24/7 Software Blog

“AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and nine other telecommunications companies teamed up with attorneys general of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia to announce a new pact to eradicate a common scourge in America: illegal robocalls,” writes Brakkton Booker in their recent NPR article entitled “Phone Companies Ink Deal With All 50 States And D.C. To Combat Robocalls.”

According to Booker’s article, “The agreement, which amounts to a set of anti-robocall principles, is aimed at combating and preventing the phone-ringing annoyance. Included in the deal is call-blocking technology that will be integrated into a dozen phone networks' existing infrastructure, at no additional charge to customers.”

“The tech giants will also provide other call blocking and call labeling for those customers who want more screening tools,” shares Booker.

"We owe it to the most vulnerable in our communities to do everything in our power to protect them. Thanks to these prevention principles, our phones will ring less often," North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said at an announcement in Washington on Thursday, according to the NPR piece.

The article continues, “Stein and other attorneys general who spoke at the press conference said that while robocalls regularly present hassles and interruptions for millions of Americans, in some instances, the calls can also be harmful.”

"Robocalls are also a very effective device for illegal conduct," said New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, according to Booker’s article.

We believe it.

Well, that’s also because we experience it.

How many robocalls do you get a day?

The fact that you receive any is unacceptable.

Agree?

They’re a common scourge.

But the US government is introducing a set of anti-robocall principles to combat this annoyance.

It’s like the reactive operations annoyance you might have plaguing your operation.

Most operations are reactive.

But you don’t have to be.

You can employ Proactive Operations.

And specifically, by using a proven Principle to help your jump-start this initiative.

We call it the ACDA Principle™ (pronounced act-duh), and it’s your starting point for combating a reactive operation.

You’re driving home from your most recent event.

Thinking.

Pondering.

Analyzing.

How did it go?

There were a few unexpected incidents, and you were not ready for them.

Those poor part-timers looked petrified by the rush of people during the lightning storm.

You should’ve gone over what exactly to do during a severe weather incident.

Tonight’s event was a little too chaotic for your taste.

What to do, what to do?

What do you do?

When was the last time you had similar thoughts running through your mind after an event?

It must be troubling to experience this on a regular basis knowing there’s more to come.

You use analytics to better respond to incidents.

But, how do you train your employees to better respond to all these incidents you’re aware of?

Read between the lines, and you’ll find the solution: role-playing.

“Walter Yovany-Gomez evaded authorities for years before the FBI put him on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list,” writes Ryan Lucas in their recent NPR article entitled “How A Tip — And Facial Recognition Technology — Helped The FBI Catch A Killer.”

According to the article, “Gomez, a member of the MS-13 street gang, was wanted in connection with a brutal murder in Plainfield, N.J., that took place in May 2011. Police almost nabbed him a month afterward — but Gomez jumped out a second-story window and escaped.”

“Investigators finally tracked him down and arrested him in August 2017 in a gym parking lot in Northern Virginia,” writes Lucas.

The article continues, “Gomez's capture made headlines at the time, but the details of how investigators put the pieces together — with the help of a tipster and facial recognition technology — have not been previously reported.”

“Interviews by NPR with law enforcement officials and others now reveal the role that digital facial recognition software played in the case at a time when authorities' use of such technology is under increasing public scrutiny,” Lucas explains.

This topic is timely for us.

We see the use of facial recognition technology increase across property operations.

It’s a powerful solution for operations leaders.

You can keep your property and everyone on it safe.

And we want you to know you can enhance it even more.

Keep reading; we’re going to share how you can take your facial recognition technology even further with a proactive software solution designed for real-time communication of facial recognition.

The right CMMS can help you reduce operational and equipment downtime.

Since your maintenance department is the foundation for your property, viewing it as a cost center is no longer an option.

Lackluster employees, incomplete procedures, and overall low efficiency can lead to more time spent working on the equipment than it is working.

What’s the effect of this?

The scariest result of all is lost dollars – lots of them!

We’ve realized downtime is a disastrous consequence for managers.

Introducing preventative maintenance software to your maintenance team allows for your well-thought-out plans to be put into action.

“Something is strange with the economy,” writes Greg Rosalsky in their recent NPR article entitled “Is Our Economy In The Upside Down?”

“Normally, in good times, the government seeks to balance its books a bit, borrowing less, paying off some debt or — gasp — maybe even aiming for a budget surplus. And right now, on some important measures, economic times are good. But the government has been increasing spending and cutting taxes — and the budget deficit is projected to grow to nearly $1 trillion, an increase of over 35% since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in 2017. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve would normally be raising interest rates to make sure the price of everything doesn't get out of control. But high inflation is nowhere to be seen, and the Fed is now cutting interest rates,” explains Rosalsky.

According to the NPR article, “We're living in the Upside Down. You know, like that shadowy land in Stranger Things, where the laws of physics don't apply and monsters might eat you. It's an alternate dimension where economic textbooks are being thrown out the window. A scary place where despite big deficits and easy money, the economy is slowing down to a rate below historical averages and wage growth remains disappointing. And it's a place where frightening monsters, or demogorgons, continue to scare away investment and productivity. Slaying these monsters is the key to growth and prosperity, but we seem to be stuck in this new world where investment and productivity will not come roaring back.”

“Can we escape?” asks Rosalsky.

“Could you escape?” was our first question following the one above.

We don’t know how your operation is doing.

But we’re always concerned whether you’re running a reactive operation – one that’s in The Upside Down.

Call them what you want.

Your frightening monsters and Demogorgon lurk in unique ways to your properties.

Lack of awareness, poor communication, illegible handwritten documentation, and zero ability to analyze your operation’s effectiveness are good examples of the monsters we’ve seen.

Sound familiar?

Keep reading; we’re going to show you how Proactive Operations can help you move right side up.

Your experience in Proactive Operations got you this job.

You landed a Director position at your new property.

You’re charged with employing Proactive Operations here.

But, you’re not sure what to expect.

Fifty minutes before today’s event starts, calls start coming in through your incident management system and radio.

You notice something unusual.

At first, you wait for a little to diagnose the issue.

But then more calls come in.

This property has many more incidents than your former property, but they use the same resources.

They only use radios.

It’s time to change your approach.

You know you’ve got to deploy incident management mobile apps – and it must be done today.

So, is your incident management affected by the lack of proactive communication?