Installer of the Year Runner-Up Sonitrol Endures With Right Prescription for Success

Family-run for 48 years, Sonitrol has earned itself the honor of being an Installer of the Year (small to midsize company) runner-up.

One of the many ways Sonitrol gives back to the community is by inviting all law enforcement and firefighters to a catered meal each year.

July 12, 2017 Arlen Schweiger Jump to Comments

Sonitrol of Evansville was founded in 1969, by the late Dr. William “Doc” Standring, and the family-run business is now run by grandson Samuel Standring.

In the four years under his leadership, the Evansville, Ind.-based company has grown significantly in sales and held an attrition rate of under 5%, securing status as runner-up Installer of the Year (small to midsize company).

Says Lara Dawn, customer service specialist: “We strive to provide exceptional service to our customers. Our consultants visit each potential customer to assess their needs and wants. Our install team will attempt to fish or hide every wire to leave a clean installation.”

Sonitrol owns its own central station and has several longtime operators that customers have come to know personally.

Team members work very closely to ensure that Sonitrol is fixing issues for customers in a timely manner, Dawn says, and if one employee lacks the technical knowledge to help a customer, the call can be transferred to the technical support team or management to resolve all issues in an “all hands on deck” effort.

Key to Sonitrol’s success is knowledge, for both for employees and customers, says Dawn.

“We use social media to educate the public so they have a better knowledge of the choices they can make for their security. We share our successes on social media,” she says. “Our salespeople use networking groups to educate their networking partners so they can recommend our company to their customers. We have a community of well-educated individuals that trust us and refer our services.”

Furthering the education cause, Sonitrol invites manufacturer representatives from its suppliers to provide training for the technicians, plus techs are sent to trainings throughout the country.

Central station personnel are required to take advantage of webinar training from organizations like The Monitoring Association (formerly CSAA).

Strong manufacturer relationships are aided as Sonitrol is regularly called upon to run beta testing on various software and hardware products for its suppliers.

This year it worked with 3xlogic to beta test a thermal camera and to test a video verification product, all to reduce false alarms and make Sonitrol’s sales offerings a complete video/audio-verified solution.

Doc the dog.

Sonitrol keeps morale high in house by celebrating employees’ hire anniversaries and birthdays; rewarding them for customer testimonials on social media; honoring an employee-voted “Employee of the Month”; hosting company picnics at amusement parks; and enjoying other group gatherings like the annual Christmas party.

The security firm is also dedicated to giving back to the community. It sponsors local sports teams and provides financial/“gift-in- kind” support the local chapters of The Hadi-Shriners, Uncharted International and Youth First, says Dawn.

“But our company would not be successful without our law enforcement, so our largest support goes to them,” she adds. “We volunteer to help them organize, prepare and work the Evansville Police Department [EPD] Ball and the 5K SWAT Challenge benefiting the EPD Foundation. We invite all law enforcement and firefighters to a catered meal each year.”

This year, Sonitrol personnel learned the EPD retired a K9 and was seeking a new one. The company was able to donate to the EPDF to purchase a new K9 along with a protective vest for him, and in turn the grateful law enforcement agency allowed Sonitrol employees to name him — in honor of the company founder they voted on Doc, and the dog has already become a valuable EPD member, Dawn reports.

BEST OF THE BEST: Check out the rest of the winners and runners-up here!

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