#Automated scheduling system

[precallai]

How an Automated Scheduling System Can Transform Your Business Revenue in 2025

Businesses are increasingly turning to technology to streamline operations and maximize revnue. Among the most transformative solutions available today is an automated scheduling system, which has emerged as a critical tool for companies seeking to optimize their operations and boost profitability in 2025.https://precallai.com/

Why Your Business Needs an Automated Scheduling System in 2025

The landscape of business operations has fundamentally shifted, with the global appointment scheduling software market projected to grow from $546.1 million in 2025 to $1,518.4 million by 2032 at a CAGR of 15.7%. This explosive growth reflects the increasing recognition that an automated scheduling system is no longer a luxury but a necessity for competitive businesses.

Traditional scheduling methods are plagued with inefficiencies that directly impact revenue. Manual scheduling processes consume valuable employee time, lead to double bookings, create scheduling conflicts, and result in missed opportunities. An automated scheduling system eliminates these pain points while creating new revenue streams through improved capacity utilization and enhanced customer experience.

How an Automated Scheduling System Drives Revenue Growth

The revenue transformation potential of an automated scheduling system lies in its ability to optimize multiple aspects of business operations simultaneously. By automating the scheduling process, businesses can increase booking capacity by up to 30% simply by eliminating the time gaps that occur with manual scheduling.

Customer satisfaction improves dramatically when clients can book appointments 24/7 through an automated scheduling system. This accessibility leads to increased bookings, particularly from customers who prefer to schedule outside traditional business hours. The system's ability to send automated reminders reduces no-show rates by an average of 40%, directly protecting revenue that would otherwise be lost.

Furthermore, an automated scheduling system provides valuable data insights that enable businesses to identify peak demand periods, optimize pricing strategies, and allocate resources more effectively. This data-driven approach to scheduling management translates into measurable revenue improvements across all business operations.

Key Features of a Modern Automated Scheduling System

Today's automated scheduling system solutions offer sophisticated capabilities that extend far beyond basic appointment booking. AI and machine learning algorithms are increasingly being integrated into employee scheduling software to offer predictive scheduling, automated shift assignments based on employee availability, making these systems more intelligent and efficient than ever before.

A comprehensive automated scheduling system includes real-time availability updates, ensuring customers always see accurate booking options. Integration capabilities with existing CRM systems, payment processors, and communication tools create a seamless ecosystem that enhances operational efficiency. Advanced systems also offer multi-location support, resource allocation features, and customizable booking rules that adapt to specific business requirements.

The user experience aspect of an automated scheduling system cannot be overlooked. Modern systems provide intuitive interfaces for both customers and staff, reducing training time and improving adoption rates. Mobile compatibility ensures that scheduling management remains accessible regardless of location, supporting the growing trend toward remote and hybrid work environments.

Implementing an Automated Scheduling System: Strategic Considerations

Successful implementation of an automated scheduling system requires careful planning and strategic consideration of business-specific requirements. The first step involves analyzing current scheduling processes to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement. This assessment should include evaluation of booking volume, peak demand periods, resource availability, and customer preferences.

Choosing the right automated scheduling system requires evaluation of scalability, integration capabilities, customization options, and vendor support. The system should align with long-term business goals while providing immediate operational improvements. Implementation should be phased, starting with core scheduling functions and gradually expanding to include advanced features like automated marketing integration and analytics reporting.

Training and change management are critical components of successful automated scheduling system implementation. Staff members need comprehensive training on system functionality, while customers should be educated about new booking procedures. Clear communication about the benefits of the automated scheduling system helps ensure smooth adoption and positive reception.

ROI and Performance Metrics for Your Automated Scheduling System

Businesses increasingly adopt automation to streamline operations and improve efficiency, providing a total return of the initial investment of 172.73%. This substantial ROI demonstrates the financial impact that an automated scheduling system can deliver when properly implemented and optimized.

Key performance indicators for measuring automated scheduling system success include booking conversion rates, customer satisfaction scores, revenue per appointment, and operational efficiency metrics. Research shows that 80% of organizations will adopt intelligent automation by 2025, indicating that businesses without automated scheduling systems risk falling behind competitors.

The time savings generated by an automated scheduling system should be quantified and translated into cost savings. Administrative staff can redirect their efforts toward revenue-generating activities rather than manual scheduling tasks. This reallocation of human resources often results in immediate productivity improvements and cost reductions.

