Security operations are propelled by decisions – make the right, timely call and you can avert threats; make the wrong, mistimed one(s) and you compromise the safety and reputation of your firm as well as the assets under your care. The end-goal behind the correct call is to get the right guard at the right place at the right time.
Arriving at the right decision requires you to plow through data and system clutters that we have surrounded ourselves with today. But what if you could take action with the right decision every time and do so at lightning-fast speeds?
Bridging the gap between data and action is TrackTik’s Back Office Suite. This software solution is engineered to bring fluidity to your operations as it seamlessly integrates with the TrackTik on-site and mobile guard management suites. What this does is that it consolidates the controls of your entire security operations in one easy-to-use platform.
In fact, TrackTik brings it all together by setting your guard’s schedules, viewing their real-time locations, dispatching posts and shift orders by reacting to unforeseen circumstances, and finally, billing and invoicing your clients with transparency and accuracy like never before. The full extent of the TrackTik software will bring synergy to your operations. Read on to find out how!
Technology as a force and relationship multiplier
Before diving into the benefits of the industry-leading security workforce management software, you might be asking yourself – is technology really beneficial for my security firm? And you’re not alone in asking this question. Many workers in the security world are known to be wary of technology’s tentacles seeping into their security operations.
Businesses, like individuals, are unique and you could argue that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for every business. In the world of security, you might not have the same objectives or the same relationships with your clients and stakeholders like your competitors. Furthermore, security is about relationships and meeting the complex needs of your clients.
However, even in the case of a multi-layered service like physical security, technology can play a significant part in strengthening relationships. If applied properly, technology can act as your force multiplier.
Smart technology can become your eyes and ears with a persistence and consistency that is unattainable using strictly human labour. With a constant activity feed update, your security personnel and decision makers will have the time to evaluate threats effectively and alleviate any risks or unforeseeable circumstances with a never-before-seen agility.
Build a mature security program
The reality is that security environments are evolving and security stakeholders are seeking out dynamic providers that offer an end-to-end service. Technology is almost a prerequisite to meeting these new types of demands. As the smart technology and information revolution comes of age with a myriad of applications, industries are learning to appropriate technology for their own unique cases, carving out a competitive edge.
Meanwhile, the security industry too is coming to terms with this new agenda; convergence between technology and the physical world or the cyber and physical security space is ongoing. But only a few years ago, security was still an amorphous art. Arriving at that magical right decision was the result of smaller decisions and processes riddled with guesswork and tedious admin hours. This hit-and-miss approach to security operations was mysterious at the risk of reputations and safety.
Today, with the advent of the right tools, assessing and neutralizing threats is no longer an inexact science. Data points were always there but gathering and harvesting their potential seemed implausible. Now, data is collected and streamlined into the decision-making portals seamlessly. With a few easy clicks, you can arrive at critical conclusions.
So, what exactly can you do with a software like TrackTik?
1. Gain unparalleled insight
Gather intelligence on your security operations from various data entry points in one centralized system to better understand your vulnerabilities, identify areas of improvement and plan for your future needs.
In a one-stop solution, find this information organized and readily available in the form of reports and charts that can be easily shared with your intended stakeholders for a level of transparency that’s never existed in the security space.
2. Harvest your data
TrackTik’s comprehensive software solution consolidates your various information sources to reduce the backlog of tedious data preparation. By automating your back-end or administrative processes, the TrackTik system kicks into gear by sifting through large volumes of data and funneling them into the right channels.
Data swamp build ups are wiped out as accurate data is pulled from your operations and fed into payroll, billing and invoicing prep to uphold employee and customer satisfaction. You’ll never be bogged down by inefficient and exhaustive admin work again!
3. Deliver quality service to your security stakeholders
With a streamlined process and an intelligent system churning out the right information, you can focus on demonstrating service delivery according to your customers’ needs. By never missing a beat in your service, you will be tuned in to the requirements of your stakeholders and your business will prosper.
What’s inside TrackTik’s Back Office Suite?
Like the Mobile and Guarding Suite before it, the TrackTik Back Office Suite is a tool designed for the sole purpose of taking security operations to the next-level. Going one step further from the functionalities of the two other suites, the Back Office Suite focuses on improving operational efficiency by saving time and reducing errors linked to your back-office functions.
With a scheduling, payroll preparation, and billing solution that’s integrated into your on-site and mobile guard management platform. You can easily connect your contract terms to your guard scheduling and manage personnel availability in a few clicks.
Integrated with all these features is built-in business intelligence that can help you improve efficiency, save time and reduce errors. The system’s in-depth analytics include an overview of your top ten customers, your sales-per-service type, and many more customizable options to fit your needs and priorities. Thanks to this granular level of detail, you can see where you are the most profitable, where you can improve, and how you can push the envelope and set new industry benchmarks.
With its two Modules — the Scheduling and Contracts & Invoicing Modules — the TrackTik Back Office Suite will give you a taste of a one-stop-shop software solution that will bring synergy to your operations.
