The holiday season is a wonderful time of year for many, but for loss prevention officials, there is no rest. No other time of the year is more professionally critical than the period between November 1 and December 31 each year. According to the National Retail Federation, the all-important, two-month holiday shopping season can represent as much as 30 percent of annual sales.
As seasonal shopping increases, thefts of every kind are on the rise. However, a variety of new industry tools are helping LP officers take back the holiday season and spend more time with their families. With more sophisticated industry partners and vastly expanded technical capabilities, companies like Protos Security are showcasing the real value of their innovations to the entire LP industry.
“Our central AP team works hard every year to source quality guard coverage for the Thanksgiving and Black Friday holiday rush. In years prior, this process was extremely labor intensive and involved sourcing and contracting with multiple companies, only to be left without coverage when those companies were unable to fulfill our request or sent unprofessional, untrained guards,” one national LP operations director said.
Protos continues to offer dispatch support twenty-four hours per day, 365 days per year. Their always-on, call-center teams take pride in standing ready to process emergency calls, fill last-minute security needs, and provide incident reporting around the clock.
“Since contracting with the Protos Security team, we not only have saved time and money but also have had superior customer service with attention to detail and terrific communication,” client Tim H. said. “With the Protos partnership, we were able to fill thousands of man hours with quality guards and provide a safe and secure shopping environment for our customers.”
The dispatch team works together with dedicated client account managers (CAMs), who have standing long-term client relationships, are familiar with each of their customer’s specific facilities and support needs, and know each potential work site’s individual risk profile. Protos has designed its teams and client support structure to ensure that each and every guard order gets filled with vetted guard vendors and appropriately trained guards. The CAMs work hand-in-hand with the Protos dispatch team to ensure the best guard company and staffing plan gets matched to each individual contract and work site need as they are efficiently processed, booked, and confirmed. Available around the clock, this power team answers questions and helps respond to emergencies as they arise.
“For one of our clients, we provide coverage for more than 200 locations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This is the only time the stores are closed all year. With the security coverage in place, the employees are able to spend quality time with their families,” Rosalind Fields, Protos senior client account manager, said. “The security coverage also reduces concerns from our client, who knows that their locations are being monitored by trained security officers.”
Protos has been successful in covering every location for this client the last two years. Prior to utilizing Protos, the client had multiple locations that routinely could not be staffed by other security vendors.
Many know that Protos was founded on industry-shifting technology. They are no stranger to market disruption, and they continue to live up to their innovative reputation. For those LP professionals who still want to be in the know, the Protos Client Portal app allows for remote monitoring of guard status, incidents, and more. All these great features are just as easy as checking the latest sports scores on your phone.
From Black Friday to New Year’s events, LP teams nationwide have a long history of competing to secure top guards for crowd control, often at the last minute as they seek to supplement and to accommodate last-minute shopper surges.
The Protos vendor network makes sure all in the Protos network have valid licensing, proper training programs, and active and appropriate insurance coverage. By eliminating the need to check individual placements before confirming each assignment, Protos is saving clients critical time and freeing up resources that can be better deployed to less-routine administrative tasks.
Even the standard overnight security and night watch programs are being optimized. Protos’ now famous GPS location validation systems and hourly punch-in protocols continue to ensure that hired guards are in proper position and on active duty where and when they are supposed to be.
With a continual virtual check-in on the guards you’ve hired, Protos can help ensure your merchandise is safe, no unauthorized parties gain access to your facilities, and service payments are both prompt and proper.
Companies like Protos are helping the LP industry evolve rapidly and stay focused on their core missions. Now is the time to put the proper processes, technology, and partners in place before the holiday rush. Take advantage of these new service capabilities, so you can enjoy a little more time with your family this year.
It can be wonderful.
Leading LP pros are relying on Protos Security to reduce the burdens of managing large security guard programs. To learn more, contact Kris Vece, LPQ, at 540-751-3756 or krisvece [at] protossecurity.com.