Future Trends and Innovations in Automated Scheduling System Technology

The automated scheduling system landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities becoming increasingly sophisticated. By 2025, the global appointment scheduling software market is projected to grow from $470.7 million in 2024 to $1.55 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 16.1%, indicating sustained innovation and market expansion.

Predictive analytics capabilities within automated scheduling systems are becoming more refined, enabling businesses to forecast demand patterns and optimize resource allocation proactively. Integration with IoT devices, voice assistants, and other emerging technologies will create even more seamless scheduling experiences for customers.

The future of automated scheduling systems also includes enhanced personalization features that adapt to individual customer preferences and historical booking patterns. These systems will become increasingly proactive, suggesting optimal appointment times and services based on comprehensive data analysis.

Overcoming Common Automated Scheduling System Implementation Challenges

While the benefits of an automated scheduling system are substantial, businesses must navigate several common implementation challenges. Resistance to change among staff and customers represents the most frequent obstacle. This challenge can be addressed through comprehensive training programs, clear communication about system benefits, and gradual implementation strategies.

Technical integration challenges may arise when connecting an automated scheduling system with existing business software. Working with experienced vendors and conducting thorough compatibility testing helps minimize these issues. Data migration from legacy systems requires careful planning to ensure continuity of operations during the transition period.

Customer adoption of the new automated scheduling system may require incentives and education. Providing multiple booking options during the transition period, offering support for first-time users, and highlighting the convenience benefits helps encourage adoption and positive feedback.

Maximizing Your Automated Scheduling System Investment

To maximize the return on investment from an automated scheduling system, businesses should continuously monitor performance metrics and optimize system settings based on usage patterns and customer feedback. Regular system updates and feature utilization ensure that the automated scheduling system continues to deliver value as business needs evolve.

Staff training should be ongoing, with regular sessions covering new features and best practices. Encouraging staff feedback and suggestions for system improvements helps maintain engagement and identifies opportunities for enhanced functionality.

Customer feedback mechanisms should be integrated into the automated scheduling system to gather insights about user experience and satisfaction. This feedback drives continuous improvement efforts and ensures that the system continues to meet evolving customer expectations.

Conclusion: The Automated Scheduling System Advantage

The transformation potential of an automated scheduling system extends far beyond simple appointment booking. In 2025, businesses that embrace this technology will gain significant competitive advantages through improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer experience, and measurable revenue growth.

The investment in an automated scheduling system represents a strategic decision that impacts every aspect of business operations. From reducing administrative overhead to increasing booking capacity and improving customer satisfaction, the benefits compound over time to deliver substantial returns on investment.

As market trends continue to favor automation and digital transformation, the question is not whether your business needs an automated scheduling system, but rather how quickly you can implement one to start realizing these transformative benefits. The businesses that act decisively in adopting automated scheduling system technology will be best positioned to thrive in the competitive landscape of 2025 and beyond.

[empowering-possibilties-online]

10 Powerful Business Automation Tools for Bloggers to Save Time and Scale Income

Running a successful blog requires juggling multiple tasks – from content creation and social media management to email marketing and analytics tracking. As your blog grows, these responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming, leaving you with less time to focus on what truly matters: creating valuable content and growing your audience. That’s where business automation tools for bloggers come…

[1auditmanagementsoftware]

Audit Management System Software

The "Audit Management System Software" in 1Audit is designed to support and simplify the audit process. It allows for seamless management and monitoring of audit files anytime and anywhere. With features like document control, collaboration, professional compliance, and cloud-based access, it ensures efficient task management and secure document storage. The software helps streamline audit workflows by automating essential processes, managing user permissions, and supporting communication among audit teams, ultimately improving the audit's accuracy and effectiveness.

[benjokovar77]

Exploring the Future of Smart Homes: The Benefits of Automated Blind Systems with SwitchBot

The smart home industry is rapidly evolving, and one of the standout innovations is the automated blind systems offered by SwitchBot. These systems not only enhance convenience but also improve energy efficiency in our homes.

Imagine being able to control the amount of natural light entering your space with just a tap on your phone or through voice commands. SwitchBot’s automated blinds allow you to set schedules, ensuring your home is always at the perfect brightness level, whether you're at home or away.

Additionally, these systems can contribute to reducing your energy bills by optimizing the use of heating and cooling throughout the day. By investing in SwitchBot's automated blind systems, you're not just making your home smarter; you're also making a positive impact on your lifestyle and the environment.

What are your thoughts on automated blind systems? Have you tried SwitchBot's offerings? Share your experiences!

