Take a look at your cell phone. Chances are you probably have an iPhone, Samsung, LG, HTC, or Motorola. But when was the last time you thought about Nokia? 10 years ago, Nokia probably would’ve been your cell phone of choice, but now it’s very unlikely. DVD, game, and video rental stores have also fallen to the wayside with the emergence of OnDemand and Netflix. I’ve personally seen and consulted for companies around the world that struggle with changing technology and how they should be making business improvements to change along with it. The rapid pace of innovation requires a proactive mindset, which is why as a leader in an industry where technology is driving us forward, this is obviously a focus for us.

So how are we responding to changing technology? We’re focusing on several different areas of our business all while keeping you, the customer, at the forefront of these initiatives. It’s no surprise that technology is changing how companies everywhere run their businesses. For many of us smartphone users, we can access our work email, spreadsheets, business statistics, and even key performance indexes at home, at a lunch meeting, or on our commutes. Business intelligence is now available in real-time. We no longer have to wait to make business decisions while waiting for a report to print. Select Security has adopted several different technologies to improve our processes. Software, such as WeSuite and SedonaOffice, are creating efficiencies in several different departments and helping us make those business decisions without having a lengthy report in front of us.

As some of you may know from my previous blogs, we are taking a strategic look at how and why we do what we do through our Sacred Cow Project. Through our various committee meetings, we have identified areas of business in which we could use emerging technologies to better streamline some of our company core processes. We have begun to use tools, like Formstack, to automate sales paperwork, better communicate with you, our customers, and improve on internal reporting. Formstack is just one example of the many technologies we have at our fingertips to improve upon business practices which in turn improves your experience as a customer.

Which brings up how changing technology is improving the customer experience. As consumers, you have technology at your disposal to research new products and services, make purchases, and maintain your relationship with the company you purchased from. Businesses should be using technology to connect with their customers and provide a world-class experience. Remember all those times a company has asked for your email address? Some companies ask so they can bombard you with advertising and sales, but we have a higher purpose. Select Security’s Customer Care Team collects customer emails in order to keep them informed about their upcoming service visits. Technology is even changing what those emails look like. Your customer care representative can now populate those emails to include appointment times and dates, information regarding your upcoming visit, and a photo of the technician coming to service your system so you know who to expect. You may have even noticed the technology our account executives use during the sales process. They are each equipped with tablets to automate paperwork and make the sale of your new system an interactive process.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term, “there’s an app for that.” Well, there’s an app for your Select Security system. We created the Select Security iPhone and Android app to make your experience more interactive while providing you with convenience. You can view your invoices and pay bills, request a service call or check on existing tickets. You can view training in Select University, control your Alarm.com powered system, and even have 1-click access to our secure operation center to cancel a false alarm if needed.

Technology, especially in electronic security, is changing so fast that we’ve needed to come up with new ways of conveying new products and services to our customers. One of the tools we will be using to speak to business leaders who have the same interests in security and life safety, is our hosted events. Beginning in January, we will be hosting a series of small discussions at each of our branches. We’ve invited some of the most innovative technology manufacturers to share some of the newest and coolest technologies available to them. We find it extremely important to not only talk to business leaders about the value of security but also how technology can provide a higher level of safety and create operational efficiencies that could save money too. With these hosted events, we hope to reach new vertical markets and differentiate ourselves as a leader in business security and technology.

It’s not only important to convey changing technology to our customers, but also our team members. We are doing this through Select University, and our unofficial Dean, Bob Grove, and his team are developing courses, trainings, and videos to keep both team members and customers informed about changing technologies. This program has been successful in making sure our entire team is prepared to serve our customers. We are able to track what products and services our technicians and sales professionals have been trained on to ensure you get the best service and experience.

As I begin to look at areas of focus for 2016 and reflect on what changes are occurring right now, I’m excited about what’s happening in the electronic security industry. Changing technology is enabling security companies, like us, to provide better and innovative products and services to our customers. And there’s plenty more on its way.