Vidcie

They win.

When the folks from Abseilon get home from work and their families ask “how was your day?” they win. In the world of cool jobs that result in cool stories, Abseilon quite literally rises above the crowd – or in this case, above the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Specializing in working at-height, Abseilon’s team of access professionals uses Vidcie’s real-time video system to connect with their clients’ on-ground experts while on site. This allows the Abseilon team to become virtual experts in any situation and deliver the results that their clients demand – every time.

On the evening of November 10, 2014, the Abseilon team (clearly bored with their work suspended above the Grand Canyon) arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and put their unique skills to the test. Brought in to assist with the installation of new equipment in the Atlantis Shuttle Exhibit, the Abseilon team was able to quickly and efficiently get team members into location to perform the required work. And, of course, Vidcie was there. For this task, Abseilon Vice President Kenneth Piposar set up static Vidcie Live Video Assist Cameras throughout the exhibit hall as well as equip his team with body and helmet mounted cams. By doing so, Ken was able to maintain complete visibility of all aspects of the job in real time.

We’ll be following up this post with additional photos and video from this very unique Field Service call, but for now please join us as we realize that our jobs just aren’t this cool. 

1. When you want to avoid the whole “he said, she said” after an incident.

Live-streaming video cameras that capture secure footage can be the difference between misconstrued versions of the truth and reality. For instance, police who are equipped with live-streaming body cameras can capture footage containing a clear record of exactly what happened on the scene, avoiding any discrepancies.

2. When there’s something you just can’t quite explain over the phone.

We’ve all been there — or at least seen it in the movies — “Which wire do I cut?!” Describing complex issues over the phone can be challenging, if not impossible. With live-streaming video, experts can see exactly what you’re experiencing so they can provide step-by-step guidance, leading to a successful (and fast) outcome.

3. When the person that could potentially solve your problem is on a different continent.

Sometimes the answer to a problem lives on the other side of the world. Imagine you have a manufacturing plant in Alaska, and the on-site field tech encounters an issue with a piece of equipment and isn’t sure what to do to bring it back online. A person in the company, familiar with the equipment, is visiting corporate headquarters in London. With live-streaming video, the solution is merely a video call (and time difference) away!

4. When you want to keep customers happy by not making repeat visits.

When customers’ cable service goes out, they don’t want multiple visits from field service techs in order to restore service. Although dispatch is urgent, the required expertise often cannot be determined until the tech arrives on site. For instance, the problem might lie with a customer’s Wi-Fi or internal network, which could result in a lengthy phone conversation with another support tech in an effort to describe the problem over the phone — or worse, result in the need for a secondary service call. Instead, live-streaming video can be used to quickly resolve the problem and get service up and running again, keeping the customer happy.

5. When you want to make sure fixes are recorded and backed up for future reference/training.

For any type of field service training, the archived footage taken from a live-streaming video camera can be used for professional education and training in the future — here’s WHAT to do, here’s what NOT to do. Forget a textbook, trainees want to see it in action.

6. When you want to save time and money.

Time is one of the most valuable things we have. Instead of having to spend a weekend flying across the country to see the problem, you can have a field technician use a live-streaming video from the site, avoiding travel costs and time, which you can instead be using to spend with your family.

7. When you can’t risk security and don’t want your videos ending up on YouTube.

Video chat apps like FaceTime and Skype can provide live-streaming, although what they don’t do is offer enterprise-grade security or secure storage of video archives. The last thing you want is a video of your company “behind the scenes” ending up on YouTube (or turned into a .GIF).

With so many company benefits, you simply can’t go wrong with live-streaming video. 

Created to allow prospective customers to better understand how Vidcie Live Video Assist can help them to enhance communication and increase productivity, Vidcie is about to offer a free 14 day trial of our Live Video Assist service.

This free trial will be available as a downloadable app for both iOS and Android Smartphones and will support a single channel of real-time video streaming as well as provide access to Vidcie Central, our powerful browser based video playback and system administration interface. An added bonus of this architecture is that you will be able to use your Smartphone as your mobile connected camera for real-time video transmission.

During the trial period, users will be able to capture and stream live video from virtually any location and have this video viewed in real-time by teammates anywhere in the world. The streamed video will also be stored in the Vidcie Cloud and available for review at a later date or download to local storage for archiving.
Please visit www.Vidcie.com/free-trial and sign up to be notified by email when the app is available for download. 

As part of our commitment to continually enhance the Vidcie experience, the latest version of Vidcie Central contains a number of feature and usability improvements.

Terminology updates:

In order to more accurately describe the capabilities of the role classification of Domain Supervisor has been renamed System Administrator.
In addition, the list of Role options for users has been enhanced for increased flexibility and control. These options now include the following:

• Previewer – Access to Live Video Stream for one assigned camera
• Guest – Access to Live Video Streams in permissioned Cam Groups
• Viewer – Access to Live Video Streams and recorded content in permissioned Cam Groups
• Group Administrator – Access to Live Video streams and recorded content in permissioned Cam Groups as well as the ability to delete recorded video content
• Vidcie Administrator – System wide access with full administrative capabilities for a timed period. This allows customers to grant Vidcie temporary troubleshooting access
• System Administrator – System wide access with full administrative capabilities

Configuration update:

Automated camera registration has now been added and can be activated via a global Enable /Disable selector in the System tab. This feature will allow new cameras to identify themselves to your Vidcie account and to be automatically assigned to available VidcieCast channels. These newly added cameras will be assigned to a default Cam Group until reassigned by the System Administrator.

User Experience enhancements:

A Notifications selector has been added to the Users tab with email and sms as options. This feature enables Vidcie Live Video Assist users to receive automated messages alerting them when a camera begins video streaming, stops video streaming, or when the DVR storage has reached capacity. 

UrbanShield 2104 came to Oakland, California on September 4^th, and Vidcie was there to demonstrate the benefits of real-time streaming video to the attendees. Originally created as a multi-day training exercise for law enforcement and military personnel, the event has expanded in recent years to include a technology expo where new and exciting products and services are on display. It was here that Vidcie set up shop and gave live demonstrations of Vidcie Live Video Assist. During the two day expo, we were able to meet with police officers, military personnel and government security agents and discuss the details of how Live Video Assist will help to increase situational awareness in the field and aid in covert surveillance operations.While the concept of body mounted cameras was nothing new for the attendees of this event, typical video offerings in this arena are designed for in-camera recording and are only useful in looking back at an event that has already occurred. Vidcie, however, feels that real-time video provides an additional dimension to team communication and the possibility of a field officer streaming live video from a mobile camera was met with a great deal of enthusiasm. Clearly, individuals who enter the world of law enforcement and public safety hold teamwork in high regard, and they saw Vidcie as a natural way for teams to enhance their communication on a daily basis. 

The newest technology and gadgets are no longer reserved for consumers and white collar businesses. New solutions tailored to make the lives of field service workers easier are released every day and are designed to improve productivity, increase customer satisfaction and help workers address problems faster than ever. Whether you work for a cable company, public utility provider or in an industrial environment, there are solutions out there to help make your job easier – and more efficient.

When it comes to field services, consider using these 4 tech tools: