Commercial surveillance systems are a must-have for any business owner or manager. They help protect company assets, reduce shrinkage and theft, and maintain employee safety.
Investing in a modern cloud video system that offers the right features can help you take advantage of these benefits. Here are some tips to help you select the right solution for your business:
Employee Theft Prevention
Employee theft affects businesses across the board, and it’s mainly a concern for small businesses that lack a lot of capital to protect their assets. It can take away a business’s financial stability and cause it to go out of business, so it’s essential to ensure you are doing everything possible to prevent theft at your company.
Commercial surveillance systems can be valuable to your employees and your business. They can help you catch employees who are suspected of stealing, and they can also deter shoplifting or other illegal behavior.
In addition to catching thieves in the act, commercial surveillance systems can also help you document employee-customer interactions. For example, if a customer claims they were lied to by an employee, you can check a security camera system for evidence of this claim.
Theft prevention starts with the hiring process: Screen out applicants who are prone to theft by conducting background checks and getting references from previous employers. This will help you avoid hiring people with poor character who may not be the best fit for your company.
It’s also a good idea to create a zero-tolerance policy for theft and follow it strictly. Employees who steal should be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension or termination. It’s important to communicate this policy clearly and ensure you have the necessary resources to enforce it.
Customer Theft Prevention
Loss prevention teams looking to maximize their ROI from commercial surveillance systems must consider camera placement carefully. The type of store or products being protected should inform the system design – dense coverage of a jewelry store, for example, may help to deter theft.
Additionally, cameras can monitor customers and provide a visual record of any suspicious activity. This provides evidence for a police investigation and the ability to recover any items stolen.
For high-end stores that sell expensive jewelry or watches, loss prevention teams will want to invest in a higher resolution system to identify suspects and verify they stole the product. This can be accomplished by having the cameras zoom in on the items and capture facial shots.
Businesses also want to ensure they have enough storage space for the videos they capture. This will depend on the resolution they need and how long they want to archive the footage.
Another benefit of having a business security system is that it can be a factor in reducing insurance premiums. For instance, a retail store with CCTV cameras is considered a low-risk business by insurance companies, and thus they will charge a lower premium.
In addition, the use of security cameras improves employee productivity. Having footage to refer to on the job gives employees confidence that they can make the correct decision when they see someone misbehaving. This boosts employee satisfaction and contributes to higher customer service scores.
Employee Distractions
Using technology in the workplace can be a great thing, but it can also be a distraction. It is essential to set clear expectations, monitor internet activity, and work with employees to help them improve their productivity.
Constantly distracted employees can be a major threat to the success of your business. A recent study by ReportLinker found that nearly 40% of workers are distracted during the workday due to email and instant message notifications. This can cause a severe decrease in productivity, especially when it is combined with telepressure when employees feel pressure to answer an incoming message immediately.
Using commercial surveillance systems can be a good way to help reduce these distractions. This will also increase the security of your business and its contents.
For example, video cameras can help you catch a shoplifter in the act, preventing theft at your store. You can then contact the police to help you take action against them.
Aside from preventing theft, these systems can also help you avoid distractions of the employee. They can help you identify those wasting time in non-work activities such as cyberloafing (web browsing during work hours).
Distractions can also lead to severe accidents on the job. For instance, distracted driving is a major safety issue for road and bridge construction crews and other heavy machinery workers. Distractions can be a major factor in more than 87% of motor vehicle crashes.
Intruder Detection
An excellent commercial surveillance system will help you protect your business from theft and damage and alert security personnel if someone breaks into your premises. These systems use specialized sensors to monitor and alert you when an intruder breaks into a building or a perimeter fence.
This will stop intruders before they damage your property or employees. Using an experienced security integrator will ensure that you get a reliable, secure, and simple-to-use intrusion detection system.
Intruder alarm systems can detect an intruder entering an unauthorized area and alert authorities through phone lines, the Internet, radio, or cellular systems. They typically send a coded signal to a monitoring facility where automation software interprets the message and dispatches the appropriate authorities.
Intrusion detectors and alarms can also monitor changes in environmental conditions inside buildings that could harm people or equipment. This includes temperature variations, moisture levels, and other potential dangers to building occupants.
Another critical aspect of a good commercial surveillance system is the ability to record and archive footage. This will vary depending on your needs, but most vendors offer a wide range of storage options, including the ability to pay for long-term or infinite storage and use external hard drives.
