Security Sales & Integration August 2022 - 6

Between Us Pros
scott.goldfine@emeraldx.com | @SSIeditor
'Best' Solutions
to Top Challenges
▶ IN TALKING WITH LEADERSHIP of
some of the industry's best-run dealer/integrator
businesses for SSI's 2022 Installers of the Year
program, I ask them to identify their top three
challenges. The answers are never less than fascinating,
and their solutions are of high value. Oft
cited are talent, technology and procurement.
" Our response
has been to
double down on
our commitment
to service
excellence,
and to invest
in people and
technologies
that we believe
will be key
differentiators. "
- Dan Bresingham
Al Lanclos, Dir. of Operations, Acadian Total
Security: Finding, acquiring and training the
right staff is an issue. We are trying to remedy
that by attending more job fairs, posting openings
on social media, focusing on frontliners who
can be trained up and having our supervisors
take on more of a training role. Cybersecurity
concerns are another challenge and we have leveraged
our parent company's IT department to
assist us in this area. We also implemented strict
password requirements and dual verification
across the board, as well as moving certain software
into a more protected environment. Lastly,
supply chain issues have hindered our growth. To
combat this, we updated our software to identify
alternate parts, ordered parts and products in
bulk, and are hiring a purchasing assistant to aid
in streamlining and organizing our warehouse
and inventory processes.
Dan Bresingham, EVP, ADT Commercial: ADT
Commercial is facing the same challenges as industry
counterparts. From supply chain issues and
market pressures to rising costs and talent shortages,
we recognize how much we have to overcome.
Our response has been to double down on service
excellence and invest in people and technologies
that we believe will be key differentiators.
We're amplifying convenience to customers
Editor-in-Chief and
Associate Publisher Scott
Goldfine, an Industry Hall
of Famer, has spent 20+
years with SSI.
6
and more effectively utilizing our resources with
an increase in virtual service calls, remote resolutions
for system issues and more direct engagement
with first responders. We're committing
to innovation, specifically with our customers'
needs in mind. We're developing new technologies,
including humanoid robotics, autonomous
indoor drones, ethical AI, AR solutions and
Security Sales & Integration AUGUST 2022
more, in collaboration with our end-user pilot
partners to ensure that everything we bring to
market is creating true value. And we're doing all
of this with the best people in the business.
Eric Widner, GM, LOUD Security: First is
keeping up with technology. We try to offer the
latest industry advances to stay up with and even
ahead of the curve. This means constant training
and education for our operations and sales teams.
Second is pricing ourselves competitively and correctly.
One way to encourage that is flexibility in
pricing models and how our customers can pay.
For instance, low upfront system cost vs. monthly
costs. Lastly is marketing our differentiating value
points. We have to succinctly highlight what sets
LOUD apart - whether that's emphasizing our
customer service deliverables, i.e. [President] John
Loud puts his personal cellphone on our website,
or by highlighting a service that others don't such
as automatic water shutoff service.
Pam Petrow, President/CEO, Vector Security:
First is workforce challenges. We have changed
our recruiting strategies and hired someone to
work with our teams to build their skills in this
area. We've also changed numerous positions to
be permanently remote and others to be hybrid.
We've updated our onboarding process to accommodate
remote team members and are working
with our managers to become better at leading
them. We've developed career paths for most positions
and have managers ask their teams about
goals/aspirations, and we are making sure our
compensation is competitive.
Next is supply chain. Similar to other businesses,
we are challenged with getting products and
the escalation of pricing. We are managing inventory
by having more on-hand than usual. We
have also opened up more vendor relationships
to fill areas where we've been challenged to get
parts from existing partners. We are also setting
expectations with customers so they are aware of
these challenges. We have a team making sure all
price books are updated and we are communicating
with the sales team on outstanding proposals.
Third is technology as new products and services
are being introduced at an incredible pace.
To be nimbler in our delivery we have deployed
more video training and learning sessions. We are
also reorganizing our product and vendor management
team to create areas of expertise.
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Security Sales & Integration August 2022

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