Liability vs. Responsibility

Your staff is an extension of you. You can either deflect the blame or accept the responsibility.

Staffing

Matching your staff to the clients needs and predicting the clients needs are key in every business relationship. Not only does proper selection of a security  staff help ensure two things; a positive security staff, and confidence by the client about your staff.

Selection

You may be too busy to evaluate every single employee prior to assigning a post, but this is where your key support staff can shine. Hopefully, you have an onsite staff and a chain of command in place. Your command staff have an understanding of the current staff and the responsibilities required, so let them also interview potential new officers. 

Pay rate

This is always a challenge and at times the biggest obstacle. You are forever in competition with other security companies and fast food chains, which makes it tough, but not impossible. After all, how many times has the fast food place messed up your order?

Exactly.

So, how do we compare a ten dollar mistake to a multi-million dollar mistake to a client?

You must demonstrate value. You do this by explaining in detail, the hiring and training process. You would not hire people that will mess up your hamburger order, you hire professional security officers.

Demonstrate value

Clients are people too. Like everyone else on the planet, they pay for value if they understand the total value of your services. They want to pay for the best, because it’s their responsibility along with yours to provide a safe and secure workplace.

Therefore, use all your knowledge of the business to promote everything you have done. Now is not the time to be shy. You know this business and you have an amazingly well-trained security team that understands their responsibilities.

If you have other accounts, this gives you an amazing opportunity to show off your skilled security staff.

First, identify a similar environment to your potential client. Request from your current client an on site visit. Use this opportunity to shine! Your security officers, (not guards) will reflect the cost and the value of a well-trained security department. Allow the client to view and ask questions of the security officers along with the amount of responsibility the officers face daily.

Point out the amount of S.O.P’s (Standard Operating Procedures) each officer is responsible for. Work in how the security staff are part of the community they are assigned to protect. Show the emotional connection they have by ensuring the client and its community are not only protected by the current S.O.P.’s, but forward thinking on behalf of the Security staff has benefited everyone.

Actions not words

Ensure your officers completely understand your mission statement and are proactive. Being proactive is important to both you and your clients. It demonstrates your commitment to the client and your security officers ability to identify and overcome possible incidents.

Proactive means, never staying the same. It’s so important that you and your company are proactive and always finding and trying new ways that protect the communities you are assigned to protect.

Final thoughts

Change, progress, and implement new ideas. Listen to your clients needs and concerns, but also listen the security officers you put your trust in. This does not mean every idea will be successful the first time, it means try. I would rather have unsuccessfully idea than a stagnate department.

Never discard your security officers ideas. I don’t know how many times I had officers suggest a new process that offered great ideas. It’s using their input along with the company’s ideas that makes this an amazing opportunity for everyone. I never discard an idea or disregard idea given to me by my officers-this encourages growth of your officers.