How Bates Security Continues to Rate So Great
Providing excellent and memorable service to customers led to Bates Security being named runner-up for SSI‘s 2015 Installer of the Year program.
A winner in this category in 2012, Lexington, Ky.-based Bates Security committed itself to providing excellent and memorable service to customers throughout 2014. Doing so kept attrition down and increased sales and productivity too, as the number of accounts topped 6,000.
The firm hired an operations manager to oversee and blend Bates’ Customer Service Center (CSC), and service and installation departments. This enabled members of the firm’s 50+ workforce to coordinate efforts and resources to better handle problematic installations, service issues and customer concerns. The CSC aids customer retention through remote training, making data changes, following up after true alarms, testing equipment and more.
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“Organization by departments on daily tasks is very important for each of our team members to handle the responsibilities they are held accountable for,” says General Manager Jeremy Bates. “That said, we try not to micromanage our team and instead, provide adequate training and encouragement so our team understands the importance of their position.”
On the marketing front, the company promoted itself as locally owned and operated. All sales collateral, including digital and social media images, were rebranded, and TV commercials featured the same “Local Matters” theme. Online, Bates redesigned its Web site with a more responsive and mobile device-friendly design. The company invested in pay-per-click and retargeting ads via Google, and prerolls and display ads on local news sites – resulting in more traffic and leads.
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During the year, Bates Security was also a part of several community events, including YMCA’s Lexington Swims event and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Within the security industry, Jeremy Bates serves as president of the Sonitrol National Dealer’s Association, and he and brother Bryan, Bates’ sales manager, often speak at conferences.
“Bates Security, to me, feels like a warm and welcome place for its employees,” says Marketing Coordinator Crystal Newton. “This year, for the first time, the company has offered all employees a free wellness program. There are so many wonderful ways we are kept motivated and made to feel appreciated.”
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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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