In the United States, over 1,000 robberies take place every day. Many of these robberies target businesses, leading to significant losses of inventory or professional equipment. In other cases, robberies may take place in residential complexes, which can create challenges for the landlord.
What’s worse, innocent people can be injured or killed in the course of a robbery by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To prevent these tragedies, many businesses and landlords are turning to a security services company to provide more protection to their property, their employees, and their residents.
Are you considering hiring a security services company for your business? If so, check out these 10 questions you need to ask to help make the right hiring choice.
Download: Building Security Checklist for Property Managers
1. Are You Licensed and Insured?
Before you work with any security services company, make sure the company is properly licensed and insured. Every security company should be licensed by the Department of Public Safety. This licensing ensures that every employee is properly screened with fingerprinting and background checks.
Security companies should also be insured for workman’s comp, auto liability, and general liability. Typically, you want to go with a company that has at least $1 million in insurance coverage.
2. What Do Your Customers Say About You?
A great way to learn about the effectiveness of a particular security services company is to look at the reviews of past and current customers. These customers can give an honest review from a perspective that you will be able to connect with.
Look on the company’s website and Google Places listing for customer reviews. If you do not see any testimonials, ask the company directly for their references. If the company is unable to provide references, this may be a cause for concern.
3. What Do You Specialize In?
Not all security services are created equal. For example, depending on your needs, you may want a company that specializes in corporate security, residential security, or both. You may also want to consider whether you need a company that offers long-term security services or event security services.
Also, keep in mind that not all companies that offer security services specialize in security. Some companies offer package services to businesses. For instance, they may offer packages that cover cleaning, janitorial, and security.
While it may be enticing to save money by bundling services, you want to make sure you’re getting the best services possible. A company that offers too many varied services may not have the specialization that your company needs.
4. How Long Have You Been Serving This Area?
Security needs differ from area to area. Certain crimes might be more prevalent, or criminals may be more likely to use certain tactics.
For these reasons, it’s important to go with a company that has familiarity with the service area that your building is in. Or, at the very least, the security guards the company provides should have a background working in the area. This will ensure that the guards for your building are prepared for your particular security needs.
5. How Are Your Guards Trained?
Every state has its own legal requirements for training, qualifications, and education for security guards. Before you decide to hire a security company, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements in your state, and make sure that the company’s guards are prepared according to these qualifications.
6. How Do You Monitor Your Guards?
If you are working through a security services company to get a security guard for your company, it should not be your business’s responsibility to monitor the guard. Rather, the company should handle monitoring the guards and supervising their work.
Ask the company about what strategies they use to supervise their staff. What is their chain of command? Do they use GPS services to keep tabs on their employees?
Knowing the answers to these questions can help you make sure the guards you hire will be productive.
7. Are Your Guards Armed or Unarmed?
It’s important to know whether the guards your are hiring will be carrying weapons or not. In some cases, you may want your guards to carry a weapon, depending on what kind of business you have and what kind of area you are in.
In other cases, having armed guards can create more danger. If guards are not properly trained in how to use their weapon, they could inadvertently hurt themselves or a civilian.
8. What Technology Solutions Do You Offer?
Working with a trained security guard can be a great way to elevate the security of your building. But even with a guard, additional technology tools can be a good way to enhance the system.
For instance, having both an alarm system and a security guard can be a good strategy. This way, if the alarm is set off, the security guard can respond to the threat immediately.
Similarly, many companies choose to use both a video monitoring system and a security guard. This allows the guard to monitor more of the property from one location.
9. When and How Can I Get in Touch With You?
It’s important to work with a security company that is easy to get in touch with. If you have a security problem, an issue with one or your guards, or a problem with the technology, you need to talk to a person at the company. Find out who your main point of contact would be and what hours they would be available.
10. What Are Your Pricing Options?
Once you’ve found a company you’re willing to work with, you will need to determine what kind of contract you want to sign. Find out what kind of contract lengths are available, and whether there are discounts based on how long of a contract you take out. You can also investigate whether they offer add-on security services at a better price.
Hire a Security Services Company Today
With these questions in hand, you’ll be able to get the information you need to hire the right security services company for your building.
Ready to get started? Contact us to learn more about the security services OPS provides.
