MOTOTRBO™ Enhances Staff Productivity and Safety at The Glades Shopping Centre

With 140 stores and more than 15 cafes and restaurants, The Glades Shopping Centre is a major retail complex in Bromley, south-east London. Bromley is the largest London borough by area, occupying 59 square miles, and is home to almost 300,000 people. Mainly mall-based but with several high-street outlets, the Glades offers shoppers a combined floor space of 421,000 square feet spread over two floors and 1,530 parking spaces. The Glades is open for business for at least nine hours most days and manned 24/7 for cleaning, security and deliveries. The centre is owned by Capital Shopping Centres, Aviva and the London Borough of Bromley and managed by GBM Support Services Group Limited.

THE CHALLENGE

Complete Communications Coverage for Integrated, Efficient, Round-the-Clock Operations

Motorola analogue two-way radio had been used by The Glades for 20 years and was essential to the smooth running of the retail complex that operates 24/7 for deliveries, cleaning and maintenance. Security teams, cleaners, car park attendants, control centre managers and staff from Capital Shopping Centres relied on the Motorola radios to coordinate their operations and maximise the security of premises, shoppers and staff. The Glades wanted to upgrade to MOTOTRBO digital to eliminate the communication dead spots that affected six retail outlets and improve audio clarity in the basement and service areas, outlying parts of the complex, and the car park. Managers and security teams were keen to use MOTOTRBO’s one-to-one calling and text messaging capabilities for discreet communication with each other.

The Glades also wanted to take advantage of the easy-to-use, premium management features from Motorola application partner neoNytro that can be embedded into the MOTOTRBO platform. neoNytro’s task-orientated functionality seamlessly extends a MOTOTRBO two-way radio system to customize it to the specific needs of each client. The Glades was keen to use neoNytro to streamline and coordinate emergency alarm handling and lone worker management. Assigning radios at the start of each user’s shift would be simplified by neoNytro’s asset management feature, while automatic recording of all transmissions could help resolve incidents faster.

THE SOLUTION

Optimised Sound Quality, Noise Suppression and Longer Life from Motorola’s IMPRES™ Audio Accessories plus Enhanced Features from neoNytro

The Glades’ long-term communications partner and local Motorola authorised dealer installed the four-channel MOTOTRBO system, preintegrated with neoNytro. A MOTOTRBO DR3000 base station/repeater located in the control room ensures strong signal coverage across the complex. Sixty-seven DP3400 hand portable radios, hired from the Motorola Authorised Dealer, enable staff to communicate instantly with all other live radios in their user group. Twelve DP3600 radios with alphanumeric display also give team leaders and managers the option to speak or text on a one-to-one basis. Black spots have been eliminated and all areas now enjoy uninterrupted radio coverage. Users were quick to adapt to the new handsets which are smaller and easier to use than analogue.

The Glades initially purchased non-Motorola earpieces and microphones to give staff hands-free communication instead of the Motorola IMPRES audio accessories designed specifically to work with the MOTOTRBO range. The result was poor transmission quality caused by the inability of the equipment to exclude background noise and adjust audio output according to the wearer’s position in relation to the microphone. The lack of clear, intelligible transmission meant users were often unable to hear calls against the backdrop of a busy shopping mall.

To overcome the problem The Glades switched to the Motorola 2 wire covert kits with acoustic tube earpiece from the IMPRES accessory portfolio, as recommended by the Motorola dealer. Intelligent IMPRES technology helps eliminate background noise which optimizes audio clarity. In addition, radio output is customised for each type of audio accessory, which ensures consistent sound quality, even if the user looks away from the microphone while transmitting. Staff at The Glades experienced an immediate and significant improvement in sound quality which has transformed communications clarity. In addition, the robustness and resilience of Motorola’s audio accessories has resulted in a substantially increased life time and fewer repairs, which greatly outweighs the additional purchasing cost.

neoNytro’s advanced management applications have increased the productivity and efficiency of staff at the control centre and radio users. Each radio is now assigned and de-assigned to the user using neoNytro’s asset management feature, which has increased user accountability and reduced losses. Control room teams use neoNytro’s text messaging feature to send short custom or pre-set messages to senior staff. If a user hits the emergency button on the MOTOTRBO radio a screen alerts the control room supervisor instantly to who needs assistance, which enables help to be despatched immediately. neoNytro also coordinates the management of lone workers. Alert intervals can be set and reset for each user by controllers according to the nature and location of the work being carried out and the time of day. If workers fail to acknowledge the alert to confirm that they are not in trouble neoNytro shows a flashing message or alarm which prompts a call or follow-up action from the control room.

The Glades makes extensive use of neoNytro’s voice recording application to automatically capture all transmissions from each channel and store them for 31 days. Before using MOTOTRBO digital, conversations from all four channels were manually recorded on the same tape at the end of each day. Tracing an individual call to help resolve an incident could take as long as 15 minutes. Using neoNytro recordings can be located by the control room in just a few seconds. The system also avoids the risk of conversations being deleted accidentally by users before they can be recorded.

THE BENEFITS

Greater Efficiency, Centralized Control and Seamlessly Extendable Functionality with Expertise and Support from a Motorola Authorised Dealer

Two years after installation The Glades continues to enjoy significant efficiency improvements through clearer communications and improved control centre operations. Regular on-site meetings with the Motorola Authorised Dealer keep The Glades up to date on new innovations to the MOTOTRBO platform. The neoNytro applications, which are simple to use and require minimal user training, have enabled The Glades to leverage its investment in MOTOTRBO. Adding more functionality from neoNytro, such as GPS to track the location of each radio user in real time, will enable The Glades to meet new functionality needs by extending the scope of its MOTOTRBO platform.

The Glades leases the MOTOTRBO radios on a long-term rental from its local Motorola authorised dealer which provides it with an endto-end managed solution at a budgetable, all-in monthly cost with no capital outlay. Additional units, pre-programmed to user specifications, can be acquired within 24 hours to meet increase in demand during peak periods or a growth in user numbers. In the unlikely event of a radio developing a fault it can be replaced the same day.

THE SUMMARY

Flexible, Cost-Effective Solutions to Communication Challenges in Retail

The Glades, Bromley’s leading shopping complex, has upgraded its two-way radio platform to MOTOTRBO to benefit from the enhanced coverage, clarity and functionality of digital. Leasing the equipment from a Motorola authorised dealer provides an affordable solution at a predictable monthly cost. The Glades has further improved the efficiency and benefits of on-site communications using the premium management features developed by Motorola application partner neoNytro and the proven quality of Motorola IMPRES accessories.