Many of us start the new year by setting goals. Typically we go for self-improvement: Lose weight; eat better foods; get more exercise. Our businesses deserve the same attention we give ourselves.
As you start working your way through the months of 2011, consider one new way to improve alarm management practices for your customers. Two-call verification or Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) is the probably the most important new step you can take along these lines. But we’ve preached that mantra many times before, so let’s suggest something else.
Why not look at your customer list and pull out the bad apples in terms of excessive alarms? Find those homes and businesses that have more than three unnecessary alarms in 2010. Or if you have a strong program already in place, pull out those who have more than two unneeded alarms in 2010. What do you then?
Contact these customers. Find out what happened. Decide what you can do to help them improve. This is good for your business (customer contact) and good for them (reducing potential fines by helping them fix their alarm problem). Send a technician over to talk with the customer and walk through the dwelling. Make sure the equipment is operating properly. Discuss what is needed to fix any equipment, then explain to the customer(s) how to best operate their system.
All this is sound business practice, and reconnects you with customers, and could lead to additional revenue. It makes sense, so why not get started now? Make it your one business resolution for the year.