[vivencyglobal]

Streamline School Schedules with Web-Based Bell Solutions

Discover the future of school time management with our cutting-edge Web-Based School Bell Solutions. This innovative system allows seamless scheduling and management of school bells via a cloud-based platform. Easily customize bell schedules, integrate with PA systems, and access remote control capabilities. Enhance punctuality, reduce manual errors, and ensure smooth daily operations with a user-friendly interface accessible on any internet-enabled device. Perfect for modern educational institutions aiming to optimize efficiency and embrace smart technology.

[artisticdivasworld]

Save Time and Reduce Cost with Automation

Let’s talk about something we all wish we had more of in the trucking industry: time and money. It’s no secret that running a trucking business is tough. Between keeping up with the endless regulations, dealing with unexpected repairs, and managing all the paperwork, it feels like there are never enough hours in the day. And let’s not even start on the costs piling up. But what if I told you…

[inextcrm]

Easy Meeting Scheduler Tool for Better Team Coordination

With automated reminders and real-time updates, never miss a meeting or double-book again. Whether you're managing a remote team or collaborating across time zones, InNextCRM's meeting scheduling tool is your key to boosting productivity and fostering collaboration. Start simplifying your scheduling process today and make every meeting count.

[practicestaff12]

🚀 Unlock Efficiency: How to Save Time While Growing The Practice! (Good Tips )| @StafflessPractic

Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUGL7DTdRcI

The key to effective time management is a combination of strategic planning, leveraging technology, and fostering a culture of efficiency within your practice. Continuously assess and refine your processes to adapt to the changing needs of your growing practice. Growing a practice, whether it's a business, medical practice, or any other professional service, requires effective time management and strategic planning.

👍 Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more insightful content!

[hocalwire]

Hocalwire - A Holistic Digital Newsroom CMS

Hocalwire is a world-class CMS for the digital need of a dynamic content platform Our product & tools allow for multidimensional growth.

1) What is Hocalwire?

2) Why Hocalwire?

3) What are the Products & Services Hocalwire provides?

4) Hocalwire New CMS Demo

5) Key Features of Hocalwire

6) Strategic SEO Integration

What is Hocalwire?

Hocalwire is a Digital First Newsroom management system and CMS for managing the Digital properties of a Media House. The products and services on the Hocalwire platform are tuned for regular dynamic content. The focus is to enable our clients to do the heavy lifting with tech and product while they focus on Content. With a global vision to become the gold standard for Newsroom CMS, Hocalwire is already being used by more than 140 Newsrooms and reaching out to more clients.

Hocalwire offers a free demo plan, Schedule for Demo

[1auditmanagementsoftware]

Auditing Software for Auditors

1Audit is an intuitive auditing software designed for auditors to streamline and simplify the audit process. It offers features like secure cloud access, document management, team collaboration, and compliance tracking, helping auditors efficiently manage audits and maintain high-quality standards.

[friendlyneighborhoodshark]

"How to Life" Masterlist

Cleaning and Tidying

Make your bed in the morning. It takes seconds, and it's worth it.

Reset to zero each morning.

Use the UFYH 20/10 system for clearing your shit.

Have a 'drop-zone' box where you dump anything and everything. At the beginning/end of the day, clear it out and put that shit away.

Automate your chores. Have a cleaning schedule and assign 15mins daily to do whatever cleaning tasks are set for that day. Set a timer and do it once the timer is up, finish the task you're on and leave it for the day.

Fold your clothes straight out of the tumble dryer (if you use one), whilst they're still warm. This minimises creases and eliminates the need for ironing.

Clean your footwear regularly and you'll feel like a champ.

Organisation and Productivity

Learn from Eisenhower's Importance/Urgency matrix.

Try out the two-minute rule and the Pomodoro technique.

Use. A. Planner. (Or Google Calendar, if that's more your thing.)

Try bullet journalling.

Keep a notebook/journal/commonplace book to dump your brain contents in on the regular.

Set morning alarms at two-minute intervals rather than five, and stick your alarm on the other side of the room. It's brutal, but it works.

Set three main goals each day, with one of them being your #1 priority. Don't overload your to-do list or you'll hit overload paralysis and procrastinate.

If you're in a slump, however, don't be afraid to put things like "shower" on your to do list - that may be a big enough goal in itself, and that's okay.

Have a physical inbox - a tray, a folder, whatever. If you get a piece of paper, stick it in there and sort through it at the end of the week.

