Think about this: having a system to train your security team remotely, giving access to all the functions necessary to bone-up on newer technologies. H&S Protection has that system, and it benefits our customers AND staff.
Any good training system should help your people get better at their jobs. Simple concept. In turn, as employees improve, their ability to design new systems, install them expertly, troubleshoot, and cleanup any issues benefits the end user – you, the customer. You get a system that operates more consistently and effectively.
We’ve been slowly building our in-house training capabilities the past several years at our Pewaukee WI office. If we were to wrap up what our training system can do, we’d say: Demo This! We can demonstrate how technologies work and experiment with them — giving our staff a much greater degree of comfort in working with customers as the world of security technology rapidly evolves.
For example, we can demonstrate five different types of Video Management Software (VMS). In the training area, our new technicians do their programming, getting the touch and feel of these systems. They can work by themselves or with a senior member of our team one-on-one. They can work from home and access the training as well. That allows for self-training. Sometimes we’ll even find a member of our sales team taking the reins to improve their knowledge.
From the field, our team can remotely dial into site cameras through alarm.com. We might have a team member up in Grafton, and they can unlock a door in Pewaukee. They can access the customer system and sometimes work through problems remotely.
For our smart home devices in alarm.com, we teach team members how to install before they head to the field. We also bring customers in for demonstrations so they can look and feel how to operate the systems and compare one to another. That’s a big advantage we offer customers! It’s a clear side-by-side comparison, letting the customer determine their preference by seeing how the system works. This gives customers an instantaneous feel for access control/video.
Our training demonstration area started out as a traveling board, and just got bigger and bigger. As Covid hit in 2020, we found we could add more products, and we now have a cloud-based access system set up in Waukesha to show all the functions available.
Another benefit this provides the customers of H&S is when we introduce a new product to the market. We learn and master the product from the vendor before introducing it to customers.
Our training area is an investment in our people, products and technology. It’s another tool we believe helps us perform better, and, quite frankly, we’ve found it’s a morale builder as our team learns together, figures out how to solve a problem, and sometimes even have a little healthy competition. An engaged workforce makes for a healthy and productive workplace, we believe.
We all know there are some people who don’t like change. We get it. They don’t want new technology. “Just give me what I always had. I know how to use it,” seems to be the refrain. But, with our demo area, we are able to change some of that perspective. We “show” them what we can do. We demonstrate how easy the functions can be. They get excited. We deliver buy-in. Our sales, technician/installation and customer service staff have found that excitement and we hope to have many more opportunities for customers to join in that excitement.