when your officers have to call multiple agencies and ask them to manually search for details about a suspect or vehicle. Without a central database to house your information, as well as data from surrounding agencies, you may be forced to rely on others to gather your case details for you, and vital information can slip through the cracks.
Your team could also be working with half the solution if your vendor fails to provide adequate support options that align with your agency’s budget and overall goals. Comprehensive support and training options empower your team to become more familiar with a system and know that if a problem does arise, a dedicated and knowledgeable support staff is ready to assist you right when you need it most. Technology is advancing every day, meaning there will be times when bugs or other issues pop up, which is why it’s so critical to have a support team that is available to work with you and resolve issues so your team can keep working, with minimal interruption.
With so many new public safety software vendors, it can be enticing to partner with the one who is offering the newest and fastest products or services. But without the experience to back up their promises, how can you know for sure that they’ll stick around for the long haul? Vendors with a solid history are more likely to make it through all the ups and downs that can occur in the industry because they’ve been there before and know what to do.
A solid footing in the software industry helps a vendor, and an agency, succeed. But are they also consistently adapting and improving their products and services to keep pace with the changes in technology? One of the most effective ways for vendors to evolve their solutions is to listen to the feedback they receive from their customers. A vendor not only needs to possess a mindset to ask for customer feedback, but they should also have the bandwidth to visit their customer agencies and see firsthand what types of challenges they face and how the vendor’s solutions can be improved to meet those obstacles.
The Spillman Flex team knows that every function and service is crucial. With its industry-leading technology and unmatched services, Flex has established itself as a leading solution in the public safety software industry. Explore more of the Flex product and the services that support it by visiting info.motorolasolutions.com/morethanhalf and discover how Flex delivers on each critical component to provide your agency with the whole package.
Bio:
Heather Fifield is a marketing writer for Motorola Solutions, a leading global provider of mission-critical communications. The company’s CommandCentral software suite unifies data and streamlines workflows from call to case closure, improving safety and efficiency for users and communities.