Consider utilising the GTD System, or a variation of it.

Try timeboxing.

Have a morning routine, and guard that quiet time ferociously.

Have a folder for all your important documents and letters, organised by topic (e.g. medical, bank, university, work, identification). At the front of this folder, have a sheet of paper with all the key information written on it, such as your GP's details, your passport details, driving licence details, bank account number, insurance number(s), and so on.

Schedule working time and down time alike, in the balance that works for you.

Money

Have. A. God. Damn. Budget.

Use a money tracker like toshl, mint, or splitwise. Enter all expenses asap! (You will forget, otherwise.)

Have a 'money date' each week, where you sort through your finances from the past seven days and then add it to a spreadsheet. This will help you identify your spending patterns and whether your budget is actually working or not.

Pack your own frickin' lunch like a grown-up and stop buying so many takeaway coffees. Keep snacks in your bag.

Food and Cooking

Know how to cook the basics: a starch, a protein, a vegetable, and a sauce.

Simple, one-pot meals ("a grain, a green, and a bean") are a godsend.

Batch cook and freeze. Make your own 'microwave meals'.

Buy dried goods to save money - rice and beans are a pittance.

Consider Meatless Mondays; it's healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.

Learn which fruits and vegetables are cheapest at your store, and build a standard weekly menu around those. (Also remember that frozen vegetables are cheap and healthy.)

Learn seasoning combinations. Different seasoning, even with the exact same ingredients, can make a dish seem completely new.

Misc

Have a stock email-writing format.

Want to start running, but find it boring? Try Zombies, Run!.

Keep a goddamn first aid kit and learn how to use it.

Update your CV regularly.

Keep a selection of stamps and standard envelopes for unexpected posting needs. (It happens more regularly than you would think!)

[vivencyglobal]

Experience the Ultimate in School Bell Services in Dubai with Vivency's Automatic Bell System

Step into a new era of school bell management with Vivency Technology LLC's Automatic Bell System, renowned as the premier choice for school bell services in Dubai. Crafted specifically for educational institutions, our system offers:

Tailored Bell Schedules: Seamlessly adapt to your school's unique timetable.

Streamlined Announcement Management: Simplify school-wide announcements with precision.

Automated Bell Routines: Ensure consistent and punctual bell schedules without manual intervention.

Flexibility and Scalability: Grow effortlessly alongside your institution's evolving needs.

User-Friendly Interface: Navigate and control with ease thanks to our intuitive design.

Integration Capabilities: Harmonize with existing educational platforms for enhanced functionality.

Elevate your school's efficiency and reliability with Vivency's Automatic Bell System. Discover unparalleled excellence in school bell services today! Learn more

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cleantech has an enshittification problem

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

EVs won't save the planet. Ultimately, the material bill for billions of individual vehicles and the unavoidable geometry of more cars-more traffic-more roads-greater distances-more cars dictate that the future of our cities and planet requires public transit �� lots of it.

But no matter how much public transit we install, there's always going to be some personal vehicles on the road, and not just bikes, ebikes and scooters. Between deliveries, accessibility, and stubbornly low-density regions, there's going to be a lot of cars, vans and trucks on the road for the foreseeable future, and these should be electric.

Beyond that irreducible minimum of personal vehicles, there's the fact that individuals can't install their own public transit system; in places that lack the political will or means to create working transit, EVs are a way for people to significantly reduce their personal emissions.

In policy circles, EV adoption is treated as a logistical and financial issue, so governments have focused on making EVs affordable and increasing the density of charging stations. As an EV owner, I can affirm that affordability and logistics were important concerns when we were shopping for a car.

But there's a third EV problem that is almost entirely off policy radar: enshittification.

An EV is a rolling computer in a fancy case with a squishy person inside of it. While this can sound scary, there are lots of cool implications for this. For example, your EV could download your local power company's tariff schedule and preferentially charge itself when the rates are lowest; they could also coordinate with the utility to reduce charging when loads are peaking. You can start them with your phone. Your repair technician can run extensive remote diagnostics on them and help you solve many problems from the road. New features can be delivered over the air.

That's just for starters, but there's so much more in the future. After all, the signal virtue of a digital computer is its flexibility. The only computer we know how to make is the Turing complete, universal, Von Neumann machine, which can run every valid program. If a feature is computationally tractable – from automated parallel parking to advanced collision prevention – it can run on a car.

