Be competitive
Do everything to protect customers
Stay up to date on the newest technology
It is not so easy to
do all these business practices stated above all the time but reading
this article might help you accomplish the goal. Of course, you want to
protect your customers. Sometimes, however, obstacles get in the way.
The client is perhaps your most challenging opponent toward this end.
They may not want to spend the money or they don't want to be bothered
testing and using the system, etc. There are cases where the end user
cannot cope with a comprehensive security system and will keep creating
false alarms until you've deactivated a substantial portion of the system.
Some customers want only that their belongings
be protected, while others are more concerned about their personal safety.
Add to this the fact that some of your potential customers think that
the system should be free and, if you charge a dollar more than the other
guy, you're ripping them off.
Then There's the Dealers' Side
Maybe, on the other hand, your customers
realize the importance of a quality system and the value of back up reporting.
Then, you've got to provide measures that work properly and still be able
to make a profit and that's not always easy either.
Going back to the early years of electronic
security: central station monitoring was reserved for high risk commercial
and high-end residential systems. The basic package was a local audible
alarm only. But that was back when a siren going off actually attracted
attention. Leased lines were available on a limited basis, and the cost
was astronomical.
In the evolutionary process of security
alarm monitoring: dialers using the premises phone line became common
next. Some dealers were able to offer radio as a backup to the phone line,
"in case the call didn't get through." These were unsupervised devices
and not available everywhere.
Then there came telco line monitors. If
your phone line failed, it would...set off the alarm. That's exciting.
Then what... Grab a pitchfork and take on the intruder?
Most of the line monitors caused false
alarms because, although the phone lines are adequate for conversations,
connections go through so many switches that they are electronically very
unstable.
Supervised long range radio enters the
scene and does offer a viable solution, but again, it was only available
in relatively limited markets. Setting up a system could lead to many
unexpected complications getting sufficient signal strengths.
Another reporting technology, derived channel,
was introduced a few years ago, and although cellular technology is gaining
popularity now, derived channel is available in many markets. In fact,
announcements about enhancements to derived channel technology are forthcoming.
When cellular was first introduced into
the alarm market, it was really a different world than it is today. The
equipment used to interface the cellular with the alarm was complicated
and costly, and cellular coverage was still extremely limited.
Today, cellular is cost-effective. Cellular
networks now blanket the country and the service is priced so that the
subscriber can justify the expense with the increased protection it provides.
The dealer can justify the extra work involved with the additional fee
he can collect from the subscriber. Cellular works and gets the job done.
A Liability Issue
Recent landmark lawsuits are bringing
the subject of line-cut into broad public awareness. Now, those people
who made terms such as "errors and omissions" and "slip and fall" so popular
threaten to usher in the era of "line-cut fever." No doubt, the telephone
line which connects the premises alarm to the central station is recognized
as perhaps the Achilles heel of alarm systems. It's an issue not everyone
wants to bring up.
It is easy to understand the dilemma. There
is no "feel-good" answer when it comes to line cut vulnerability. Broaching
the subject inevitably means a higher cost to the customer. Discussing
it may also jeopardize the sale and the client's confidence in you. Therefore,
many dealers avoid the topic or do not present the facts to their clients
objectively or clearly.
In the well publicized lawsuits, the alarm
system users convince juries that the alarm dealer had not adequately
advised them of the potential for their phone lines to be cut, nor what
the consequences could be. In these cases the courts judge against the
alarm dealers, and award large sums to the victims. So, if you are the
kind of dealer who doesn't mention the issue of line cut to your potential
clients because you want to get a fast closing, and do not want to confuse
your customer, you had better rethink your philosophy.
If you're a dealer who does bring up the
subject to a customer, perhaps you should start indemnifying yourself
in writing. The best option is to present the alternatives to each of
your prospects as well as existing accounts and document that they understand
the consequences in writing.
Here are some interesting facts obtained
from a survey conducted by Skyview, commissioned by the Wireless Interest
Group of The Security Industry Association (SIA):
- In Minneapolis, a central station's incoming phone cables were attacked before a jewelry heist.
- The same thing happened repeatedly in New York City.
- Over the past few years, the main telephone lines into a well known alarm company have been cut several times, causing alarm service disruptions for thousands of customers in New York and Connecticut.
- 39.9% of line-cut offenses happened to residences.
- Violence occurred in 57% of the residential events, and 4% of the nonresidence events.
- Although the number of crimes reported is "down," crime is more targeted, and criminals are more dangerous. o Commercial line-cut burglaries average over $31K per event.
The report concludes: "Failure to offer secure signaling becomes a liability when there is a threat to life. The minimalist approach is no longer good advice. A changed paradigm now holds in the public sphere. Advertising for cellular phones emphasizes the security aspects of wireless communications because the public expects reliability. Going forward, it is time for dealers to notify old and new clients about the possibility of losing their signal path. Circumstances have changed in the criminal world and in the legal arena. The point is not whether customers will choose to buy based on this information. The point is that there is sufficient evidence available to the general public, proving that dealers should know and tell about the threat of line-cut. To not tell customers about this risk invites depreciation of the industry and of dealer equity."
Tim O'Leary is an independent security consultant, with a background in the design, sale, manufacture and installation of access control and other equipment