They are still considered mobile communication devices though on a lesser scale than in previous decades.
Nowadays, you would find pagers at business establishments that seek to improve communication and coordination among store or restaurant crew and customers. For instance, some restaurants provide pagers to customers on the wait list to alert them when it is time to pick up their food from the counter or when their table is ready.
Pagers were first used in hospitals as these lightweight and handy devices enable staff to communicate with much urgency and more quietly than walkie-talkies or cellular phones. Their sole purpose as a messaging device keeps employees focused on their work, while the minimalistic design of a typical pager serves to remind workers that their task, like the pager’s, should be quick, efficient, and straight-to-the-point.
Paging systems were mainly used to notify health care professionals whenever they needed to be in certain stations on short notice. While normally used by hospital nurses, paging systems are also quite useful in psychiatric institutions, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. Health care professionals know exactly what they need to do this way, thus making work quicker.
A medical institution’s paging system may include a function that allows patients to page their assigned nurses. Normally, this uses alphanumerical pagers with which patients can send nurses their name and room number along with a short message. This is similar to the server paging function in restaurants’ paging systems, where there is a coaster-shaped device diners can use to notify servers in case they needed something. Like the hospital “press button for service” devices, these transmit the table number and alert servers about customer requests.
Most restaurants use a paging system called guest paging. This allows staff to notify guests that their food is ready or that a table is free. Pagers for guests tend to be loud so they can be heard in noisy public places, and most have a strong vibrate function so they can feel rather see or hear whenever a message has just been received. Guest paging is ideal for busy restaurants with consistently full table spaces or food stands in exceptionally high demand where food preparation can take a while because of multiple orders.
Nurseries and play schools can also use a similar paging system for parents. While on their way to work or wherever, parents can drop off their kids at these day care centers where they can play and meet new friends. When it is time to go home, parents receive an alert on their pagers.