The problem is that this digital flexibility presents a moral hazard to EV manufacturers. EVs are designed to make any kind of unauthorized, owner-selected modification into an IP rights violation ("IP" in this case is "any law that lets me control the conduct of my customers or competitors"):

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

EVs are also designed so that the manufacturer can unilaterally exert control over them or alter their operation. EVs – even more than conventional vehicles – are designed to be remotely killswitched in order to help manufacturers and dealers pressure people into paying their car notes on time:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

Manufacturers can reach into your car and change how much of your battery you can access:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

They can lock your car and have it send its location to a repo man, then greet him by blinking its lights, honking its horn, and pulling out of its parking space:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

And of course, they can detect when you've asked independent mechanic to service your car and then punish you by degrading its functionality:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/06/26/two-of-eight-claims-in-tesla-anti-trust-lawsuit-will-move-forward/

This is "twiddling" – unilaterally and irreversibly altering the functionality of a product or service, secure in the knowledge that IP law will prevent anyone from twiddling back by restoring the gadget to a preferred configuration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The thing is, for an EV, twiddling is the best case scenario. As bad as it is for the company that made your EV to change how it works whenever they feel like picking your pocket, that's infinitely preferable to the manufacturer going bankrupt and bricking your car.

That's what just happened to owners of Fisker EVs, cars that cost $40-70k. Cars are long-term purchases. An EV should last 12-20 years, or even longer if you pay to swap the battery pack. Fisker was founded in 2016 and shipped its first Ocean SUV in 2023. The company is now bankrupt:

https://insideevs.com/news/723669/fisker-inc-bankruptcy-chapter-11-official/

Fisker called its vehicles "software-based cars" and they weren't kidding. Without continuous software updates and server access, those Fisker Ocean SUVs are turning into bricks. What's more, the company designed the car from the ground up to make any kind of independent service and support into a felony, by wrapping the whole thing in overlapping layers of IP. That means that no one can step in with a module that jailbreaks the Fisker and drops in an alternative firmware that will keep the fleet rolling.

This is the third EV risk – not just finance, not just charger infrastructure, but the possibility that any whizzy, cool new EV company will go bust and brick your $70k cleantech investment, irreversibly transforming your car into 5,500 lb worth of e-waste.

This confers a huge advantage onto the big automakers like VW, Kia, Ford, etc. Tesla gets a pass, too, because it achieved critical mass before people started to wise up to the risk of twiddling and bricking. If you're making a serious investment in a product you expect to use for 20 years, are you really gonna buy it from a two-year old startup with six months' capital in the bank?

The incumbency advantage here means that the big automakers won't have any reason to sink a lot of money into R&D, because they won't have to worry about hungry startups with cool new ideas eating their lunches. They can maintain the cozy cartel that has seen cars stagnate for decades, with the majority of "innovation" taking the form of shitty, extractive and ill-starred ideas like touchscreen controls and an accelerator pedal that you have to rent by the month:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/23/23474969/mercedes-car-subscription-faster-acceleration-feature-price

Put that way, it's clear that this isn't an EV problem, it's a cleantech problem. Cleantech has all the problems of EVs: it requires a large capital expenditure, it will be "smart," and it is expected to last for decades. That's rooftop solar, heat-pumps, smart thermostat sensor arrays, and home storage batteries.

And just as with EVs, policymakers have focused on infrastructure and affordability without paying any attention to the enshittification risks. Your rooftop solar will likely be controlled via a Solaredge box – a terrible technology that stops working if it can't reach the internet for a protracted period (that's right, your home solar stops working if the grid fails!).

I found this out the hard way during the covid lockdowns, when Solaredge terminated its 3G cellular contract and notified me that I would have to replace the modem in my system or it would stop working. This was at the height of the supply-chain crisis and there was a long waiting list for any replacement modems, with wifi cards (that used your home internet rather than a cellular connection) completely sold out for most of a year.

There are good reasons to connect rooftop solar arrays to the internet – it's not just so that Solaredge can enshittify my service. Solar arrays that coordinate with the grid can make it much easier and safer to manage a grid that was designed for centralized power production and is being retrofitted for distributed generation, one roof at a time.

But when the imperatives of extraction and efficiency go to war, extraction always wins. After all, the Solaredge system is already in place and solar installers are largely ignorant of, and indifferent to, the reasons that a homeowner might want to directly control and monitor their system via local controls that don't roundtrip through the cloud.

