Honeywell Security Products Prez Talks Trends, Challenges

Honeywell Security Products Americas President Inder Reddy discusses technology trends, opportunities for installing security contractors and more in the latest Hot Seat Q&A.

Inder Reddy recently assumed the role of president of Honeywell Security Products Americas, taking charge of the conglomerate’s intrusion, access control and video surveillance technologies. He previously served as vice president of global marketing for Honeywell Security Group. Reddy joins the conversation to discuss issues related to the channel and beyond.

What do you view as the top business and operations issues for your installing security contractor partners?

I would say the top business issue is probably the competitive environment they’re seeing in the marketplace right now, which is good in the sense that it’s increasing the awareness of the type of available offerings. So there are opportunities for them to grow. Another challenge they face today that may not be very different from a historical perspective – but may be more pertinent in this competitive environment – is attrition, as the number of players vying for the customer’s attention has increased.

There’s always that issue of churn and attrition that they have to deal with, along with making sure that they’re as efficient as possible in terms of installing the equipment for that day; they must manage their costs very effectively and then continue to drive good operational efficiencies in the business. It’s extremely critical.

How are the successful dealers meeting this intensified competitive pressure to be more efficient and reduce attrition?

They’re driving remote services – specifically, Honeywell Total Connect – and selling more value-added services. We believe it creates a stickier customer. The more interaction an end user has with a system and greater value they see, the more likely they will continue to be a loyal customer. That’s why our focus is on driving a great user experience with our products and services. We make sure that our channel partners have happy, loyal customers that want to retain their services. That takes care of some of their challenges around attrition.

Looking ahead to 2015, what technology do you expect will make a big impact in the marketplace?

We’ll see greater awareness and knowledge in the end-user space around remote connectivity services and integration. I think that’s a great opportunity for our channel partners. It’s an exciting new space. As remote connectivity grows, the interest in cloud services is very high, so that gives our channel partners something exciting and new to take to their end users.

Similarly, the progression of broad-band and IP technology provides a new opportunity to create what would have been considered complex solutions in the past, but can now be delivered to small and midsize customers in an easier, simpler and more cost-effective way.

What new demands are end users placing on your dealer partners?

One message we consistently hear from our residential dealers is that consumers are very keen on interactive services and light home automation along with their security systems. They are extremely interested in knowing once they install a security system how can they then install lifestyle or basic home automation around controlling their lights, garage doors, locks. This is something our installers are telling us there is a growing interest and demand from their customers. Our job is to simplify this process for them in terms of understanding what products work with the systems that we have, making it easy for them to select the appropriate products, configure them for the system, install them, and then helping them manage their interactions with end users.

On the commercial side, what we hear from our installers is that their channel partners want a complete solution. They want our channel partners to come in and essentially solve their problems by using a variety of technologies. They want us to make it easy for them get the right configuration and make sure their needs are met.

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About the Author

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Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.

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