Alarm Detection Systems out of Aurora, IL has long had a superior program to reduce nuisance alarm activations. Central to their program is a list that years ago they termed the “Horrible 100.” Though they don’t use that term any more, they still identify the bad actors, and do something about it. It’s a program SIAC lauds and one other companies should consider emulating.
It’s not difficult to accomplish, but does take forward thinking, dedication and someone on your staff to do the work. Alarm Detection Systems has all of those. It led to them winning the Police Dispatch Quality Award in 2007-8 for having the top program in the U.S. for reducing false alarm activations.
But let’s get back to the concept of a Horrible 100. Alarm Detection Systems identifies those customers who have repeated false alarm activations. They capture the data. They have an employee specifically dedicated to this as part of her job. She personally calls the offenders to find the problem causing the alarm, then strategizes a solution with the customer over the phone.
Compared to a year ago, they reduced false dispatches in January by close to 30 percent and by close to 60 percent in the month of February. Those are huge reductions. How did they do it?
Much of the reduction comes through the use of daily analytics on the false alarms and taking a much more aggressive approach to the causes and strategizes solutions to resolve the problem permanently. Many solutions are as easy as increasing the entrance delay time, re-keying the exit doors so employees’ keys only work the identified entrance door, making all doors with the entrance delay, and many other logical solutions to the problem.
The electronic security industry is about customer service in many ways. You succeed with superior customer service. It’s what sets you apart as a company. Alarm Detection Systems has this in spades. We sometimes presume that having a top notch alarm management program is strictly about the numbers, but they show it’s much more than that. They are connecting with their customers, crafting solutions, opening the lines of communication and working cooperatively to improve alarm management. SIAC believes we all can learn from that example.