Somewhere in the hindbrain of any prospective solar purchaser is the experience with bricked and enshittified "smart" gadgets, and the knowledge that anything they buy from a cool startup with lots of great ideas for improving production, monitoring, and/or costs poses the risk of having your 20 year investment bricked after just a few years – and, thanks to the extractive imperative, no one will be able to step in and restore your ex-solar array to good working order.

I make the majority of my living from books, which means that my pay is very "lumpy" – I get large sums when I publish a book and very little in between. For many years, I've used these payments to make big purchases, rather than financing them over long periods where I can't predict my income. We've used my book payments to put in solar, then an induction stove, then a battery. We used one to buy out the lease on our EV. And just a month ago, we used the money from my upcoming Enshittification book to put in a heat pump (with enough left over to pay for a pair of long-overdue cataract surgeries, scheduled for the fall).

When we started shopping for heat pumps, it was clear that this was a very exciting sector. First of all, heat pumps are kind of magic, so efficient and effective it's almost surreal. But beyond the basic tech – which has been around since the late 1940s – there is a vast ferment of cool digital features coming from exciting and innovative startups.

By nature, I'm the kid of person who likes these digital features. I started out as a computer programmer, and while I haven't written production code since the previous millennium, I've been in and around the tech industry for my whole adult life. But when it came time to buy a heat-pump – an investment that I expected to last for 20 years or more – there was no way I was going to buy one of these cool new digitally enhanced pumps, no matter how much the reviewers loved them. Sure, they'd work well, but it's precisely because I'm so knowledgeable about high tech that I could see that they would fail very, very badly.

You may think EVs are bullshit, and they are – though there will always be room for some personal vehicles, and it's better for people in transit deserts to drive EVs than gas-guzzlers. You may think rooftop solar is a dead-end and be all-in on utility scale solar (I think we need both, especially given the grid-disrupting extreme climate events on our horizon). But there's still a wide range of cleantech – induction tops, heat pumps, smart thermostats – that are capital intensive, have a long duty cycle, and have good reasons to be digitized and networked.

Take home storage batteries: your utility can push its rate card to your battery every time they change their prices, and your battery can use that information to decide when to let your house tap into the grid, and when to switch over to powering your home with the solar you've stored up during the day. This is a very old and proven pattern in tech: the old Fidonet BBS network used a version of this, with each BBS timing its calls to other nodes to coincide with the cheapest long-distance rates, so that messages for distant systems could be passed on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet

Cleantech is a very dynamic sector, even if its triumphs are largely unheralded. There's a quiet revolution underway in generation, storage and transmission of renewable power, and a complimentary revolution in power-consumption in vehicles and homes:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/12/s-curve/#anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-eventually-stops

But cleantech is too important to leave to the incumbents, who are addicted to enshittification and planned obsolescence. These giant, financialized firms lack the discipline and culture to make products that have the features – and cost savings – to make them appealing to the very wide range of buyers who must transition as soon as possible, for the sake of the very planet.

It's not enough for our policymakers to focus on financing and infrastructure barriers to cleantech adoption. We also need a policy-level response to enshittification.

Ideally, every cleantech device would be designed so that it was impossible to enshittify – which would also make it impossible to brick:

Based on free software (best), or with source code escrowed with a trustee who must release the code if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

All patents in a royalty-free patent-pool (best); or in a trust that will release them into a royalty-free pool if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

No parts-pairing or other DRM permitted (best); or with parts-pairing utilities available to all parties on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best);

All diagnostic and error codes in the public domain, with all codes in the clear within the device (best); or with decoding utilities available on demand to all comers on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best).

There's an obvious business objection to this: it will reduce investment in innovative cleantech because investors will perceive these restrictions as limits on the expected profits of their portfolio companies. It's true: these measures are designed to prevent rent-extraction and other enshittificatory practices by cleantech companies, and to the extent that investors are counting on enshittification rents, this might prevent them from investing.

But that has to be balanced against the way that a general prohibition on enshittificatory practices will inspire consumer confidence in innovative and novel cleantech products, because buyers will know that their investments will be protected over the whole expected lifespan of the product, even if the startup goes bust (nearly every startup goes bust). These measures mean that a company with a cool product will have a much larger customer-base to sell to. Those additional sales more than offset the loss of expected revenue from cheating and screwing your customers by twiddling them to death.

There's also an obvious legal objection to this: creating these policies will require a huge amount of action from Congress and the executive branch, a whole whack of new rules and laws to make them happen, and each will attract court-challenges.

That's also true, though it shouldn't stop us from trying to get legal reforms. As a matter of public policy, it's terrible and fucked up that companies can enshittify the things we buy and leave us with no remedy.

