When thinking of ways to streamline the work of their security guard company, most managers focus on what they can do to improve the efficiency of their back-office staff. While improvements in this area can certainly prove highly beneficial, it’s worth noting that optimizing your guards’ time is also a highly worthwhile endeavor.

Many companies find that using a security guard app can have a powerful impact on their team’s work. By increasing guard accountability and streamlining many of the more mundane tasks associated with guard patrols, these helpful apps optimize time for your entire staff, allowing you to deliver better results so you can gain (and retain) top clients in your area.

Here’s a closer look at how a security guard app can make a difference for your team:

GPS tracking

Security Guard Apps: How to Properly Optimize Your Staff’s Time
Security guard apps use GPS tracking so back-office staff are always aware of where their guard is and what they are doing.

Guard accountability is a serious concern for many security managers. How can they be sure that their guards are arriving on time and completing their shifts as expected? With a security guard app, such concerns aren’t an issue thanks to the use of GPS tracking technology.

Security guard apps use GPS tracking so back-office staff are always aware of where their guard is and what they are doing.

These apps integrate with digital checkpoints and geo-fencing zones so that office staff receive instant alerts any time a guard doesn’t arrive at a checkpoint on time or enters or leaves an area without authorization.

Such measures greatly increase accountability for all involved in a patrol, ensuring that your guards deliver the right level of performance every time.

Improved communications

Even when you have high-performing employees, ensuring that back-office staff and guards on patrol can quickly communicate is essential when dealing with the unexpected. This can range from changes in shift assignments to new client requests or even the need to provide emergency support at another location.

Security guard apps enable instant communication. Back-office staff can transmit messages and other important updates through a call, text message, or even via push notification. At the same time, the app’s system can enable the guard to quickly provide an acknowledgement that they received the update without needing to call back. This allows them to quickly follow through on any new instructions they may have received — an absolute must when dealing with time-sensitive orders.

Simplified reporting

Security guard apps also help optimize your guards’ time by simplifying the reporting process. Rather than needing to fill out a paper report and submit it to the main office, modern apps allow guards to provide all the necessary information in an easy-to-use and fully customizable form. These systems help reduce the workload by automating timestamp and location-based information, while also marking key fields as required to ensure all important data is submitted properly.

Combined with the ability to upload photo or video content, these accessible reporting tools make it far easier for guards to submit accurate and informative incident reports, as well as standard shift summaries. By eliminating much of the hassle associated with standard reporting procedures, your guards will feel better equipped to handle this essential task.

Get more from your team’s time

As the above features illustrate, using a security guard app can greatly increase the overall efficiency of your team. As you take advantage of these resources to streamline your guards’ work, they’ll be better positioned to focus on their patrol, ensuring that you deliver the level of performance your clients expect. As your team consistently delivers high-quality work, you’ll be better positioned to keep your current clients, gain valuable referrals, and grow your security guard business.