Whether it is the rising cost of manned guarding or the inevitable question of what you can actually do in the event of an alarm or CCTV activation if the police are unlikely to respond, you may be considering a private mobile response solution. If you’re not, perhaps you should be using a mobile response provider that doesn’t have to come with a large annual contract, and the benefits can be significant.
With more than five years experience in delivering mobile response services to more than 400,000 customers globally, despite only a year’s operating experience here in the UK, you could say that AURA is relatively new on the block. However in that period, we have shaped and evolved our business to work with, and facilitate the fastest delivery of the best mobile response services, and we’ve learnt quite a bit. More than this, we are not encumbered by legacy working practices and large overheads. Much like Uber or Amazon, we are focused on the needs of the end customer rather than the dynamics of how they may receive that service -. As a result, we have created a technology platform and a business to deliver the mobile response experience that people, places and businesses need.
Key requirements from a mobile response partner:
Speed of response
Getting to the location as fast as possible is critical to deter or reduce crime. Many of the response partners we work with have been delivering lightning fast response times in their areas for many years, and now that they’re backed by AURA’s smart technology, their response times are even better. In addition, a fast response can often work together with a keyholding solution where keyless access isn’t available. The initial responder can triage the situation and likely remove the need for a keyholder to attend, reducing the cost and inconvenience typically associated with this. Ensure your response partner will commit to fast response times and won’t charge you if those times are not delivered.
Quality of onsite service
Quality of service is as important as the speed of service. The responder arriving at the scene might be confronted by any number of scenarios, many of them potentially dangerous. The responder needs to think quickly, follow detailed instructions and communicate effectively with control rooms and people at the site – whether that be site managers, trespassers, or public services. Experience, training, and access to technology are all key to ensuring that the responder has the necessary skills to manage each callout in the appropriate manner. Ask your response partner about the experience of their personnel and the operating procedures that they follow.
Transparency
Customers need detailed and accurate reports following callouts in order to communicate effectively with their colleagues, customers or even with insurance providers in the event of a claim. These reports need to be generated from software that includes GPS timestamped data points such as time of dispatch and arrival, and should include applicable video, imagery and written reports where necessary. Ensure your response partner provides reports following every callout, and request to see an example that satisfies your information needs.
Accreditations
In the UK the Security Industry Authority (SIA), is charged with putting the rules and frameworks in place to ensure professionalism from the many individuals who work within the sector. The SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) is the most widely recognised accreditation for businesses providing front-line security services. Whilst accreditations cannot guarantee optimal service, they go a long way in ensuring you are working with a company that takes its responsibilities seriously. We talk more about the importance of accreditation in this article, but we highly recommend that any mobile response partner is SIA and ACS-approved.
The benefits of mobile response
Cost
Mobile response services can lower overall security costs where it may replace more costly manned guarding and can work hand in hand with high-quality monitoring to minimise inappropriate dispatches.
Convenience
A responder can be at the location of an alarm activation within the hour, or often below 30 minutes, which is much quicker than a site manager being pulled out of bed, or a colleague having to respond to an activation at an ungodly hour. Most activations occur out of typical working hours, which begs the question: why wouldn’t you use a professional rather than a colleague, relative or neighbour?
Employee wellbeing
We hear this time and again, an alarm is activated and a designated keyholder is required to visit the site. Whilst frequently a false alarm, that employee has to arrive and prepare themselves for whatever situation they may find. Even with a false alarm, the surge of adrenaline, and uncertainty means that a good night’s sleep or that meal with friends is significantly interrupted.
Reduced impact of crime
Last but by no means least, getting to the scene of a crime fast reduces the impact of that crime for a business or homeowner. There are thousands of ways crime may impact a business, or an individual, which is why every minute counts.
At AURA we are working towards delivering the best of the response industry to customers across the UK. Our technology facilitates this, but carefully choosing the most suitable mobile response partners, and ensuring that they benefit commercially is the only way our business model will thrive.
We want to give everyone the opportunity to access mobile response at a fraction of the cost typically associated with this service and without long term and expensive contracts. Mobile response isn’t always the right solution, but we want to ensure that poor service, slow response times and high costs are a thing of the past.
For more benefits about mobile response within an overall security solution, take a look at this article,
If you are still considering which response partner to work with, please get in touch to discuss whether we can meet your requirements.