RMR
By Larry Folsom
Why Sell Video
Veriļ¬cation?
Here's proof it can add revenue
V
ideo verification is popular topic in the security
industry today. We have an interesting confluence of
technological advancement, municipal budget constraints and a more technically sophisticated clientele. Most
importantly, in my opinion, we have a tremendous opportunity to make people safer and to create new sources of
recurring monthly revenue (RMR) for our businesses.
The primary focus of discussions about video verification
tends to be the potential impact on our existing account
bases. The fear is that video verification will cause the
police to stop responding to traditional security systems
and our clients to cancel. I believe clients with traditional
security systems are safer than they would be without
a system. (Statistics overwhelmingly prove this.) I also
genuinely believe that if we add video verification to our
existing clients they will be even safer. I see video verification as an enhancement for those clients who choose to
upgrade. We do not sell one size fits all security systems as
an industry and we never have. Adding video verification
is an upgrade like interactive services, additional security
devices, or maintenance. It is also clearly an opportunity to
add RMR to new and existing accounts.
The second focus is on the first responders. Non response
is a real issue in many parts of our country and the fear is
that police will stop responding. We will have to work with
the AHJs to educate them on the strengths and weaknesses
of video verification technologies. (With fellow board members of the Nevada Security Association we had a meeting
with the Henderson Police Department in December 2012
to discuss video verification.) As municipal budgets shrink,
police departments are being forced to cut back and it
would be easy for the uneducated to decide not to respond
to alarms. As an industry we have focused on false alarm
reduction and we have made great improvements. The
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www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | January 2013