Security seems to be a hot button topic at the moment, with COVID restrictions slowly easing off lots of businesses are reopening with a cautious eye to ensure they don’t come under threat of criminal activity.
But how do you stop that?
Well most will tell you to employ some form of physical security force on your property, protecting it both inside and out, keeping not only you safe but also your business. With technology growing as it is, things like CCTV and motion detection kits are becoming more and more popular but they are still a long way off from providing the raw physical protection a manned guard can provide.
However, a lot of people don’t seem to realise a lot of the added “hidden” benefits of having a security guard on site that could massively improve your business and how it’s day to day trappings perform.
Giving your employees a sense of security
Now this is a big one that many businesses overlook, being able to secure your business is all well and good but the only reason your business is turning a profit is due to your employees.
Let’s say for a second your business is in an area known for high levels of criminal activity, how can you expect your employees to work at maximum productivity with no reassurance or protection in place.
It’s simple, you can’t.
However, with a physical presence on patrol dedicated to keeping your staff safe, it has been shown they are going to be able to focus more on their jobs and less on their safety.
Think about it like this if you will, your staff are the cogs of your business, keeping them turning is what makes the whole system run and progress. Having these innate fears and worries running through your staff’s minds during the day is basically a wrench in the works, preventing them from performing at 100% and even preventing new members from joining your team.
Security in this manner doesn’t only extend to retail businesses but can also find itself being effective and useful in construction and warehouse roles. Having a manned guard patrolling a building or construction site will help especially with easing the minds of contractors. Bringing a contractor onto your site, they are expecting a level of safety when leaving their vehicle to perform the job, it is your duty to supply this sense of safety, otherwise simple put, they won’t do the job.
So, all in all, keeping your employees safe is a facet of the business many don’t take into consideration and many employees won’t mention until they feel the reassurance of a security guard on site.
Reassuring new and returning customers/clients
Now whilst your employees are the cogs of your business, your customers and clients are the fuel that keeps those cogs turning. It’s all well and good having a brand-new shiny set of fully functional cogs, if they don’t have anything to make them turn, they are pretty useless.
But how does it help customers?
When walking into a place of business, there is an expectation that you are to be kept safe and secure, you don’t want to be worrying for your safety when shopping for some new clothes, or coming onto a building site.
Unfortunately, though, this is the reality many people face on a daily basis due to inadequate security solutions being implemented.
Having a strong security system in place also has a high potential to bring customers back in for repeat visits, knowing an area is particular safe is enough for a lot of people to revisit and repurchase, especially in areas of particularly high crime rates.
“But my business is B2B” I hear you say, well don’t worry, security has benefits for you too.
Clients and business partners are huge in the world of B2B and so impressing them with your business is step 1 in the “how to secure deals 101” handbook. We have spoken a lot in our concierge security pages about how the reception is the face of the business and often times the first contact point and impression for a potential business partner.
So why not show off that you keep your business, staff, and assets safe and secure with a manned guard at the door welcoming them in. Not only does this show you care about your assets and team but also that you exude a level of professionalism few other companies can match.
Keeping a sense of balance
Balance is everything in the world of business, anyone worth their salt knows this, keeping good tabs on all facets of your business is key to seeing strong and continuous growth in your business.
So where do security guards come in?
The working environment has been a topic of debate for years now, people going back and forth on how important it is to working life, although time and time again it has come out on top as one of the most important factors.
It is so important in fact that health care costs at high pressure organisations are shown to be 50% higher than those of lower stress businesses. Now whilst there is a plethora of material out there pertaining to how positive workplace culture is beneficial how do security guards come into the mix?
Security guards are there to strike a balance, they are the peacekeepers if you will, when tensions grow between unruly customers and staff members, they are always on hand to provide a level-headed assessment of the situation. Anyone who has been in an argument with a customer will know this is very much needed, one sour experience can often times throw off an entire day of otherwise productive work.
It is also difficult to confront staff member with something such as stealing as they are often able to get away with it fairly easily and accusing the wrong member of staff can lead to strained relationships and ultimately, people leaving.
It is your job to make sure this doesn’t happen.
