This is a no-brainer: Why does a customer prefer to work with a security services provider that can measure their own performance? It’s because those numbers give a customer peace of mind that they’re getting the level and quality of the services they’re paying  for.

As an owner or manager of a security service solutions provider, you need to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for your business in order to measure performance and efficiency. It’s important to pick the right KPIs to make sure you’re able to demonstrate how you’re meeting  – or exceeding – your customer’s expectations. Here’s a closer look at how to select KPIs for your mobile security operations:

Choose your mobile security operations KPIs with care

KPIs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The important thing is to select those that are appropriate for the services being provided. Let’s focus on a scenario where your risk assessment and requirements gathering has led you to propose a security package based on a blend of onsite guards and mobile guard patrols as a cost-effective solution to your customer’s challenges.

Managing your mobile security operations using a Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) solution ensures your field security patrols and responses are coordinated as efficiently as possible. You can also link your CAD solution to a security workforce management platform (that also includes a security guard tour system). This software allows you to fully automate your KPIs and offer data-supported Service Level Agreements (SLA) to your customers.

By combining software with training and equipment for your mobile teams, you can now consider these five smart KPIs for your field operations:

  1. Completion Rate

Having spent time with your customer analyzing security requirements, your ultimate goal is to achieve 100% of the site visits promised. That number means that the customer is receiving what they want and you can invoice all that has been agreed to.

  1. Response Time

Measuring response time is the ultimate efficiency measure and responding within the agreed-to response time is critical.

  1. Overtime

You set your staffing levels based on the anticipated volume of calls and service delivery. That said, you want to minimize the non-billable overtime incurred by shared service units in order to be profitable and get a precise view of your productivity.

  1. First-Time Fix Rate

By equipping mobile staff with all the information they need to properly access and respond to a site, you are driving first-time fix rates. Limiting the need to send additional or multiple units means you are more efficient.

  1. Customer Satisfaction

Have you ever had a customer ask the operations center when the response unit will arrive onsite? If your system is properly automated, you will be able to answer that question easily and support your customer’s peace of mind.

Being able to track customer queries also provides another useful metric to demonstrate service quality.

Understand the benefits of metrics

The above-mentioned KPIs will help drive customer satisfaction and retention. These KPIs will also deliver operational insight that can help you make data-driven business decisions to increase efficiency and profitability.

Other items that can propel customer satisfaction include: accurate invoices, incident reports sent to the right people, and reports that provide in-depth details of any incident. These are all possible when you’re using comprehensive security workforce management software to drive your operations.

The items in the list above have focused on customer and business owner satisfaction. At the same time, objective, clear KPIs can also motivate your people; using KPIs to align staff performance with business success is a way to drive team performance and engagement.

Stick to SMART KPIs

If you wish to identify other KPIs specific to your business, ensure that the objectives are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-sensitive). Keep in mind that less is more. Having too many KPIs can be difficult to manage and lead to more confusion.

While these examples are specific to a mobile security/shared services environment, KPIs can drive value in any security service setup. With a robust set of KPIs, and the right technology, you’ll find that you’re able to drive sustainable growth and attract the right talent. This will in turn help you stay ahead in a competitive market.