Bold Blog: Alarm Automation Software and Services

Tip of the Week: Setting up Confirmed Alarms to System Handle and Initial alarm to generate an Email Response in 1.6.0 by Matt Narowski

Richard Hahn — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:41:00 GMT

1. Setup the confirmed alarm setup under the Country Setup -> country options for 2 signal confirmation and All Signals are immediately available (Regardless of Confirmed State)

2. Setup the Transmitter Programming so that you have the Event that you want to be confirmed setup in such a way that it generates an Event separate from the first alarm. In my example I use a TB1 as the original alarm and set the TB3 as my confirmed alarm event

3. I then setup an action pattern to send out an email script and then close the alarm.

4. Finally, setup the Event Actions Programming so that you act upon the first event type and not the second event. In my example I set the TB1 as Alarm=Yes and TB3 as Alarm=No.

5. An Alarm event will be generated for the first event but all subsequent events within the time period will be marked as Confirmed alarms and will be logged as signals.

September Coffee with Manitou Video Now Available

Bob Bishop — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:21:00 GMT

The video from the September Coffee with Manitou session is now available. This session demonstrated suggestions for helping to improve operator efficiency through the use of enhanced Action Patterns, email/SMS notifications, and OpenVoice.

We are please to offer the video via three formats:

Flash Video (recommended for most users)

Windows Media Video (WMV)

iPad MP4

Generational Aspects of Adult Learners

Caryn Morgan — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 07:00:00 GMT

As trainers we sometimes do not consider the important generational aspects of the students in our training classes. Below is a great reference to better understand how learners in your training classes approach work and their education.

"Traditional Generation members (born between 1922–1945) tend to:

• believe in conformity, authority and rules

• have a very defined sense of right and wrong

• be loyal, disciplined, logical, detail-oriented

• view an understanding of history as a way to plan for the future

• dislike conflict

• seek out technological advancements

• prefer hierarchical organizational structures

Baby boomers (born between 1946-1964) are drawn to:

• long hours at the office, including evenings and weekends

• building their career over the long term and loyalty to their employer

• viewing themselves and their career as one and the same

• commitment to quality and doing a good job

• “hanging tough” through difficult work situations and policies

• finding solutions to problems

• being in charge and respecting authority

Members of Generation X (born between 1965-1980) tend to:

• prefer high-quality end results over quantity

• set and meet goals and are very productive

• multitask

• balance work and life; like flexible working hours, job sharing

• see themselves as free agents and marketable commodities

• be comfortable with authority but not impressed with titles

• be technically competent

• value ethnic diversity

• love independence

Members of Generation Y (born between 1981-1994) tend to prefer:

• effecting change and making an impact

• expressing themselves rather than defining themselves through work

• multitasking all the time

• active involvement

• flexibility in work hours and appearance; a relaxed work environment

• teamwork

• on-the-job training

• getting everything immediately

• a balance of work and life" (Mitchell, 2005)

Mitchell, B (2005) Value Options, Achieve Solutions

I know that I have to consider these items when teaching training for Manitou. Some references will fall on deaf ears if the generation can't relate to it. Also, when preparing training it is vital to consider these differences when preparing materials. Yes, not everyone falls into their stereotype, but it is a good place to start!

Happy Training!

Grief Involved with Change

Caryn Morgan — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:14:00 GMT

I had several conversations with people last week at our Users Conference where they were experiencing change within their organization and the challenges that ensued as a result. That got me thinking... every change requires people to pass through the grief process. Recently, I read an article that articulated the stages in the grief process in a funny but accurate way. I thought I might share this:

"I like to use the analogy of losing the keys to your car. For example think about a normal work day in your life. You arise at the normal time and go through your normal morning routine. As you ready yourself to head out the door you go to where you always keep your car keys. You are shocked when they aren’t hanging on the keyboard, in the key drawer, in your purse or coat pocket. You can’t believe your eyes.
1. DENIAL – “No, it can’t possibly be. I know I put them right here last night.” You look everywhere! You check every nook and cranny in your home. You search your car. You go back into the house and look everywhere you have already looked!
2. ANGER/BLAMING -- “It isn’t possible! My keys were just here! I never lose my keys. I take such good care of everything and I am always so careful.” You rant and rave that your keys can’t be lost and if they are, it isn’t your fault. It’s your stupid husband, wife, son, daughter, houseguest, cleaning lady, or dog.
3. BARGAINING – “Keys, if you just show up I promise to be more careful next time.” You make a deal with God, the house ghost, or the keys themselves to be found so that you can be on your way.
4. DEPRESSION – “I can’t believe I’ve lost my keys. I’m going to be fired, I am going to be demoted, and everyone is going to know that I am irresponsible and a loser. How could I be so stupid?”
5. ACCEPTANCE – “Well, I’ve lost my keys. I’m going to be late for work. I need to make a decision on what to do next. I can and will deal with the consequences.” "

