Your security team is busy.
Their to-do list is endless.
They’re always busy picking up the pieces of the last issue or incident.
They’re always falling behind.
You can’t figure out the issue, and it’s frustrating for you.
They finally stopped using the legacy time-stamping guard tour system you’ve had deployed for the past decade.
You’re confident in their training.
You even moved them over to an “advanced” system that uses a mobile app.
But it seems like your team isn’t any happier and are still struggling to stay ahead.
Maybe your problem could be the new solution.
Many solution providers claim they’ve got the latest and greatest guard tour system.
But, how many of them have spent years working with security teams?
How many of them understand what your team needs?
Ask your team how seamless and robust the system is.
Just because it’s the latest solution – that doesn’t make it the best.
We’ve seen companies come and go and build a “solution” for the industry’s needs, only to leave the customer disappointed.
We’re here to tell you that the latest and greatest doesn’t mean it’s the best.
But that doesn’t also mean the solution is the only thing to blame.
We’ve found that you must first look at your operation and determine what needs to be addressed before deploying a first-class system.
Let’s see how your situation stacks up.
Then, we’ll maximize your performance by showing you what the best systems do.
YOUR PROBLEMS START WITH YOUR OPERATION
You’ve got to evaluate your situation from a Proactive Operations perspective.
Is your system the problem or do you need to start from the beginning?
You might not even be ready for a first-class software solution, yet.
Let’s first address your operation.
Take it apart using Proactive Operations:
- Strategy
- Infrastructure
- Technology
Do you see any areas you might be a little deficient?
Pay close attention to your strategy and infrastructure, and then we’ll move to technology in this article after.
Did you make the necessary adjustments or at least document the changes you need to make?
We believe it’s critical to scrutinize your operation before blaming your system.
But, once you figure out your operation, you’ll quickly realize that you should only be using the best guard tour system available.
5 TRAITS OF THE BEST GUARD TOUR SYSTEMS
It’s time to give your team the best system now that you know your operation is proactive-ready.
The following five traits are representative of what makes the best systems, and the superpowers your team will gain to perform their roles expertly:
- Complete, Accurate, and Digital Documentation
- Upload Media Related to Checkpoints
- Team Accountability
- Professional Training
- Finalize Proactive Operations
Complete, Accurate, and Digital Documentation
Do you agree that problems accumulate from poor documentation?
You can’t expect efficiency (or accountability) to occur when you rely on printed inspection schedules and illegible handwritten details.
Do you see a lot of mistakes?
You know you can’t afford it.
Stop spending your time working through errors and solving issues.
Get the correct information when you need it.
A software solution lets your security team capture all tour information efficiently.
- Guards and supervisors enter information in real-time
- You receive the data instantly
Access it from your computer when you want.
You have information that’s accurate and detailed – now it’s useful!
Complete, accurate, and digital documents are characteristics of only the best systems.
So, how does your existing system measure up?
Upload Media Related to Checkpoints
One characteristic that common systems are missing is an ability to see the whole picture.
Capturing an image is more valuable than writing drawn-out reports to describe an issue or incident.
Start taking pictures if you agree!
Multimedia changes the security game.
It empowers your staff to get the necessary proof to ensure staff accountability and strengthen liability protection.
All bases are covered with a clear picture of what occurred.
The best solutions also take advantage of mobile device functionality.
This quality augments your proactive operation.
But many mobile systems don’t function the way a team needs.
You must find a solution that understands your process and limits the steps required to execute.
Here’s an example:
A security guard runs through his tour schedule and identifies a suspicious person near a mechanical closet on the first floor of your property.
They can take a photo of the individual, input notes, and then approach the person to see if they can be of assistance.
If the person is lost, they’ll direct them to the correct location.
But, if the individual is a threat to your property, the security guard can notify his team with information about the person.
You could increase your team’s capacity to protect guests and your property.
Does your current system make the cut?
Team Accountability
Do you trust your team or is accountability something you struggle with daily?
Your goal must be to prevent errors.
Enforcing accountability should come second to helping your team succeed.
Agree?
You don’t only want to enforce accountability when necessary.
You want to create accountability from the start.
Don’t operate to punish your employees for making a mistake.
Give them a solution that outlines an efficient way to get their job done correctly.
It’s not right to let guards go when your system and process might be the root of the problem.
Have you ever considered what the actual reason for high employee turnover is for your organization?
Here’s what we mean.
Routine tours are easy for the security team when you keep it simple.
The best systems help your team get things done in a few steps.
- Scan the RFID tag
- Pull up tour information on the mobile device
- Review tour assignment
- Complete tour with associated details
Enforcing is reactive.
Don’t be reactive.
Be Proactive.
Control the process to monitor accountability effectively.
Does your current system increase accountability like this?
Professional Training
Your team needs to understand why and how to use your system.
What’s the purpose of having it if your team can’t and won’t use it?
Your employees must understand the purpose of your system, how to use it, and can get up to speed in no time.
They’ll never buy into a solution that's hard to learn, but even harder to use.
They’re probably frustrated with your current “advanced” system.
So, you don’t want to carry the negativity to a new solution.
Many solutions make your employees look bad because it forces them to figure things out and make mistakes.
Don’t be the kind of leader that makes your team look bad.
Limited capabilities require your staff to remember more procedures, which means the chances of forgetting what to do increases.
Do you agree?
Then, implement a system that lets you train staff professionally.
You want security officers to execute, starting today.
Ensure quick deployment and produce a poised security team.
Also, you’ll know you have one of the best systems when you have one of the best solutions providers.
The best solutions providers will give you unlimited support and access to their trainers to bring new security guards up to speed while helping existing guards increase their efficiency.
Does your current system (and solutions provider) afford you unmatched professional training capabilities?
Finalize Proactive Operations
Proactive Operations is demonstrated throughout all traits of the best systems.
In this article, we tasked you with first addressing your strategy and infrastructure before you were ready to implement a system.
Now, you can reap the benefits of collective force, which ends with your guard tour technology.
You’ve successfully extended Proactive Operations to another aspect of your operation – your security team.
Inefficiencies that exist in a reactive operational environment are dangerous and no longer pose a threat to you.
Your current solution is not working because your current process is not working.
Proactive Operations changes that for good.
Does your current system help you achieve Proactive Operations?
OVER TO YOU
The longer we work with successful operations, the more we realize that you must start with Proactive Operations. But, once you improve your strategy and infrastructure, you can implement the best technology with ease.
We think you’re ready to take steps to deploy one of the best guard tour systems on your property. What do you say? Are you?
Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.