However, we don't have to wait for legal reform to make this work. We can take a shortcut with procurement – the things governments buy with public money. The feds, the states and localities buy a lot of cleantech: for public facilities, for public housing, for public use. Prudent public policy dictates that governments should refuse to buy any tech unless it is designed to be enshittification-resistant.

This is an old and honorable tradition in policymaking. Lincoln insisted that the rifles he bought for the Union Army come with interoperable tooling and ammo, for obvious reasons. No one wants to be the Commander in Chief who shows up on the battlefield and says, "Sorry, boys, war's postponed, our sole supplier decided to stop making ammunition."

By creating a market for enshittification-proof cleantech, governments can ensure that the public always has the option of buying an EV that can't be bricked even if the maker goes bust, a heat-pump whose digital features can be replaced or maintained by a third party of your choosing, a solar controller that coordinates with the grid in ways that serve their owners – not the manufacturers' shareholders.

We're going to have to change a lot to survive the coming years. Sure, there's a lot of scary ways that things can go wrong, but there's plenty about our world that should change, and plenty of ways those changes could be for the better. It's not enough for policymakers to focus on ensuring that we can afford to buy whatever badly thought-through, extractive tech the biggest companies want to foist on us – we also need a focus on making cleantech fit for purpose, truly smart, reliable and resilient.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/26/unplanned-obsolescence/#better-micetraps

Image: 臺灣古寫真上色 (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raid_on_Kagi_City_1945.jpg

Grendelkhan (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_mounted_solar_panels.gk.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[fearfulfertility]

CONFIDENTIAL LOGISTICS REPORT

DRC, Planning & Evaluation Office, Logistics & Infrastructure Division

Date: [REDACTED]

To: Director [REDACTED]

From: Administrator [REDACTED], Logistics & Infrastructure Division

Subject: Facility Expansion: New Paternity Compound Construction

Executive Summary

This report outlines the ongoing expansion of DRC-operated paternity compounds across several strategic locations nationwide. In response to increasing insemination rates and projected surrogacy demands, we have begun constructing new high-capacity compounds to accommodate more surrogates. These expansions will enable the DRC to streamline the conscription process, optimize surrogacy cycles, and ensure our ability to meet the population sustainability targets outlined for the next fiscal period.

The new compounds focus on enhanced security, specialized medical equipment, and increased surrogacy capacity.

I. Facility Expansion Overview

Strategic Locations and Site Selection

To ensure regional coverage and minimize travel time to detain and inseminated surrogates, the DRC has approved the construction of [REDACTED] new paternity compounds in FEMA Zones 4, 6, 7, and 8. These facilities will be situated in [REDACTED] areas, selected for their proximity to population centers, existing transport infrastructure, and relative isolation, ensuring operational security.

Zone 4: Atlanta, GA

Zone 6: Houston, TX

Zone 7: Omaha, NE

Zone 8: Denver, CO

Each compound is designed to accommodate [REDACTED] surrogates at any given time, with the ability to scale up to [REDACTED] in emergencies. Construction is scheduled for completion within the next [REDACTED] months, with the first inspections set to begin by [REDACTED] this year.

Paternity Compound Design Features:

High-Capacity Paternity Wards: Each compound contains specialized wards designed to manage surrogates carrying up to sedecatuplets (16), with private rooms for those at risk of premature labor.

Enhanced Monitoring Systems: Advanced surveillance and biometric monitoring ensure constant oversight and swift response to emergencies.

Security Enhancements: Reinforced containment protocols, secure access points, and patrol routes have been established to prevent unauthorized access and ensure surrogate compliance.

II. Specialized Equipment and Medical Support

Given the unique demands and expectations placed on surrogates, each paternity compound will be equipped with advanced medical infrastructure to ensure the safety and effective management of extreme weight gain, reduced mobility, and increased risks of organ stress.

Key Equipment and Infrastructure:

Reinforced Support Beds: Traditional hospital beds have proven insufficient for surrogates carrying high multiples, whose pregnancies can lead to total weight gains exceeding 200 lbs. Each ward will feature reinforced, adjustable support beds capable of accommodating extreme weights. These beds will be equipped with pressure-relief systems to minimize discomfort and reduce the risk of bedsores for near-immobile surrogates.

