Waste Busters! Tech tools to kill inefficiency

JBDC Business Dialogue

Regardless of the size of the business, waste can ravage the bottom line.   And waste can take many forms, weather it is the unnecessary late fees because the bearer paid the utilities bills late, or the ballooning stationary costs because of repeated print jams or the astronomical power bill because older equipment is burning electricity, poor waste management can break a business.

Fortunately, technology offers many specific tools to address the most common inefficiencies in the work place.

[Problem: Inefficiency | Solution: Technology | Area: Communications | Tool: VoIP]

Business operates on the back of clear and timely communication.  The team in the office or factory has to talk to the suppliers; the sales agents in the field have to be in touch with clients.  All the back and forth can prove costly.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a robust yet cost effective option whether your business is a small shop or a regional operation.  The cloud based communication system is often offered on contract to remove capital costs.  Handsets can be rented or returned as needed thereby reducing waste.  Additionally, handsets can be upgraded to the latest models without purchase.

Once installed, the value of basic features like hold, transfer, forwarding, caller ID, conference calling and voicemail, pale in comparison to powerful features like: being able to use the same number and/or extension anywhere in the world once there is a reliable internet connection.  Dynamic features like integrated voice and video teleconferencing, flat rate international dialling, free on network calling and advanced voicemail further boost productivity.

[Problem: Inefficiency | Solution: Technology | Area: Printing | Tool: Pay Per Print]

Printers have the capacity to hog resources like few machines can; paper jams, power drain and excessive ink all contribute to increased expenses.  Not to mention the amount of lost time when a team member has to address printing problems.

All these problems can be virtually eliminated by Pay Per Print programmes.  Like VoIP, the capital cost to purchase a printer is removed in favour or rental.  Maintenance costs are reallocated from the business to the renter and with regular maintenance, paper jams, misprinted paper and lost ink become distant memory.

To further boost efficiency, the savvy business leader ditches the concept of one printer per desk in favour of networked printers accessible by everyone on the network and team members on the internet as well.   With internet and intranet networking, colleagues on the road like sales and service men, can send documents to print while away from the office.

[Problem: Inefficiency | Solution: Technology | Area: Energy Management | Tool: Digital Energy Timers]

Plugging out printers at nights and on weekends can reduce expenses even further.

If the thought of remembering to unplug printers and other office appliances and plugging them in again on a daily basis makes you shudder, instead install a Digital Energy Timer (DET).  The DET is easy to install, relatively simply to programme and highly effective in reducing energy costs with very little added intervention.  Even when off, a device may consumer electricity; cutting the power all together cuts energy costs.

Lights, kitchen appliances, office equipment and even factory equipment can all be controlled by a DET.

Set the timer to cut the power to devices multiple times a day, or week.  Set the time to randomise the power cycle based on a template, which is especially useful for lights.  It gives the impression of human intervention for persons watching from outside.


It is no secret that reduced costs can lead to increased profits.  Shrewd business leaders will employ technology to bust waste.

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Mobile Multi Media - Observer's New Reality

In many parts of the world, pundits speculate if newspapers will survive.  In Jamaica, the Observer is adapting and evolving in an effort to stay relevant.

The evolution has led to the introduction of a redesigned mobile app for iOS and Android devices.  “We wanted to make it fresh, fast and totally interactive,” explained Jamaica Observer’s Head of Advertising, Marketing & Communications, Natalie Chin-Watkins.



Indeed, the new app boasts a new look complete with an image for every news story, loads quickly and is interactive thanks in part to the heavily touted AReality feature.  Short for augmented reality, the Observer app AReality feature pairs bonus content with print, often in the form of video.

Natalie Chin-Watkins shows off the Observer Mobile App

Chin-Watkins noted that, in the process of placing an ad, a client can say they have additional content, include the AReality logo in the ad they place and when readers scan the ad, the additional content is pushed to the device.  “The really cool thing is, you don’t have to scan only from print.  You could scan from a feather banner … you could scan from anything physical,” she added.

The dual benefit of this feature is marrying access to print to sustain circulation and providing additional revenues through advertising.  This is in keeping with the Jamaica Observer business strategy.  “One of the main focuses of the Observer is to continue to build out our print platform.  So everything we do is with the print in mind,” Chin-Watkins elaborated.

Screen Grab of Jamaica Observer App

With print at its core, the newspaper has expanded to deliver content through many other platforms.  Including the app, the media house boasts a new radio station - Fyah 105.  Also, even more video content is expected, including weekly features thanks to the acquistion of new video equipment and studios.

The multimedia, multi platform roll out is the result of the efforts of an online team churning out content on the back end.  As for the app, it was developed locally over a period of four months by developer Robert Farr.  There is a Blackberry app currently in development and  further updates on the way.

Until then, the app is available free in the App Store or the Android Market.  When asked to comment on the level of success of the new app, Chin-Watkins happily replied, “we are seeing a lot of traction on that platform."