10 Considerations For Hiring The Right Security Company

Trusting a company with your security is a large commitment, so it certainly isn’t one you want to rush into. Your business will have a swath of unique wants and needs, and each security company will offer slightly different services. As such, it’s worth committing enough time to researching the best options for you.
That said, research can often be extremely time consuming, so to help streamline the process for you here are our 10 key factors worth considering when choosing a security company.

Reviews and word of mouth is a fantastic place to start. The foremost place to find customer reviews is, of course, online. However, if you are in close contact with other companies who utilise security services it can be even more valuable to speak to businesses similar to yours. This not only lets you know what security providers they use and trust but can also help you to avoid any mistakes they may have done in the past.

Your business is unique, and you have unique needs. As such it’s vital that you find out early on whether the company offers the services you require. For example, if you require a manned security service, key holding and a night patrol you’ll need to do some searching to find a business that will satisfy all your needs.

It goes without saying that when you hire someone you want to be hiring a professional. As such, you should always double check that the security guards hold an SIA license. The SIA (Security Industry Authority) is the regulatory body for private security and ensure that a certain standard is upheld. Not only is hiring a non-qualified guard a bad decision for the safety of your business but practicing or hiring security services without the proper qualification is against the law. So, to avoid unforeseen fines or even up to six months imprisonment double check that they are fully qualified with the SIA.

Qualification aside, officers often have skills extending beyond security alone. First aid is a common skill, for example. It can be a cost-effective solution to hire multi-talented security officers.

Very few things are substitutes for experience. Being an active business for many years doesn’t necessarily denote quality but it does suggest a higher level of competence. Services with extensive experience will often also offer a wider variety of services, officers and have a plethora of previous clients who can testify their quality.

Depending on your requirements, you may want to hire a security company with certain levels of flexibility—such as short term-contracts, emergency cover and night watch. Alternatively, you may be wanting to test the water, looking for a service you can easily up or down scale without being locked into a long contract. Be sure to understand your specific needs before hiring and ensure that your service fits those needs.

Good customer service is a must for any service as it ensures queries or troubles are dealt with quickly and effectively, while keeping you satisfied. Low prices way below the competition can often imply customer service issues, so be sure to factor good customer service into your perception of a value service.

Fantastic customer service starts with being able to get in touch with your service with ease. If it takes a long time for your potential provider to respond to email queries, this could be a red flag. Both because it suggests poor customer service and it implies they do not value your query. Of course, long inquiry response times can be for other reasons, but it’s important that you feel your security service will respond quickly if there ever is an urgent problem that needs solving.

Guard tracking can provide valuable piece of mind. It allows you to keep track of where your guards are when and, ultimately, if they are doing their job. Thus, it’s a feature that can be well worth the additional cost.

Value is the word when it comes to buying any service. And while it’s easy to be sucked in by an effective sales pitch or a low price, it’s always worth looking back at yourself, and your business. First consider your original budget, then the features that are being offered and the overall feeling you get about the company after reading reviews and communicating with them in person. If you feel like you are getting good value while sticking within your budget, you’re probably along the right lines.

Now that you have a few tools by which to measure any potential security company, you are ready to search. Again, ensure you do commit enough time to this stage as you never want to feel like you have made the wrong decision after signing a contract!

During your search why not consider TGF security. We are a market-leading security company working in both the public and private sectors, offering a wide range of services across various locations throughout England’s west midlands.