Security may not be more important than it was, say, 25 years ago, but it is on more people’s radar. Security has been elevated from an operational concern to a strategic one that interests corporate echelons all the way up to the C-suite and your company’s board, says Mark Folmer, vice president, security industry, at TrackTik, a North American company that provides workforce management platforms.
Furthermore, security requirements are changing as threats continue to evolve. Given what is at stake, the safety of personnel and the value of assets being protected, expectations about your job as a Corporate Security Executive are rising. In response, you should expect more from your provider of security services. So it is time to take a long hard look at how you buy and evaluate security services. To help you bring a fresh eye to your “shopping list” of expectations, we propose the following table of tips.
Pre-qualify
Know who is out there! Attend security association events. Meet with security companies. Talk to their management teams. Understand their operations and their focus.
Meet peers
The chances are you know a security executive or two. Invite them to coffee or lunch and ask what has worked for them. You can potentially profit from a few insights.
Share
Share information with the bidders. If your environment is distinctive, tell them about it. Wary of sharing information? Have a non-disclosure
agreement signed and share freely.
State expectations
Tell bidders what you expect from them. Let them know about the standards you hold and what your measures of success will be. Ask them how they will meet these criteria. Make these metrics an on-going part of the Service Level Agreement. Remember, you cannot improve what you cannot measure!
Separate
Ideally, separate the processes of a request for service and a request for pricing. That way you can create a short list based on criteria important to you and your organisation.
Select and assess
With technology, you can prioritize and measure Accountability, Reliability, and Transparency. Select a company that can provide the ART you require. Once the firm is selected, how hard will it be for you to: Measure their performance? Pull the information you need from their outputs? Access it in real time? Have 24-7 access to it, from anywhere? Human error is inevitable. What is the security company proposing to
minimise or manage human error.
Data
Your goal is to run a security programme that both protects and adds to thevalue of the corporation. So your security service provider, as part of the overall programme, should generate data that contributes to your objective.
Supply chain
Understand who or what is the backbone of your security service provider. Who are his/her suppliers? What is done in-house, what by external
organisations? Understand the mix. Ensure that their mission critical systems are robust.
The more you invest in the processes of provider selection and planning, the more positive will be the overall impact on your security programme. Not only should you allow yourself to be wowed by what is out there, you should seek opportunities to be wowed! Building your business based on clear and measurable performance indicators will drive client satisfaction, employee performance and build up
your business’ reputation.
About the firm
TrackTik software for security can simplify how you manage your workforce, streamline processes, and gain operational insight. Mobile and web-based, this suite of tools connects people in the field and clients to managers with real-time data. Live Dashboard displays key metrics. Visit www.tracktik.com/2017/06/01/better-security-guard-service/.
