Ever seeking a better way to conduct site surveys, Securitronics discovered digital system design platform System Surveyor. Using this cloud-based solution, Securitronics can create site surveys faster and collaborate more effectively across extended project teams. The company now has a more streamlined, integrated process – from sales to planning to installation – to deliver top-quality security solutions quickly and accurately.
“Overall, the information sharing is the best benefit of System Surveyor,” said Rivet. “The transparency and ability to collaborate around one digital system design is better for everyone involved, including the customer. The more informed customer is a great customer. In the long run, they know they can trust Securitronics to do outstanding work.”
About Securitronics Intelligent Security Solutions
Securitronics designs and delivers intelligent security and operations solutions for multi-tenant, commercial, healthcare, manufacturing, and other industries. A solutions-driven problem solver, Securitronics selects the right technology and integrated systems for every challenge. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York.
CHALLENGE: To Boldly Go Where No Site Survey Has Gone Before
Securitronics provides critical security solutions with technical response capabilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. President and CEO Terry Rivet works with a team of trained and certified technicians, system designers, estimators, project managers, and executives. The company does everything from new construction to add-ons to retrofits.
Like most companies in the industry, the sales team conducted site surveys with pencil and paper. At a customer site, salespeople would mark up a hard copy floor plan or drawing and take photos. Back at the office, they transferred their notes, data, and pictures to a computer, reconciled everything, and began the scope of work/design process.
“Doing site surveys on paper is tedious and inaccurate, but no other solution existed,” said Rivet. “I tried myself to create an electronic way to do site surveys back when we had PDAs.”
While better than the traditional approach, the PDA’s three-inch screen was limiting. Rivet was ahead of his time.
Then Apple launched the iPad®.
Rivet stated: “I got one of the first iPads when it came out. It’s still the only thing I ever stood in line for. I recreated my system and custom database on it. When I started to show a few people in the industry, they pointed me to System Surveyor. It was light years ahead of what I had created. It’s exactly what I needed.”
He began to incorporate System Surveyor into the company’s sales and design process.
SOLUTION: System Surveyor - Digital Map for Electronic Security Assets and More
System Surveyor, an intelligent system design platform, enables security professionals to gather all system requirements and IoT assets on an iPad® or Android-based tablet. Users can upload a floor plan or Google Earth snapshot to begin a system design, then collaborate visually with the customer on site to gather requirements.
With the tool’s interactive drag-and-drop interface, users can place system components on a “living” digital floor plan as they walk around with a client. They can also capture and annotate photos, choose the right products, track device details, produce a system layout, and more – all in one place.
Accessible via the cloud, the System Surveyor platform facilitates collaboration between the extended teams working on a project – from the integrator to subcontractors, vendors, and customers. The entire design/build process becomes easier, faster, and more accurate, reducing system re-designs, installation errors, and no cost change orders. As a result, System Surveyor customers experience increased sales, higher customer satisfaction rates, quicker project completion times, and enhanced long-term service levels.
RESULTS: Upgraded and Unified Sales, Planning and Installation
System Surveyor has helped Securitronics streamline its delivery of security solutions end-to-end, from the first site walk to installation. Designs can be shared with and adjusted by engineers, estimators, project managers, operations staff, technicians, subcontractors, customers, and others as part of an integrated process. With everyone working from one system of record, projects go more quickly and smoothly throughout a site’s lifecycle – from requirement collection and design to product selection and deployment.
Enhanced Sales Methodology/Customer Experience
With tablet in hand, Securitronics salespeople arrive on site ready to visually collaborate with their customer. They can collect all details right in the system. For example, a salesperson can determine a client’s needs for video surveillance and show exact placement of cameras and field of view. They can even choose the right cameras for each application.
Photo capture and annotation are built into the application, which automatically associates photos to each device. This digital, collaborative approach fosters more customer engagement and consensus from the beginning. Freed from cobbling together paper notes and photos back at the office, salespeople can focus on crafting a design more quickly.
Because System Surveyor is cloud-based, the sales team can ask others to easily collaborate on the design. For example, they invite subcontractors to review the drawings in System Surveyor. One of Securitronics’ subcontractors provides estimates straight from the platform, eliminating the time and expense of traveling to each site.
Once sales has a complete design, they hand it off to their estimators. A Securitronics estimator simply downloads the design from System Surveyor. No longer encumbered by spreadsheets, .pdfs, and other materials, estimators can deliver a proposal faster.
Simplified Customer Reviews and Approvals: From Large Enterprises to Small Businesses
Customers then review the proposal and drawings for final approvals: “In today’s world having a digital drawing accessible from anywhere is much easier for customers to comprehend,” said Rivet. “System Surveyor helps us get approvals more quickly.”
For instance, one of Securitronics’ largest customers has multiple types of properties across the globe. Rivet travels often for this client to conduct security audits and site surveys. He appreciates the ability to invite the customer as a guest in System Surveyor for reviews and corrections. The end user can make changes in the system such as adding a camera or switching a device’s color.
“Our customers appreciate the collaborative features of System Surveyor. This customer even has System Surveyor on the video wall in the company’s Command Center, so they can look at the drawings for any site at any time,” said Rivet.
In addition to security teams, many of Securitronics’ customers have multiple stakeholders who need a say in proposal review and approvals. For example, IT wants to know where the devices are going to be installed and how they are connecting to the network. Architects and engineers want to ensure that everything Securitronics designs looks nice on their building.
“If one of these stakeholders tells me they don’t want that camera in a certain place, for instance, System Surveyor lets me make that change on the fly,” said Rivet. “Once I do that, everybody along the stakeholder process knows what that change is and how it’s going to be handled.”
Better Informed Installation Team with Digital As-Built
The collaborative capabilities of the System Surveyor platform also facilitate installation as part of the Securitronics integrated process. After the customer signs off on the design and scope of work, the installation technicians use System Surveyor in the field. With access to all drawings, photos, and notes, they can complete the project more efficiently.
Techs can also make changes in System Surveyor to ensure that the latest design is in the system. Having a living as-built document is particularly valuable down the road for future projects and when the service department needs to be involved. Technicians are equipped with up-to-date information, improving labor efficiency, service levels, and customer relations.
“Overall, the information sharing is the best benefit of System Surveyor,” said Rivet. “The transparency and ability to collaborate around one digital system design is better for everyone involved, including the customer. The more informed customer is a great customer. In the long run, they know they can trust Securitronics to do outstanding work.”
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Customer
Securitronics -
Industry
Intelligent Security Solutions -
Headquarters
Rochester, NY
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