At Central Alarm, we provide our customers with every available option to secure their home or business. Whether that means 24/7 video monitoring and Qolsys IQ Panels or boots on the ground, twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week patrol and guard services! That last one is what we are here to talk about today on the blog, specifically, what to look for when hiring guard services.
It might not be clear what exactly you need out of guard service, and you may be unsure how to go about it. We have a few tips that can help you make the right call:
Evaluate Your Needs
Before you begin your search, take a look at your property, home, or business. What are your specific security concerns? Create a list of your concerns and needs to take to any security business like Central Alarm. With that in hand the professionals can match you not only with possible guard services, but any other security or surveillance tech you might require. Once you have this in hand you can start vetting guard services.
Guard Experience
Does the company you are looking to work with have similar experience? Do they have a proven track record in your kind of environment? Not every business hires the same guards, and not every guard has the same skillset or life experience that make them valuable and suited to particular jobs. When looking for a company to do business with, get some references, see who else they have helped. If they have a proven track record in monitoring, deterring, and stopping criminal activity for shopping centers and your business is located in one, well you just might have a match!
Cost Breakdown
Take a good look at the financials, after all, not everyone lays it out as clear as us here at Central Alarm. Some guard services might offer an attractively low rate, but you have to ask yourself, ‘Why am I paying bottom dollar for security?’ There are a few reasons a company might offer such ‘cheap’ service, and none of them are particularly good for you.
The truth could be that the rate is low but the total cost is not. Extra costs have a way of creeping into an otherwise low rate and soon you’re paying for extra hours, per man costs, or even incident fees should something actually occur.
Low rates can also mean lower paid guards. Guards making less and/or receiving fewer benefits make for unhappy guards. Unhappy guards aren’t typically going to be the best at their jobs. They might not feel any particular loyalty or duty to their company and by extension to you. While we would all certainly like to believe that a guard will still do their best regardless of pay, that goodwill or loyalty (or lack thereof) might mean the difference between constant patrolling or once every fifteen-minute sweeps.
The low rate might also just plain mean the company doesn’t need as much money for overhead. Things like proper equipment, skilled guards, the necessary infrastructure to handle around the clock support cost money. If a company is giving you a ridiculously cutthroat rate, they might not be spending their budget where they need to. Of course, money isn’t everything, but it does tend to give a good indication of the quality of service you will be receiving.
We will pause right there for now. There is a lot more that can go into selecting and hiring the best guard services, and protecting your business is nothing you want to breeze past. If you’re looking to hire now, give us a call and we can give you the best guard services available in Tucson as well as a whole suite of security technology and the experts to install and utilize them on your behalf. Together we can protect your business, guard your home, and secure your life.