The odd thing is, it really isn’t that difficult, security guards are trained rigorously to know how to keep the peace in most situations so having one on site is a no brainer for both high- and low-pressure situations.
Helping with minor everyday tasks
Here’s a point most don’t take into consideration when booking a security guard, they are always willing to help with any minor tasks your business may need aid with. Now whilst this may be obvious to some, there are a surprising amount of people out there who don’t utilise this invaluable asset of security guards.
Let’s use an example.
So, let’s say you have hired a retail store guard for your shop, it has been a really busy Saturday with a few unruly customers making a mess in some of the aisle’s. Not to worry, our security guards are trained to help out with issues like cleaning, being able to tidy and clean an aisle to take a load off of your staff is just one of the many ways a guard can prove a lot more useful than you would initially think.
But how does this help you? They aren’t a worker, they can’t perform data entry or lay a floor, however, with the right combination of security guards to workers, the whole unit can become exponentially more productive with staff only having to focus on the bigger issues and tasks in a given day.
Let’s look at another example.
Opening and locking up your shop or site in a given day is often times given to a worker, let’s say they are ill or late, this can cause massive complications when it comes to the start or end of your day.
This becomes a non-factor when you give this responsibility to a security guard, being able to rely on the property opening and closing at the correct time every day is surprisingly a lot more substantial than you might think, as it takes pressure off of higher ups in the company to organise alternative plans.
Even small touches such as being able to greet people at the door, allow them entry and let them feel warmly welcomed can have a profound effect on your business, often times customers who are immediately treated well will turn into paying customer, and the same can be said about clients.
Protecting your business’ stock/assets
Now we’re getting into the more obvious ones but it’s surprising just how many businesses don’t take this into consideration when booking a security guard.
Protecting a particular shop or location in a day is a given when it comes to security guards, often times on site is where a lot of a company’s valuable assets and stock is stored. Keeping this protected is just as important if not more important than the property itself, often times losing out on thousands if not hundreds of thousands if these particular assets are damaged or stolen in some way.
When doing a full survey of the property, a security guard will get a good feeling for where any potential entrance or exit points are and how they can appropriately secure them. This is critical to maintaining solid security across an entire property, being able to effectively identify any way a criminal could access your premises and cracking down hard on these points is what separates the good security guards from the great security guards.
Especially in the case of warehouse security, protecting stock is critical, warehouses are a veritable treasure trove of goods for any criminal to steal if left unguarded. Having high value goods stored in one location is guaranteed to draw attention unless appropriately guarded, making yourself and your business as difficult a target as possible is key to keeping your company progressing forward.
Represents the company
Here is another point a lot of companies and businesses overlook, being able to represent a company is something all security guards are given thorough training about. When a security guard is on site with your company, as far as they are concerned, they are an everyday member of staff, holding themselves to the same level of respect and dignity as any other, if not more.
You are often times able to dictate what it is that a security guard is going to wear on any given day of their job on your premises. This gives you a sense of control over how you would like the guard to represent you as a company, would you like them in a full suit and tie or hi-vis, it is up to you and is entirely dependent on the situation.
Representing the company goes above presentation though, whilst security guards are more than happy to present themselves how you would prefer, they also understand they hold an air of authority. Being hired by a company to protect their staff and stock is a great honour but our security guards hold themselves with grace and poise. Executing on tasks efficiently, swiftly and, most importantly, discretely, there will be absolutely zero issues when it comes to the way they present themselves, leaving customers and clients impressed and willing to return.
It has been proven time and time again that dressing smart and acting professional can lead to increased respect and productivity, this is where the idea behind this point lies. Having a guard on board that is able to show to people that your company is professional and secure is something that is going to stick in people’s minds.
General Monitoring
Surveillance is something that cannot be understated in this day and age, being able to keep an eye on all facets of your business is crucial to maintaining it’s safety. With that being said though, a CCTV camera can only get you so far, whilst it is definitely an invaluable tool, it is just that, a tool, without someone behind it, it is pretty useless.
So how do guards differ?
