WARRENDALE, Pa. — Guardian Protection Services has released a new Web-based service called Dealer Automated Real Time (DART).
The service allows members of Guardian’s authorized dealer network to upload sales contracts and receive payments electronically, eliminating the need for them to send sales contracts to Guardian through direct mail. Ideally, the feature will help dealers not only save money and time, it will also help them to receive payments quickly, Guardian Senior Vice President of Information Technology Eric Aulbach tells SSI.
“This was a proactive corporate decision,” he says. “The development of DART aligned well with Guardian’s strategic commitment to utilize technology to drive efficiency. Prior to DART, dealers used traditional, time-consuming and more costly methods to send their contracts to us. Now, a dealer sees questions he or she may need to answer regarding a contract in real time. Guardian receives the answers back from the dealer in the same instantaneous way, and we begin processing them more quickly.”
Additionally, participants have access to marketing and training materials. Dealers can customize their logos and contact information with the marketing tools by searching Guardian’s catalog. After choosing what they want, dealers can place orders and receive proofs and final artwork through DART.
“The program allows dealers the ability to readily access marketing tools without having to make a phone call or E-mail request,” Aulbach says. “It’s all right there waiting for them.”
Before launching DART, Guardian performed pilot testing with a few dealers to work out any problems and tweak the service, according to Aulbach. The company then introduced the new service at this year’s ISC West conference, and by May, all of the company’s authorized dealers were using DART.
The company will now use the service to attract new dealers to its network.
“We are marketing the new service through channels we use to recruit new dealers such as trade shows, networking events and advertising media,” Aulbach says.
Ashley Willis is associate editor for SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION magazine. She can be reached at (310) 533-2419.
