How and Why To Sell Service Contracts
It is coming down to the wire it is crunch time… You have finally come to terms on the deal you have been working for months. STOP! Have you agreed or inquired about a service contract?
What is a service contract exactly? A service contract is a formal, agreed, binding contract between a service consumer and a service provider.
Why is this important? Let us say that your company has invested 1 million dollars into an access control and surveillance camera system to be installed and 6 months down the road the access control is gone and cameras are down.
You are now responsible for replacing or fixing the issue within the system. Now the component that is having the issue may be small but, you will be obligated to diagnose the issue and providing the solution.
We are all familiar with the term “time = money”. What if you are tying up two to three days just trying to figuring out the problem? On a normal 40 hour schedule that’s 24 hours a full day spent trying to figure out the issue. That’s is a substantial amount of money lost for your company.
Now let us say you signed a service agreement. Most service agreements have a per camera and per DVR or in this case controllers and readers for the access system. To be paid annually. Now the lump sum or intial investment up front looks like a big number. Think about the 24 hours spent what if that issue or any other issue arises 2 times in one year.
You are out one full week of surveillance and security. Not to mention your company has paid an employee to stay idled while trying to resolve the issue. Most service contracts state the 24/48 hour rule. Meaning they will come on site within the first 24/48 hours and fix the issue. Now other companies will provide the option for you to ship the item back free of charge while the fix it or replace it.
Either way you are saving yourself a headache and your company money. A good company will provide awesome technical support and always will push for the service contract. This is a way for them to show their dedication to you as an individual and client and demonstrate who much they truly care about their clients.
Remember, always shop service agreements and warranties when working on purchasing equipment and products. Save yourself the money and time invested. You will be happy you did.
Access Control: Things to Consider
When looking to purchase a Access Control system there are a few things to keep in mind. If you currently have a system already in place the upgrade can be fairly simple. Difficulty can come in to play when there is no prior system in place. More than likely you already have an idea of where you would like the system to be located what doors need to be attached to the system. Once you are aware and informed of the questions above the process comes down to what components are needed to make it happen. First objective is to find out not only what doors will become secure but how, there are many different ways to do this, mag-lock, electric strike, knob or bolt, maybe a combination of two items. What kind of door is it, wood, metal, double swing door, or maybe even an electric sliding door. Once this can be determined you can base the lock needed on the style of door. You cannot put a mag-lock on a glass sliding door, the weight of the lock itself can throw the door of track, typically you will find a electric bolt more suitable. A wooden or metal door is more a candidate for a mag-lock, if you are doing the installation yourself it may be worth spending a little bit more on a electric strike or knob, usually the components will fit right where the old hardware was located.
The Card readers and pads come down to simple preference, if for any reason you chose to want a pad that requires you to enter a pin or maybe a card and pin combo reader they are available. If you do not need this feature don’t get a reader that has both cause even if you don’t want it many of the parameters must still be setup and implemented even if not used, it’s just more work.
A request to exit button or REX is used to exit a door that is locked, this can be done in the form of a push button, motion detector or crash bar. A Rex button must be used at all door locations that have a electric mag-lock or electric bolt. Both the strike and knob do not require a REX button because you can manually pull the lever or turn the knob to override the lock. I would check local or state fire code to see what is the best option for your setup.
How Much Does It Really Cost?
When shopping for surveillance equipment, one might not be as reluctant to purchase when they consider the pricing. This is especially true if one is looking to purchase an IP based system. The pricing of surveillance equipment has gone down significantly due to the fact that demand for surveillance has gone up. Consumer demand has increased as a result of more and more technology being made available to the public over the last twenty years. But, a quality system can still be considered quite costly. The question is, with all things considered, how much does a surveillance system really cost?
Let’s consider some of the factors that affect the total cost of a surveillance system. Although the recession is almost over, lots of people are still unemployed and striving to make ends meet. The strains of the economy can cause people to resort to things that they would not normally do like thievery. Think about the total savings in loss prevention. The savings would not only include assets, but time as well. Think about how much time and money can be saved if theft and vandalism can be prevented or resolved quickly. In some cases, the total amount of the savings could outweigh the total cost of the equipment. One thing for both residential and commercial consumers to consider is tax write-offs for surveillance systems. In some cases, the tax deduction may cover the total cost of the equipment. Taking all of the factors into consideration could considerably lower the total cost of the system in the long run. Plus, who can put a price on safety, especially when it concerns the safety of loved ones?
