Managing a security team is no simple task. From hiring the right staff to ensuring that all guards are scheduled properly, guard force management can be time consuming, leaving you less bandwidth to focus on the activities that help grow your business.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Effective guard force management is far easier to achieve than you might think, especially thanks to the increasing availability of automated systems specifically designed for guard teams. Read more for a closer look at how the automated processes that are now available can help you and your staff save time on key management tasks.

Scheduling

Guard Force Management: How Automated Processes Will Save You Time
Scheduling is a constant concern

Guard scheduling is without a doubt one of the most time-consuming responsibilities any security management team has to deal with. Scheduling is a constant concern, with several variables that managers need to take into consideration. From accommodating client security requirements to accounting for time-off requests and other availability concerns – ensuring that the right guards get assigned to the right shifts requires a lot of work.

Thankfully, today’s automation technologies have greatly streamlined the scheduling process. Scheduling platforms provide a comprehensive view of your guards and clients, making it easy to check client requirements and guard availability in one convenient location. Recurring shifts can even be fully automated to appear on each week’s schedule.

Better yet, these scheduling systems automatically send guards a notification when they receive a new assignment, cutting down on communication needs. Such conveniences greatly reduce how much time your office staff needs to spend on these tasks, while also reducing the human error that can creep into the scheduling process.

Dispatch management

From ensuring that guards have arrived on time at their shift to keeping incident reports properly organized, managing your guard team while they’re on the job also requires work. Automation tools simplify key tasks for both guards and back-office staff to increase efficiency.

For example, back-office systems feature attendance modules that provide a real-time view as to whether a guard has shown up for their shift on time. GPS tracking and geo-fencing also provide live insights into guard activities, allowing management to know what’s going on without the need for constantly checking in.

Automated reporting systems also simplify paperwork for guards, allowing them to submit reports quickly and with greater accuracy. Reporting apps automatically input time and location stamps, while marking other fields as “required” to ensure that all necessary information is recorded and transmitted directly to back-office staff. No need to wait for physical paperwork when everything is submitted digitally!

Payrolls and invoices

The convenience of automated scheduling, guard tracking, and reporting also carries over into managing employee payroll and invoicing. Scheduling and reporting data (including information related to time-off requests, sick days, and holiday work) can be easily integrated into your company’s payroll systems, ensuring that information only needs to be inputted once to create an accurate payroll.

These systems also make it much easier to create, send, and track invoices so you can stay on top of your cash flow. With automated reporting and invoicing, you don’t have to worry about a key invoice getting lost in a stack of paperwork. Many automated systems even provide detailed breakdowns of the costs and revenue associated with each client site, allowing you to easily identify which clients are the most profitable for your business.

Becoming more effective than ever

As you take advantage of the automation tools available to today’s security guard teams, you’ll be better equipped than ever before to effectively manage your staff. As you and your back-office staff are able to reduce how much time you spend on mundane (yet essential) guard-management tasks, you’ll have more time for the things that will grow your business. Making more effective use of your time will deliver both short and long-term benefits that will allow for a safer work environment.