Handheld radios are a versatile tool for all kinds of organizations, from hospitals to warehouses. The ability to immediately connect with someone you’re looking for is crucial in fast-paced, large work environments. Modernized businesses avoid issues with company phones by sticking to the ever-practical two-way radio. However, not everyone on the team knows how to make the best of these tools. Here are some two-way radio tips for improving team communication in your workplace:

Know Who Has What Radio and When

The purpose of a two-way radio is to make contacting team members fast and easy. Anyone who’s been on a team that relies on these radios knows that the entire system crumbles when one team member forgets their radio somewhere.

Maintaining a system for picking up radios in the morning and rules for keeping them on hand ensures that contact isn’t slowed in an emergency. Assigning radio numbers to specific people also helps managers keep track of which radios are in certain locations. They can also gain a good idea of who is on the floor during specific times.

Train Team Members on Using Their Radio

For some people, the handheld radio is intuitive and simple—but not for others. Sometimes the communication issue isn’t that someone doesn’t carry their radio; it’s that a team member doesn’t know how to make it audible, speak into it, or know that its battery is dead. Give everyone a crash course on how to operate a two-way radio; it’ll be fundamental for the newcomers and a good refresher for others. When you give the course to everyone, you avoid singling anyone out.

Define Proper Radio Communication Etiquette

Etiquette is an often-forgotten aspect of good radio communication. During emergencies, radio communication can turn into a jumble of panicked voices as everyone talks over each other. This makes the radio effectively useless. After training team members on how to physically use their radio, establish rules for proper radio communication etiquette. Some etiquette rules include the following:

• Don’t speak over one another on the same channel
• Give clear, concise answers
• Don’t answer a radio if the call isn’t for you
• Keep private information off the radio

These two-way radio tips for improving team communication make things on the floor slightly less chaotic and allow your team to better implement their tools and time. So long as your radio batteries are maintained and your team is well-informed, these radios can make a major impact on your team’s efficacy, productivity, and teamwork.