“I hate that I’m here! But… all I have is this bed! I can’t move, I can’t breathe half the time, but at least I have a fucking memory foam mattress!” - Surrogate S118-176-J, 27 days pregnant with decatuplets (10)

Automated Feeding & Hydration Systems: Automated systems will ensure continuous nutrition and hydration to support surrogates with reduced mobility. Given the caloric intake requirements for such pregnancies, these systems will monitor and adjust fluid and nutrient delivery, reducing the need for frequent staff intervention.

“I’m basically just a machine now, aren’t I? They hook me up, pump me full of these stupid protein shakes, and keep me breathing so I can keep carrying these bowling ball-sized kids. It’s disgusting!” - Surrogate S117-138-N, 18 days pregnant with quattuordecatuplets (14)

Custom Mobility Aids: Custom-designed lift systems and mobility aids will be integrated into each ward to facilitate the movement of surrogates. These devices will allow for safe repositioning, transfers to specialized birthing chairs, and support during transport.

“I don’t know how they expect us to move with this much weight on us. Even standing feels like my legs are going to snap. Those lifts? They’re humiliating... but without them, I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed at all.” - Surrogate S120-494-P, 30 days into a sedecatuplets (16) pregnancy

Advanced Fetal Monitoring: Each compound will have real-time ultrasound and biometric monitoring stations to track fetal development. Given the accelerated gestational period, these systems will continuously update fetal positioning, size, and viability, enabling rapid response to complications.

"It’s terrifying. Knowing how big they are, how many there are… they’re not coming out normal. When I finally pop them all out, they’ll get better care than I ever did!" - Surrogate S119-667-N, 22 days pregnant with hendecatuplets (14)

Dedicated Obstetrics & Neonatal Care Units: Immediate neonatal care is essential, and each compound will include state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to support newborns. Advanced incubators and respiratory support systems will ensure the survival of even the most premature babies.

"They always tell me how important it is to ensure the babies survive, even if I don’t. I get it, I do… but knowing there’s a whole team of people ready to take over the second I’m gone? It’s like they’ve already decided how this ends." - Surrogate S117-856-M, 8 days pregnant with tridecatuplets (13)

Pain Management and Sedation Systems: Surrogates will experience extreme discomfort and physical strain. Each paternity ward will be equipped with integrated IV pain management systems, allowing for both localized and systemic pain relief. Sedation protocols can be initiated remotely if a surrogate's distress becomes vocal, ensuring they can not incite civil disorder.

“I’m so big I can’t even see my dick, which is now buried under all these babies and fat. I’d be lying if I said the meds didn't help to blitz me out of my mind... a caring them I'm a gigantic incubator now.” - Surrogate S119-461-L, 11 days pregnant with dodecatuplets (12)

Future Equipment Developments: Research teams are exploring next-generation mobility aids, including exoskeleton support harnesses, to provide mobility assistance for late-term surrogates. These innovations aim to improve surrogate survival to deliver full-term pregnancies. Once available, prototypes will be tested in select compounds.

III. Expansion Strategy: Future Projections and Scaling

Projected Surrogacy Demand: With the increase in insemination rates, each compound is expected to handle up to [REDACTED] inseminations per month once fully operational. This translates to a need for approximately [REDACTED] newborns annually to meet population sustainability targets. Our current projections indicate that these numbers are achievable.

IV. Conclusion and Recommendations

The successful construction and operation of these new paternity compounds are critical to effectively maintaining the DRC’s ability to enforce surrogacy mandates. Our specialized equipment and infrastructure improvements will ensure we meet demands while preserving control over our surrogate.

Report submitted by: Administrator [REDACTED], Logistics & Infrastructure Division

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To: Administrator [REDACTED], Logistics & Infrastructure Division

From: Director [REDACTED], DRC

Subject: RE: Facility Expansion: New Paternity Compound Construction

Dear Mr. [REDACTED],

I’ve reviewed the latest progress report on the new Paternity Compounds, and I must commend your team on the impressive strides made thus far, even with the ambitious timeline we’ve set.

I have been particularly interested in the improvements to our birthing suites. As you are well aware, managing multiple pregnancies presents unique challenges.

We are entering a critical phase. I want to emphasize that these upcoming births will set a precedent for all future operations. The successful use of these new facilities will allow us to demonstrate that our methods ensure the next generation's survival and that we can handle the demands without sacrificing efficiency or outcomes.

I look forward to seeing the first results when the initial surrogates reach full term and the birthing suites are fully operational.

Keep up the excellent work, and do not hesitate to reach out if additional resources or support are needed to ensure success.

Regards, Director [REDACTED]

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