The world today is filled with chaos from robbery, arson, and violence to extortion and vandalism. Therefore, hiring a security company is vital for any organization to carry out its operations safely. There are countless security agencies in the market, but how do you make yours stand out from the rest?
Managing security personnel may be daunting, especially if the security company’s facility manager is tasked with tracking multiple guards. That’s why such companies ought to embrace a security guard checkpoint system to manage guard tours, monitor officers, and conduct reports. The benefits accrued from a security checkpoint system include:
- Ease of accountability and validation of guard tours.
- Enhancing simplicity of work.
- Real-time reporting (including sending notifications to clients).
- Improved reliability.
- Seamless planning of guard tours.
Guard tour systems could be divided into 2 major categories:
– Wand guard tour systems which utilize handheld devices.
– Cloud guard tour systems that use modern mobile and cloud-based technology.
How can a single manager ensure that each officer he assigns a patrol area carries out his or her task? A security guard checkpoint system aims at recording employee activities and ensuring that they stick to all their duties. To check or record the time that a guard takes to complete his tour, a manager can scan specific checkpoints in the area allocated to the person.
But first, what’s a checkpoint?
Checkpoints are identifiers of a location that a guard needs to visit during a patrol.
There are various guard tour systems in the market, and below is a guide on the QR-Patrol system that features multiple checkpoints.
QR-Patrol guard tour checkpoint system
QR-Patrol is an automated guard tour checkpoint system that aids security agencies upgrade their security status using technology and monitor guard’s activities. The system is unique since it features four types of checkpoints: QR-Codes, NFC tags, beacons, and virtual checkpoints. With these checkpoints, the system can identify locations for patrol by a guard, connect to the site, and link any incident involved with the area. This means that Q-R patrol is efficient since it can connect to multiple locations. Here’s a detailed look at the various checkpoints.
QR-Codes:
A QR (Quick Response) code comprises black segments in a square grid, with a white background. Using QR-codes as checkpoints may suit you due to various advantages: low cost, ease of allocation to a site, and patrol officers don’t need to worry about interference of the surrounding environment. By increasing the QR code size, patrol officers can cover more considerable distances hence limiting the amount of time spent in patrols. Moreover, the manager may assign a single patrol officer to cover a large area, thereby reducing operational costs that would have otherwise been spent on multiple officers.
NFC Tags:
NFC (Near Field Communication) checkpoint incorporates wireless technology by enabling the exchange of information between 2 NFC-equipped devices. An NFC tag consists of microchips that store data that patrol officers may later transfer to another device. NFC is advantageous due to the minimal cost. Therefore, security companies may easily automate operations for efficiency and minimize the cost of sending multiple officers on the ground. It’s also easy to read, has a low light functionality, and a quick response feature that allows officers to work promptly, consequently increasing efficiency in security provision. Needless to say, increased productivity means increased revenue.
Beacons:
Beacons are minute Bluetooth radio transmitter devices that use Bluetooth low energy (BLE) to transmit data on regular intervals. If a BLE compatible device such as a smartphone is close to the beacon, it can detect the data signals.
A patrol officer may scan an area for a distance of up to 200 meters, so a security company’s facility manager may assign minimal employees to cover a large area hence reducing business expenses. With fewer officers managing a client’s firm, the security company may serve multiple organizations and increase its revenue. When using beacons as checkpoints, workers can automatically scan the information, so they may hide their smartphones while on the job to minimize attracting attention.
Beacons also come with a found and lost feature, whereby the manager receives automatic “found” and “lost” events when an employee enters or leaves an area, respectively. Managers can also track and monitor employees in real-time, and therefore, beacons facilitate diligence in the workplace and enhance productivity.
Virtual Checkpoints:
Virtual checkpoints are predefined areas where security officers can patrol, scan, or perform tasks just as the other checkpoints would, for instance, connecting to a mobile device (MME.) If a security guard’s device location is in the defined virtual checkpoint area, the system will automatically scan and send information for the area. However, if he/she needs to do it manually, they may utilize the manual scanning mode.
Security companies may define the coordinates and radius of the virtual checkpoint area by navigating to company, checkpoints, and then “Add VR Point.” The managers may also choose which guards may use the virtual checkpoints feature and how they can use them, i.e., whether manually or automatically.
If a guard misses his scan, the system will report a MISSED SCANS report, so managers may figure out which guard missed work and when. Virtual checkpoint’s benefits include a quick setup, easy to read, and scanning an area from a distance.
A security guard checkpoint system is an efficient way of saving money and time while improving the performance of your security system. It enables you to improve your security systems using reliable data and experience increased performance from your security personnel. Security guards may feel at ease knowing that the security checkpoint system allows them to send an SOS alert by merely pressing a key on his/her device, and help will be on the way ASAP, hence increasing their efficiency. With a systematic security checkpoint system, patrol companies can manage multiple clients and generate more income. More importantly, they’ll have satisfied customers. Individuals can use the Q-R patrol guard tour system to choose a subscription plan and manage their finances effectively.