Intercoms are a valuable communication tool for businesses of all types, enabling multiple departments within a company to easily screen visitors and communicate interdepartmentally. However, not every department needs to be alerted when a delivery vehicle requests permission to come onto the premises, or if there is a visitor in the front lobby.
Being able to partition, or separate calls, is an important feature of a video intercom system to ensure entry requests are received by the right department and non-disruptive to others. Many modern video intercom systems offer this functionality.
Here are four business scenarios where intercom call partitioning can help make sure visitors communicate with the right departments.
Schools
With school security remaining a priority, being able to easily and accurately screen a visitor before allowing a person to enter is paramount. While many schools have a receptionist to handle this task, call partitioning can easily move that responsibility to the security office, freeing up the front office to handle internal intercom communications received from teachers within their classrooms or other school staff. An additional benefit is that moving the visitor screening process to school security ensures the proper procedures are followed before allowing a person to enter the building.
Courthouses
Local and federal courthouses require numerous safety measures to keep judges, law enforcement, defendants, and plaintiffs safe at all times. Beyond screening visitors before entering into a courthouse, the judge’s chambers should also remain secure but accessible for communication with security staff, court attendants, or attorneys. A video intercom can be programmed to only ring the judge’s chambers, while another intercom station located inside the building can be designated to communicate with the public defender’s office or the clerk’s office.
Warehouses and retail
Video intercoms can also be used to make sure that the loading dock receives the proper communication about a delivery. When personnel at a large warehouse uses an intercom, whether before permitting a delivery vehicle to enter a secured gate or at a loading dock, video intercoms enable proper identification of delivery drivers. Calls can be partitioned to only notify the shipping manager, and also programmed to call the receptionist as a back-up in case the shipping manager is not readily available. At the same time, call partitioning enables the receptionist to still receive communication from visitors who use an intercom located outside a secure lobby.
Residential
Many homes being constructed today include a variety of amenities, from pool houses and sport courts to guest quarters and expansive garages. But these amenities are often located away from the main house, making communication with occupants inside these spaces a challenge. A whole-house video intercom system can be partitioned so that only certain door stations call to specific locations. For example, an intercom located at a front door can be programmed to only call the kitchen. Whereas a door station located at a pool gate can be programmed to only call the pool house.
Video intercoms provide visual verification and the flexibility to easily communicate with visitors. Being able to partition calls so that they reach the specific individual or department takes that communication capability to a new level.
