Habitec Security Reducing False Alarms Much to Satisfaction of Local Police Department
Habitec has reduced false alarms in Toledo, Ohio by 65% as a result of the program.
(l-r) Habitec Security Director of Operations Pat Ehrsam, Central Station Manager Tracy Ehrsam and President John Smythe.
What kind of feedback have you received from colleagues with other monitoring providers? Have you inspired any of them?
Smythe: We have a lot of friends in the industry that influenced our decision to address our false alarm issue, and I have shared our success story with other colleagues. I know of at least one company that we directly influenced in their decision to reduce false alarms with their customers.
How have the results meshed with your projections and expectations?
Smythe: We have exceeded our expectations. We have been able to reduce our false dispatches by 65% since launching our initiative. I can’t say enough about Tracy Ehrsam, our central station manager, and her team! They embraced this company initiative, and succeeded beyond our imagination.
Do you believe your approach/plan should serve as a blueprint for other monitoring centers and alarm companies to follow?
Smythe: It is much better to proactively address the false alarm issue than have to react to a negative alarm response policy change from your local PD. What we have done is not rocket science; it just takes organization and time. Take what others have done and see what will work for your company, create benchmarks and work toward a reduction.
Looking at the industry, what do you believe the future holds for police response to burglar alarms? How will the landscape change?
Smythe: As law enforcement continues to implement well thought-out policy changes, alarm response should continue for the foreseeable future. In the meantime all alarm companies need to proactively implement good false alarm policy. I see video verification becoming a strong solution as it becomes more economical.
Does Habitec presently offer video verification? What are the prospects and challenges in this realm?
Smythe: We do offer video verification, and it is very helpful in the reduction of false alarms. The price points make more sense in commercial applications currently. I think pricing on equipment and services will continue to drop, making it a more cost-effective solution for homes.
What are some of Habitec Security’s overall keys to its business success?
Smythe: We have been so successful over the years because of our people. I would put our team up against any in the industry. Our people understand the direction of our company is headed and what their role is in that vison. We were recently named one of the best places to work in Toledo, so not only is our team great at what they do but they like doing it! This makes a difference. We are a very forward-thinking company in regard to technology. All new customers have interactive services included in their service, we recently rebuilt our entire central station bringing it up to the most current technology, we have added a hosted access control solution and we hired a director of technology, amongst many other technology initiatives
Lastly, do you believe the PDQ program is valuable to the industry and can help make a difference?
Smythe: The PDQ recognition has been great for Habitec. It was another incentive for our team to work on a problem, and should be an incentive for all alarm companies to address any false alarm problem they may have. Our team was so excited when we were named the PDQ winner because it acknowledged all of their hard work. We will be doing a press release to the periodical/news stations in our community. We also plan on sending out a copy of the cover story to our local law enforcement. We plan on using this i
n our sales presentations, because we know customers see value in it. They don’t want false alarms either!
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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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