Well to put it bluntly, they are a walking, talking and acting CCTV camera, whilst capturing footage of a potential criminal is nice, capturing the criminal itself is even nicer.
We offer a free guard tracking system with all of our manned guarding solutions, meaning we can setup a checkpoint system where you can check in on how a guards patrol route is going and when and where they checked in. All of this information is incredibly powerful, having a CCTV camera not only restricts any attempts to apprehend the criminal but is also in only one area.
Another factor to consider if that CCTV requires someone to actively monitor what is going on at any given point in the day for it to be effective. This makes it a two-step process, number 1 is purchasing, installing and setting up all the CCTV and number 2 is sitting in a room monitoring it. This process is condensed into one when it comes to a manned guard, if anything happens on site whilst they are patrolling they are able to provide you with live updates and keep you in the loop with regards your business and it’s safety.
In this regard, comparing the two is just basically comparing whether you would rather have a mobile, discrete unit that can prevent criminal activity, or a static unit that can only detect it.
Visual Deterrent
This idea piggy backs off the previous point, guards act as an incredibly powerful visual deterrent, on top of this, things like signs and other notices do too.
In the face of a determined and hardy criminal, a CCTV camera is merely more than an obstacle, something they have to take into consideration but with any skill can avoid or destroy. However, this isn’t the case with a security guard on site, having somebody who is trained in every way to keep you out is, in 99% of cases, enough to frighten off whoever is trying to get in.
In fact, in a study conducted in America, it was shown that shop lifters were caught only 1 in every 48 attempts at robbery. This number is insane and goes to show how ineffective modern technologies are compared to hiring a manned guard on site.
Security Guards are also able to provide comprehensive, detailed reports about what happened around the area they are patrolling and at what time. These reports allow you to understand where any issues may have happened or if your site is as safe as you hope that it is.
Saves money
Now here’s one I can guarantee nobody thought of.
Hiring a security guard saves you money
Now everyone has heard the old adage of “you have to spend money to make money”, and it is as true here as ever. Supplying your site with security guards has been shown to reduce risk so much of theft or vandalism that it saves you masses amount of money in the long run.
Security guards are also capable of preventing things such as employee theft which has accounted for over £1 billion in losses for companies in 2019. There is a huge potential for loss when it comes to any given business in the face of crime, dealing with both employee and criminal theft or damage is a daunting prospect.
On top of this, Region Security Guarding offers bespoke security solutions to fit any business, no matter the size of the task at hand. Due to all of our systems being completely 100% bespoke and tailored to suit your business and it’s needs, this also means the pricing plan is completely bespoke, allowing you to get the most value for money possible out of our security.
Extra bonuses with Region
Region Security Guarding prides itself on being able to handle any security guarding job no matter the size or location, this is one unique aspect to Region itself that few can attest to. Many companies strive to take on the biggest jobs in only local areas to them which is a niche we wanted to expand upon with our security guarding services.
Another unique feature to us is our free guard tracking system, discussed previously we offer a system which allows you to check in on all of our guards on your property at any point. This service is completely free and comes with progress reports, checkpoints and more, keeping you in the loop no matter the time of day. This incentive is usually offered at a premium and whilst we do have a premium version available, the free system offered is more than enough to guarantee piece of mind.
We offer a price promise guarantee ensuring we are able to meet or beat any competitors quotes, if you are able to send us a quote from any other competitor we are committed to ensuring you don’t have to compromise on security over price. We believe a more secure Britain is a safer Britain and our commitment to the safety of Britain goes beyond a monetary goal, we strive to keep your business safe and functioning, no matter the situation.
Finally, all of our solutions are completely bespoke, we know all businesses are different, they all have different needs alongside different requirements for security solutions. This means we work with your company instead of for you, we are as flexible as you need us to be, implementing systems and solutions around your day to day work life ensuring we remain discrete yet effective in all that we do.
Conclusion
In conclusion security guards are as potent a force now as they ever have been, hiring a security guard comes with a plethora of different benefits which many don’t think of. These benefits play into the idea that manned security isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so stocking up and keeping your business safe is the best thing you can do, security is a tough issue to tackle, let Region Security Guarding make it that much more simple.
