Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is here: Notes from the webinar

Earlier today I listened in on a technology webinar, hosted by Ken Kirschenbaum, an industry attorney, that featured several voices both in the industry and in intersecting fields. Many of the speakers are at the forefront of technological innovation as it pertains to the central station space, so naturally the discussion dealt primarily with how to stay competitive by leveraging new technology that can improve retention and carve out new sources of RMR.

A recurring theme of the talk, unsurprisingly, was the emergence of the cableco and telecom giants, and what the competitive implications are with respect to their entry.

In 10-minute intervals, panelists presented commentary on a range of products and services. Some were pretty compelling, not only from a novelty standpoint, but also because many of the products seem like they could have some allure for monitoring companies and their distributors.

One of the more non-traditional services was presented by John Hoffe, president and CEO of Linked24, a product suite with several applications for mobile devices. Designed for dealers, the service features a GPS locator which, depending on the mobile device, can report an updated location of a loved one every three minutes. But that may actually be the company's least buzzworthy product.

Another offering from Linked24 is its “Safe Text” service, which monitors incoming and outgoing messages for anything untoward, such as “inappropriate language and acronyms,” according to the website. If it detects any one of more than 750 pre-selected words, the text is uploaded to a customer portal for review. It's a helicopter parent's dream, and, brave new world though it is, it's tough to imagine this product won't find a home somewhere. But we'll have to wait and see if that home will be among the dealer networks of wholesale monitoring companies.

That's not all. There's also an “Emergency Shake” product that allows a customer in dire straits to open a Linked24 application then shake or drop their phone, whereupon a camera is engaged to shoot a 10-second video clip. The administrator of the account is then automatically notified.

Some of these offerings may come across as a bit intense from a personal privacy position, but there's no question some have the potential to thwart an unforeseen problem, particularly the phone shake feature. And, with the mobile surge in full swing, it's not unrealistic to imagine dealers giving strong consideration to products of this ilk to help boost their RMR.

It dawned on me just now that I've alluded to one speaker thus far, despite the fact there were several more who offered insight and product commentary that were more than worthy of mention. In my next blog or two, I'll be sure to highlight the most resonant points offered by some of the other knowledgeable panelists. Stay tuned...