Select Security’s Smart Choices Spark Success
Select Security earned SSI’s Installer of the Year Award by achieving record growth while revamping its operating platforms, improving efficiencies and rolling out new services.
During 2013, Select Security not only grew its revenue and customer base ($12 million, 15,000+), but also took major strides overhauling its operations and customer support structure. The firm transitioned to new enterprise resource planning, sales force automation and monitoring platforms.
“Because of our focus on secondary and tertiary markets, customers find we give them the local service and friendly face of a smaller operation. Because of our investment in technology, they are able to access a line of products akin to those offered by much larger corporations, such as our managed and hosted video and access services,” he says. “We also offer our equivalent to Apple’s Genius Bar, available to customers who need help with IT/IP needs.”
Leveraging a Unified Platform
The aforementioned Sedona Office has afforded Select Security a unified platform that Firestone credits to playing a significant role in the firm’s overall business success. The software serves not just as Select’s CRM but also houses all customer information. As such, it consolidates the customer experience in that all team members across departments can review any customer alerts or notes.
“When our accounting team is able to see when a slow-paying customer is also having trouble with the functioning of their system, for example, it provides us with possible insight into their behavior,” he says. “Intercommunication and consolidating the experience for our customers is something they greatly appreciate, allowing them to go about their day while we protect them.”
Select further personalizes service for higher profile or risk clients by assigning a dedicated customer relationship rep with a direct access phone number as their primary point of contact. These key accounts also receive quarterly review meetings to further cement long-lasting and loyal relationships. Firestone is looking ahead to applying even greater sophistication to the mix.
“We are also in the beginning stages of using our customer data for predictive modeling,” he says. “Through ongoing examination of our customers’ behavior patterns, we are starting to find certain risk behaviors that form patterns. In the not-too-distant future, we will also be using predictive modeling to detect opportunities in customer upgrades and services, as well as reduce customer attrition.”
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Another key facet contributing to Select Security’s growth has been its commitment to entering new sales channels to complement traditional business. This multichannel approach is atypical for security companies of Select’s size and has included embracing the so-called summer sales model.
“A few years ago, we launched our residential direct sales department, which uses the summer sales model to build density in our existing markets with short bursts of activity,” says Egan. “We’ve also spent the past few months preparing our call center for a new inside sales department. Our call center has also b
egun to handle our new customer loyalty programs, and customer upgrades, deepening those long-term relationships.”
Web Site Updated, App Launched
According to Egan, Select will ramp up its media buying in support of its continued rollouts into new markets and services. These marketing efforts are being aided by the upgrade in operating platforms as it now provides extensive amounts of data that can facilitate more accurate tracking of how well sales and marketing programs are actually performing.
Due to its cost effectiveness in reaching a large potential audience, Select Security has focused much of its marketing energy online. Taking a community approach with the newest version of its Web site, the company has endeavored to place as many customer resources as possible at their fingertips, and made it all very intuitive and interactive. From the homepage to the use of topical questionnaires throughout, the site functions as an informational tool for customers and prospects. Traffic from current customers has increased as it is easy for them to get answers to common questions and request changes to their accounts without a telephone call that would also take up employees’ time. As Firestone details, the site is a cornerstone of Select’s overall marketing campaign.
“Selectsecurity.com was carefully designed to showcase both our brand and differentiating features, as well as support existing sales channels and become the backbone for opening new channels,” he says. “In addition to the Web site, all marketing material is created to enhance and enforce the Select Security brand. Whether it is printed sales material, customer notifications, or our own custom designed mobile app, the customer experience is catered to on all levels.”
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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