As a property manager, hiring a security services company to guard your building is an important investment. Security guards can be extremely valuable for many property owners, and can even save you money or increase your property value in the long-run.
But there are differences in quality of different security guards and security services companies. You need to make sure you’re hiring a company with guards who are up to the task. The best security services have the best guards working for them, but how can you tell if you’re hiring the right company?
Here are some pointers when it comes to determining your expectations.
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Hospitality
Security guards should do more than offer protection. They should also offer hospitality.
Whether you own a commercial or residential property, you want people to feel comfortable. The security guard won’t need to intimidate everyone who comes through the doors. In fact, they will need to do the opposite – make most of the people feel comfortable.
For residential security services, this might mean helping residents by:
- Carrying groceries
- Signing for packages
- Making replacement keys
- Holding the door and greeting everyone with a “hello”
If you want to add value to your property by hiring a security guard, you’ll need to hire one of the best security services companies that know that hospitality is just as important as having an intimidating presence. Of course, preventing theft and other crimes is paramount, but it’s not the only element in being a security guard.
Flexibility
Every building has different needs, and no blanket strategy will prevent theft and other crimes from occurring in your building. Some of the best security services you’ll find will offer you a strategy for preventing further crimes on your property, but they shouldn’t be too insistent on what to do.
Most of the time, the security service will know what is best. Still, there are likely elements that you as a building owner or property manager want to address. Work with the security services company on a site security assessment.
Combine your insight with the security company’s valuable input. A security assessment will help you:
- Evaluate vulnerability
- Keep security costs down
- Cut out needless spending
- Mitigate threats to your staff, data, and investment.
A Strategy
Although the service should be mindful of your needs and requests, most building owners will leave the strategy up to the company they hire – as well they should. These security services should know how to develop a strategy to cut down on theft without making paying customers feel nervous.
The best security services will be able to articulate a plan to help prevent further loss for your business, or any business that rents from you. The theft numbers may be fueled by your location, which can be extremely costly as a property owner. A capable security service should be able to eliminate this problem.
Screening of Their Guards
One of the things that separate a bad security company from a good one is the people that have working for them. A bad security company will hire anyone with a pulse to monitor security cameras.A good security company requires intense background checks and training for their guards to get a job.
Prioritize companies that hire former law enforcement personnel to work with them. Retired officers are often the best options when it comes to security because they already have substantial training before they get there.
Adequately trained guards will have the ability to assess a threat, and the restraint to deal with it using necessary measures. Untrained guards can be more of a liability than a benefit, and can result in accidents and potential lawsuits.
Armed Isn’t Always Best
Hiring armed vs. unarmed security guards is an important consideration for your safety and budget. A guard with a gun might make you feel safer, but they aren’t always the best option. In fact, adding a gun to the mix could cause more problems than it solves.
A security service should hire trained, competent guards who can handle a situation without firing their weapon. Sometimes, though, even the best security services have guards who fall through the cracks. If they have a gun, they might end up firing it when they don’t need to. As you can imagine, this could cause a list of headaches as a property owner.
There are certainly situations where armed guards are necessary – just not every situation. Assess your needs with a level head, and determine whether or not an armed guard will make you safer.
Technology
A security service should use all the technology at their disposal to make sure they’re keeping your building safe and secure. Video monitoring is useful, but it’s not the only way a security company can secure your building.
Ask your potential company what kind of technology and services they use to keep a building safe.
The best security services use the best technology on the market. Don’t try to cut costs by hiring one that uses video monitoring as their only form of technology. Virtual concierge surveillance systems and fire watch are two additional services you should consider.
Hiring the Best Security Services
A security company should be able to assess your needs, develop a strategy, and listen to feedback on where they should focus their efforts. They hire the best guards to surveil your property, keeping employees or residents safe while dissuading crime that otherwise might take place.