Scheduling Module: Set the right schedule every time
The Scheduling Module gives you a real-time overview of your staff’s shifts and links your service contracts to your operations. When you’re in the dark about your ground operations, it’s harder to adapt to last-minute changes or tackle overtime spending. By gaining knowledge of what’s happening in real-time, you will find yourself in a position to drive operational excellence across your security services.
With detailed scheduling data and built-in reactionary tools to shift exceptions, you can ensure the optimal use of your resources and boost the accuracy, efficiency and compliance of your back-office functions. Match the right skill set to the right task, and more.
1. Develop a staffing strategy
Instead of relying on guesswork to match guards to shifts and sites, you can automate these tedious tasks and create a staffing strategy that will benefit your operations in the future. While you’re at it, you can also monitor trends and identify opportunities of improvement.
Using predictive analytics and smart tools such as ‘employee availability’, ‘overtime prevention’ and ‘unconfirmed shift’ to allocate your resources in the most impactful way possible and create the best guard schedule possible.
2. React to last-minute changes
When things don’t go according to plan, there is no need to panic anymore. You don’t have to pick up the phone or send out a mass email, hoping for someone, anyone to pick up. You don’t have to experience finger fatigue anymore and risk making a costly decision just to accommodate changing circumstances.
With TrackTik’s Back Office Suite, you can now deal with interruptions in availability and attendance with a few easy clicks and save time on tedious manual rescheduling efforts. By using SMS shift offering tools and other nifty features, you can reach out to the appropriate staff in just a few minutes.
3. Communicate with your front-line staff
One of the biggest impediments to ensuring quality security service delivery was the difficult communication channels between the front and back ends of the office. With TrackTik’s Back Office, you can now bridge the gap between your officers and your administrative support staff to better track accountability and gain visibility at all times. Using a messaging board and ‘post order acknowledgement’ features, you can stay connected with ground employees at all times.
Ensure your lone workers’ safety through a viable link to your back-end. By providing protection to your lone worker, you are effectively setting an industry benchmark and becoming a beacon for employee protection. Clients will also consider you a more trustworthy source for lone worker security.
4. Find the best person for the job
Use the live schedule dashboard to manage shifts, time logs, employee check ins, and shift alerts in real time. In this control panel or digital bulletin board of sorts, view vacant shifts and then find the appropriate person for the post by matching skill requirements and employees’ distances (in urgent cases) from the site or sites requiring a guard.
Contracts and Invoicing Module: Showcase the value of your services to your customers
For security service providers, the Contracts and Invoicing Module in TrackTik’s Back Office Suite is an invaluable tool that makes customer billing easy. Stay on top of the clutter and seamlessly curate the data needed to create, correct and distribute invoices to your clients. At the same time, you won’t miss a beat by recording payments and credit memos, making sure you never lose track of your profit-generating activities and stay accountable to your stakeholders.
Another benefit is that you can ensure employee satisfaction by curating and preparing their payroll data on time, everytime. Using the large volumes of payroll data stacked inside this Module, take a step back and monitor trends to keep adrift of future shortcomings, among other things.
1. Display an exact account of your services
Avoid unnecessary spending and make sure to demonstrate value and return on your budget by creating contracts, defining services and bill items. Use ‘customizable price tiers’ and ‘bill premiums’ to tackle complex terms in your service agreement. You can keep your clients in-the-loop through a ‘client portal’ displaying information you would like for them to have access to.
2. Customize your contracts
Align your operations to deliver on your contract commitments and simplify your invoicing process to increase the satisfaction of your stakeholders. By building and managing your clients’ contracts with a recurring billing cycle, deliver on your service standards to your clients.
3. Prepare payroll-ready data
Avoid manually reconciling scheduling data with payroll and billing data to reduce errors and save time. Customize your payroll frequency and set pay tiers according to posts. You can also reward your employees for their hard work.
Centralize and experience synergy
As organizations continue to grow and information bombards decision-makers, it’s becoming even more important to organize a seamless flow of data. Easing these data channels can reduce business backlogs and stalled decisions that can go so far as to impound profits.
Eliminating the bottlenecks, minimizing human errors, reducing time spent migrating and reconciling data can be crucial in today’s cut-throat business environments. In light of these developments, advocates of centralized systems vouch for collaborative technology that can speak to all levels of organizations relatively easily.
The leaner structure that is afforded through centralized systems is also more cost effective as well as more transparent. For businesses with large portfolios and convoluted structures, the creation and persistence of data silos are almost inevitable. To rid this problem, a central source of information with degrees of access can put everyone on the same page no matter the breadth of the organization.
For the complex data needs of today, the TrackTik Back Office Suite’s in-depth analytics include an overview of your top ten customers, your sales per service type, and many more customizable options to fit your needs and priorities. Thanks to this level of detail, you can see where you are the most profitable, where you can improve, and how you can get to the next level.