Wholesale VS Retail
One common objection that is made in the industry is that cameras can be purchased publicly for much less then what surveillance companies are selling them for. Often times the knowledge of the industry and technology is lacking and these items purchased at these public locations are bought off impulse.
Check Your Seller
One way to determine you are getting what you are paying for is the obvious.. check the source. I am personally not going to buy my new work truck at a motorcycle store. Why would you want to do the same with security cameras? Check your source and where you are purchasing the equipment from. Often times you get what you pay for.
Understand the Technology
Research and study the technology. You always want to take into consideration Light levels or LUX ratings, Lens sizes and viewing angles, Frame rates and video compressions and overall quality of the product. If you don’t understand the basic functionality of the product; how do you know what you are purchasing?
Quality Over Quantity
This stands true in any technology. You purchase the inexpensive MP3 Player it may not last as long as the Ipod. Same holds true with cameras. You want to purchase cameras that are moderately priced but not cheap but I don’t recommend going out and spending 1000.00 dollars on a single camera. Make sure the product you are purchasing is going to last and comes with a warranty or customer support.
Overall the moral of the passage is to study and research. Whether it is the company you are dealing with or the product you are purchasing. Check blogs and review sites. Talk to people who may have purchased and ask them their experiences. Remember you cannot put a price tag on value and security.
The Whole Puzzle, Not Just the Pieces
Filed under: CCTV Articles, CCTV Security DVR Cards, Security DVR
A lot of times when a consumer makes a purchase, they are solely focused on the immediate issue that they are trying to resolve. This is especially true when it comes to purchasing surveillance equipment. Most people focus on just the current situation at hand. They do not try to anticipate any further matters that they would encounter later on down the road. Assessing one’s entire place of business or residence is crucial when purchasing surveillance equipment. This is especially true since surveillance equipment can now be integrated with other systems such as point of sale and access control.
A single PC-based DVR now has the capabilities of video recording as well as recording POS time stamps and access control settings and records. Taking an extra hour to think about your application, do some personal research and maybe discuss it with a salesman or technician will save you hours and a significant amount of revenue in the long run. Properly planning out a system that is capable of meeting multiple needs may be a little more costly in the short term. But, it will save you from having to purchase additional equipment. You could also avoid having to pay additional shipping and possibly some return costs if you have to exchange for something totally different. It’s important to try and focus on the complete puzzle and not just the pieces.
Hurry Up and Slow Down!
We live in a fast paced world. And, things are getting faster as time progresses. People are always in a hurry. We are always racing against the clock in order to try and stay on top of things. We have schedules to keep and deadlines to make. Although, the world is constantly moving at a faster and faster rate, some things still take a significant amount of time to complete. Sometimes, we are so focused on finishing something that we do not take the time to think about how much time is really required in order to complete it. Therefore, we set unrealistic deadlines for ourselves and colleagues. Sometimes, we really do not know how long something will actually take until we start the process. People have the tendency to think that they do not have time to stop for a minute and calculate how much time is really involved in certain things. But, the truth is that taking the time to properly plan a project in the short term before it’s started will save a person a lot of wasted time in the long term.
Installing a surveillance system is no exception. Once people realize that they have a need for surveillance, they feel the urgency to acquire something, have it installed and working immediately. Of course, it’s always good to have everything completed that same day if possible, right? The truth is that since surveillance involves a whole lot more technology, than let’s say even five years ago, it’s complicated. A lot of factors are involved from the cameras themselves to the recording device and everything in between. Most people don’t realize this until they start specking out a system.
Even after realizing the complexity of a surveillance system, people still feel the sense of urgency to have something in place as soon as possible. If all things are not considered, then a person could be stuck with a surveillance system that doesn’t quite fit their needs. This could end up costing someone more time and money than they originally intended to invest.
The way to eliminate long term monetary costs and wasted time would be to take the necessary time to properly speck out exactly what is needed. Some of the factors that need to be considered are as follows: the environment that the cameras will be placed in, the quality of video desired, the range of coverage, the actual distances from the cameras to its point of connection to a recording device, the environment that the recording device will be placed in and sufficient power for all devices involved in the system.
These are just some generic factors. Obviously, there are more details involved. Every application is different. Some are more detailed and complex than others. Therefore, the best advice would be to hurry up and slow down when choosing a surveillance system that would best suit your needs!
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