(taken from: http://www.counselingforloss.com/fivestagesofgrief.html)

These are very real experiences that everyone experiences on a regular basis. We can correlate that into the changes made within our organizations. For example someone is getting ready to retire and they are reliquishing some of their responsiblities to another, most likely younger, person. The person reliquishing these responsiblitys may be glad to be rid of them, but they still have to grieve the loss. Some may percieve that they are less important now. So how do we manage for this? What might help this person transitioning to a new stage in life feel better about the loss?

The same can be said when people are moved from one specialty to another. They must grieve the loss of the old and get ready for the new. Just like personal loss, time will heal much. It is important to consider that everyone has a different timeline and that will also require patience from managers and owners.

I hope this was helpful. If you would like a copy of a really useful article on "The Grief Involved in Change" please contact me carynm@boldgroup.com for a copy.

Action Pattern Enhancement - Include

Bob Bishop — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:38:00 GMT

After all of the positive feedback that we received from our recent Coffee with Manitou session (What’s New in Manitou 1.6.1?), we decided to do a series of blog posts highlighting some of the new and enhanced features. There are a number of changes to the core application that will provide improved alarm handling efficiency (through the enhanced Action Patterns and Workflows) as well as new tools to handle alarm verification (the redesigned Media Matrix and VideoPlus). These posts will allow us to break the release into smaller pieces and provide you with some usage scenarios and best practice ideas.

To start the introductions, today’s post will cover one of the new Action Pattern items – INCLUDE. The new include feature will provide users with the ability to create a hierarchy to the Action Pattern and run “Sub Action Patterns” within the main Action Pattern (embedding some “nesting” characteristics). This will prove to be a powerful tool in making sure that the operator/dispatcher has situational logic presented with the Action Pattern. Additionally, you can designate WHEN you want to include these additional Action Patterns and tie them to situations such as Disaster Mode, Status Open/Closed, Verified, and many more.

For example, a traditional Action Pattern may include the following steps: (1) Call Customer Site; (2) Call Police Authority; and, (3) Call Customer Contacts/Keyholders. With the INCLUDE feature, you can now add additional Action Patterns based on desired situations – such as Verified Alarm. In this case, the operator will be prompted to: (1) Connect to Camera; (2) Call Customer Site; and (3) INCLUDE Action Pattern “Verified“ – additional instructions for the operator on exactly how to proceed under the current set of circumstances.

We look forward to introducing you to even more new features over the next several weeks. Bold Technologies is committed to continually enhancing the feature sets of our applications and providing our users with the highest quality tools to reach their operational goals and potential.

Coffee with Manitou Video and PowerPoint Posted

Caryn Morgan — Thu, 26 May 2011 22:44:00 GMT

Hi there everyone,

I hope you were able to get some useful information out of yesterday's Coffee with Manitou session. I just wanted to let you know that the video recording of the live session and the PowerPoint is posted to My Bold!

Based on the feedback we have received yesterday and today on option adjustments made it looks like everyone is very interested in getting the most out of their Manitou system!

If you have any questions, please submit them through https://support.boldgroup.com

Early registration ends this month!

Brandon Lilly — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:25:00 GMT

Early Registration pricing for the 2011 Bold Users Conference is only available until March 31st!

Tip of the Week : Why won't the Virtual Operator pick up an Alarm? - Caryn Morgan

Caryn Morgan — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:03:00 GMT

When a Temporary Comment is added to a Customer record, through an alarm or through standard data entry, the default behavior of the client is to check the "Show on Alarm" checkbox...

Disaster Mode - Preparation is Key!

Caryn Morgan — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:59:00 GMT

Please take a few moments out of your day to review this video and ensure that your Disaster Mode is setup in Manitou and that you are ready when Disaster, or Mother Nature, strikes!

Tip of the Week : Customer Count Report - Caryn Morgan

Caryn Morgan — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:58:00 GMT

If you want to run a Customer Count report for a series of accounts that have the same name...