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An integrated effort: reduce false dispatches
Over the last year, we’ve talked about the five best practices to address false dispatches. By following and applying these solutions, you have the capability of reducing your dispatches by over 90 per cent. I realize it isn’t likely that anyone will take this information in its entirety and apply all of it across their account base. In fact that was never my intent. Instead it is my hope that you will examine these processes and assemble a plan that works for you, your employees and your customers.
November 3, 2014 By Ron Walters
In this column, I will attempt to point out the best and easiest path for you to follow. We can promise you results — sometimes instant results. With those results, you will eventually see the positive impact on your customers and law enforcement, and you will apply more and more of these processes for a fully successful program.
If you do nothing else, you must apply ECV across your account base. There is no cost to you, there is no impact on your daily operations and no increase in your administrative process or labour costs. Most importantly, if you are not already using ECV, you will experience dispatch reductions of more than 50 per cent.
Having an organized program in place to train your customers on how to properly use their systems is another piece that costs nothing to deploy. You can get a free program that is well investigated and available through www.siacinc.org.
The next most effective piece of the alarm reduction process does require action on your part, but in the long run is necessary if you are ever to experience the full benefit of an alarm reduction program. This piece will also deliver the largest benefit to you and your customers. The process of working with your customers causes the majority of your problems. Remember that 85 per cent of your customers should not have any dispatches in any 12-month period. However, when you call every customer that has had any alarm activation, whether there is a dispatch or not, you will build extremely strong customer confidence and more important, loyalty.
At a minimum, start with these two processes. As you achieve success you will see the overall benefit to your company’s reputation and your standing with local law enforcement.
For those who are extremely ambitious, I highly endorse that you use the ANSI/ SIA CP-01 Control Panels. These panels are designed to make the interaction between the alarm user and the alarm equipment more forgiving through features and programming. Some of these features include default programming for longer entry and exit delay times and establishing a minimum 60-second exit delay and 30 second entry delay. Almost 75 per cent of all alarm trips occur during the entry/exit process.
Doing nothing is not an option. As an industry, we need to address our part of the false dispatch and false alarm issue. It is the responsible thing to do, and it is good for business. I highly encourage you to not only join CANASA, but to get involved.
Ron Walters is the director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (www.siacinc.org).
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