Protection One Focused on False Alarm Reduction, Timely Response at ASIS
Coming on the heels of its announcement that it is the first national alarm provider to adopt the CSAA’s ASAP Program, Protection One’s focus at the ASIS show this week is the evolution of timely and accurate response for its national accounts and other commercial customers.
As part of the accuracy side of the equation, the company is focused on false alarm reduction. It is unveiling a new program called Signal Chat, which is currently running as a pilot program among several of P-1’s customers. In short, Signal Chat puts alarm response at the fingertips of business owners and managers. Instead of the alarm company’s central station making sequential phone calls in the event of an alarm, the system automatically sends a message via text and/or email to everyone on the call list. This enables those who receive the message to reply to all and determine the best course of action regarding the alarm.
“More and more consumers in the business world want to manage their security applications from their phone,” says Jamie Haenggi, the company’s chief marketing officer. “This is just one more way to extend that management into a smart device.”
The company is also announcing a mobile app for its eSuite Account Management services, which gives customers the real-time information they need about service, installation and site activity to stay informed. “We have been able to use eSuite data to analyze customer interactions with the systems – particularly with national accounts – which has enabled us to identify nuisance activity and cut down on false alarms and those types of issues,” Haenggi says.
On the timely side of the alarm response equation, Protection One is gotten on board with the CSAA’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program, which is a computer-aided dispatch system designed by the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, to connect central stations directly with Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) — ie. 911 centers. The result is a much speedier alarm response when police presence is required.
“We are going to provide the fastest possible dispatching of the authorities to our customers’ premises as a result of the connection directly from our system into the 911 center system without having to make a phone call like everyone else in the country,” explains Don Young, P-1’s Chief Information Officer. “This is a major impact on the reliability and speed of the police dispatch process.”
While P-1 is only rolling the system out at first to its own customers, the eventual implication for its authorized dealers is clear: “The message to the dealer community is that there is no better test of ASAP,” Young says. “We possibly represent the biggest true test of the resiliency and capabilities of the ASAP program because we are the first national company to leverage the platform. The message to dealers is, before we go ahead and roll this out to your customers, we will have successfully tested this on the largest customer base so far.”
To learn more about the ASAP program and how to get involved as an alarm dealer, check out Security Dealer & Integrator (SD&I) magazine’s May 2014 article, “ASAP to PSAPs” at www.securityinfowatch.com/11409673.
What to ask for at the Booth
“We will certainly speak about ASAP to customers at ASIS, but we are keeping it very focused on our managed services, integrated systems and video verification,” Haenggi says, adding that the theme of P-1’s booth is “One Great Performance.”
Thus, every hour on the hour on all three days of the show will feature a great performance in their booth —an aerial silk acrobatics display. Be sure to check it out at ASIS booth #2505.
Paul Rothman is Editor in Chief of Security Dealer & Integrator (SD&I) magazine (www.secdealer.com). Come pick up a free copy of the latest SD&I at ASIS Booth #3118.
