Over 30 years ago, Colonial Security Services was born from a small, family-run cleaning service in Pennsylvania when they recognized their client base would also benefit from security services. With an expanded business portfolio, the organization now boasts clients in over 30 states, has office locations in 18 major cities across the US, and employs over 775 security personnel. The firm services several verticals spanning residential and commercial real estate, logistics, higher education, healthcare, and, more recently, government sectors, including airports.
As the business grew, so did their need for technology to enhance efficiencies in their operations. Pen and paper tracking of security officers at multiple sites for scheduling and billing became too cumbersome for the organization to keep up with due to its rapid business growth.
1. Challenge: Falling Behind the Technology Curve
2. A Tailored Approach to Streamlining Workflows
3. Results: Innovation Through Automation
4. Going Beyond the Basics of Security Guard Tracking
5. Optimized Scheduling
6. Ditching the Spreadsheets
7. Driving Data-Based Insights for Client
8. Set Up for Success
It was becoming clear that to remain competitive, the team had to go digital. Colonial Security Services CEO and President Dave Jackson commented:
“Not having that cutting edge puts you far behind the curve in today’s marketplace. By having a strong technology platform, we can compete with larger players and stand out from companies that don’t offer these kinds of solutions to their customers.”
Challenge: Falling Behind the Technology Curve
With technological advances like AI and video surveillance propelling physical security forward, Colonial searched for a technology solution at the forefront of change and driving integrated data analytics.
The team looked at different solutions but wanted something beyond a security guard touring system. “We wanted an all-inclusive platform that captures relevant data and acts as a sixth sense for our officers in the field. Arming them with statistical analysis provides them with better situational awareness of where to go, how to get there, and what to do once there,” noted Jackson. The data reporting and analytics insights available in the TrackTik solution comprised Colonial’s entire operations and drove the team’s purchase decision.
Externally, the TrackTik solution provides plenty of visibility into security guard activity to enhance productivity and keep officers safe in the field. Colonial Security knew the platform would help ensure client sites were secure and that guards performed duties as expected with more information at their fingertips.
TrackTik would also eliminate many internal administrative headaches the growing firm was facing. “Consolidating our once manual processes into a centralized management tool like TrackTik benefitted us tremendously,” shared Derek Salisbury, VP of Business Development at Colonial Security Solutions. “The data pulled from TrackTik’s workforce management software has been a game-changer, from streamlined hiring and onboarding procedures to speeding up billing and accounts receivable functions.”
A Tailored Approach to Streamlining Workflows
Making the most of their TrackTik solution was a top priority for the team at Colonial Security, so they worked on building a training regimen that would work best for their learning style. The TrackTik training team considered their needs and now has Colonial Security feeling like they realize the technology’s capabilities.
“We saw so much flexibility from the TrackTik team in building a custom training program that considered the style of learners we all are here. We appreciated being a part of those conversations and recognize the training team had to pivot for us to get up to speed,” remarked Jackson. “We loved how intuitive TrackTik was. We’ve since built our internal video training series to get our officers to self-learn with helpful how-tos.”
Results: Innovation Through Automation
Better business outcomes are what Colonial Security has come to expect using TrackTik software to automate their manual processes. The all-in-one system can provide answers across the organization and client sites so that management is always aware of how security operations are going and can pinpoint opportunities for improvement
Going Beyond the Basics of Security Guard Tracking
TrackTik allows officers to provide much more context when completing security guard tours in the field. Colonial Security is taking advantage of uploading photos and NFC tags within incident reports so clients can see what is happening on-site. Colonial Security set up tours, schedules, and site-specific reporting quickly inside the intuitive TrackTik platform, and officers were up and running on the system within a couple of hours. With real-time clock-ins, clock-outs, and shift change reports requiring signoffs, Colonial Security can hold guards accountable so clients receive accurate billing and can ensure productivity levels are where they should be.
Optimized Scheduling
Before TrackTik, the Colonial Security dispatch team struggled to keep track of employee shifts and availability. With integrated systems that automate these backend processes, staff save incredible time while ensuring that scheduling and subsequent billing and payroll are accurate. “With TrackTik combining scheduling, billing, and payroll in one place, we’re putting the best product in front of our clients. We know we’re scheduling the right officer for the right job at the right pay rate at all times,” noted Jackson. “We’re not overloading officers, and we’re not scheduling at overtime rates unnecessarily.” Shift changes can be accommodated in the system on the fly as TrackTik identifies every security guard that meets post requirements, has the proper certifications, and lives within a specified distance to quickly fill any scheduling gaps. This seamlessly occurs behind the scenes, so the client is never inconvenienced.
Ditching the Spreadsheets
The complete package of the TrackTik solution made it so appealing to the Colonial Security team. It wasn’t just about digitizing manual processes but also unlocking new efficiencies. When realizing the full potential of the TrackTik suite of solutions, Colonial discovered they could consolidate four different software applications into one. The TrackTik platform now replaced applications for administrative tasks like payroll, scheduling, invoicing, and guard monitoring capabilities. This centralized management helped reduce human error as only one place for input was required. Staff no longer wasted time switching between applications and duplicating data entry into several portals.
“It used to take us nearly a day and a half to complete payroll; now we’re done in minutes. – Dave Jackson, CEO and President of Colonial Security Services Colonial Security Services Case Study
Driving Data-Based Insights for Client
Informed decision-making was the ultimate goal for Colonial Security, including gaining access to data points that could easily be shared with its customers. Pinpointing areas of improvement or unlocking better ways of operating for clients is a crucial benefit of analyzing the data inside the TrackTik solution.
Jackson talked about how he’s already seen these data insights play out for streamlining operations. “After analyzing several data points and incident reporting for a client, we identified inactivity at a certain post under 24-hour surveillance. With data to back us up, we can recommend a cost-effective strategy to reduce coverage at a post that didn’t require round-the-clock guarding.” The Colonial Security team hopes to share this kind of best practice with other clients as they analyze the data coming in.
Set Up for Success
Through its partnership with TrackTik, Colonial Security Services successfully navigated its digital transformation journey, embracing technology in the evolving security landscape. As Jackson noted, “TrackTik technology has allowed us to grow and mature as a business, helping us keep pace with security industry giants.”
Client satisfaction will only continue to grow as the team at Colonial Security builds out their customer portals for sharing security guard performance insights at a glance. This seamless client experience is central to Colonial’s commitment to its customers. The ability to self-serve will only help build customer confidence in the data and showcase how Colonial provides value to its clients.
