In the security industry, where trust and reliability are paramount, building and maintaining client trust is the cornerstone of success. At Wincon Security, we understand that exceptional service is not just about providing security; it’s about creating a safe and trusting environment for our clients. This article outlines best practices and tips for security service companies to build client trust, drawing on the successful strategies employed by Wincon Security.
Understanding Client Needs
The foundation of exceptional service is a deep understanding of client needs. Every client is unique, and their security requirements can vary significantly. Conducting thorough assessments and listening to client concerns are essential steps in tailoring services to meet specific needs. At Wincon Security, we prioritize personalized service, ensuring that each client receives a bespoke security plan that addresses their particular vulnerabilities and expectations.
Professionalism and Expertise
Clients place their trust in security companies that demonstrate professionalism and expertise. This begins with a well-trained and professional team. Wincon Security invests heavily in the training and development of our personnel, ensuring that they are not only skilled in the latest security techniques but also adept at handling diverse situations with poise and discretion. Continuous education and certification ensure that our team remains at the forefront of the industry.
Transparent Communication
Open and transparent communication is crucial in building trust. Clients need to be kept informed about their security situation and the measures being taken to address any issues. Regular updates, clear reporting, and an open line of communication help reassure clients that their security is in capable hands. Wincon Security excels in maintaining transparency with clients, providing detailed reports and updates that keep clients informed and involved.
Reliability and Consistency
Trust is built on reliability and consistency. Clients need to know that their security provider will be there whenever they are needed. This means not only being responsive in emergencies but also maintaining a consistent presence and performance. At Wincon Security, we pride ourselves on our reliability. Our 24/7 monitoring services and rapid response teams ensure that clients can count on us to be there when it matters most.
Leveraging Technology
In today’s digital age, leveraging advanced technology can significantly enhance the effectiveness of security services. Modern security solutions such as surveillance cameras, access control systems, and real-time monitoring can provide a higher level of security and peace of mind for clients. Wincon Security integrates cutting-edge technology into our services, offering state-of-the-art solutions that enhance security and build client trust.
Building Long-Term Relationships
Building long-term relationships with clients fosters a deeper level of trust and loyalty. By focusing on long-term partnerships rather than short-term contracts, security companies can better understand and meet the evolving needs of their clients. Wincon Security values long-term relationships and works tirelessly to cultivate trust and loyalty. Our commitment to excellence and client satisfaction has resulted in lasting partnerships with many clients.
Exceptional Customer Service
Exceptional customer service goes hand-in-hand with exceptional security service. Being responsive to client inquiries, addressing concerns promptly, and going above and beyond to meet client needs can significantly enhance trust. Wincon Security’s customer service is second to none. Our team is dedicated to providing prompt and courteous service, ensuring that clients always feel valued and respected.
Building client trust in the security industry requires a multifaceted approach. For over 30 years, Wincon Security has built our reputation on these principles, consistently delivering high-quality, reliable security services that clients can trust. By following these best practices, other security service companies can also build strong, trust-based relationships with their clients, ensuring long-term success in the industry.
Crisis management and response training stand as the bedrock of ensuring safety and security for both personnel and clients. Ontario’s security industry, with its diverse array of challenges and responsibilities, demands a meticulous approach to preparedness. Whether you’re a seasoned security guard or an owner of a security service company, honing your crisis management skills is paramount.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to mastering crisis management and response training:
Stay Informed and Updated
Keeping abreast of the latest developments, regulations, and best practices in crisis management is fundamental. Regularly attend training sessions, workshops, and seminars conducted by reputable organizations or industry experts. Additionally, stay connected with relevant industry associations and forums to exchange knowledge and insights with peers.
Develop Comprehensive Emergency Response Plans
Every security service company in Ontario should have detailed emergency response plans tailored to various scenarios, including natural disasters, medical emergencies, fires, and security breaches. Ensure these plans are well-documented, easily accessible, and regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing circumstances.
Prioritize Communication
Effective communication is the linchpin of successful crisis management. Establish clear lines of communication within your team and with external stakeholders, such as clients, law enforcement agencies, and emergency services. Implement communication protocols and ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities during emergencies.
Train and Drill Regularly
Conducting regular training sessions and drills is essential for maintaining readiness and ensuring everyone knows how to respond swiftly and effectively in crisis situations. Simulate various scenarios to test different aspects of your emergency response plans and identify areas for improvement.
Emphasize Situational Awareness
Train security personnel to maintain heightened situational awareness at all times. Encourage them to be vigilant, observant, and proactive in identifying potential threats or unusual activities. Provide guidance on assessing risks and making informed decisions to mitigate them promptly.
Implement Technology Solutions
Leverage technology to enhance crisis management capabilities. Invest in advanced security systems, surveillance cameras, access control systems, and communication devices to bolster security measures and facilitate real-time monitoring and response.
Establish Partnerships and Collaborations
Forge partnerships with emergency services and community organizations to strengthen your crisis management capabilities. Collaborate on training initiatives, share resources, and coordinate response efforts to address larger-scale emergencies effectively.
Foster a Culture of Preparedness
Instill a culture of preparedness and resilience within your organization. Encourage proactive risk assessment, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances. Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate exemplary crisis management skills and contributions.
Provide Psychological Support
Recognize the emotional toll that crisis situations can take on security personnel and provide adequate psychological support and counselling services. Equip employees with coping mechanisms and stress management techniques to help them cope with the challenges they may encounter.
Conduct Post-Incident Reviews
After any crisis or emergency situation, conduct thorough post-incident reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of your response efforts and identify lessons learned. Use this feedback to refine your emergency response plans, update training protocols, and enhance overall preparedness for future incidents.
Crisis management and response training are indispensable aspects of the security industry in Ontario. By adhering to best practices, security guards and security service companies can effectively mitigate risks, safeguard assets, and ensure the safety and security of their clients and communities. Continuous improvement and collaboration are key to mastering crisis management in this dynamic and ever-evolving field.
Are we living in the most secure era ever? That depends on your definition of the word and the context, but there’s no doubt that today’s unique security surveillance technology has made many of our public and private spaces far safer than in the past. From ultra HD cameras with facial recognition technology to ultra-secure biometrics, the tools that organizations have at their disposal to prevent or respond to unwelcome or emergency incidents are truly unprecedented. So much so that privacy concerns are now running up against security innovations, fueling legal and social tensions along the way.
Case in point: there is a fast-growing movement across Canada to limit the use of some advanced tools, specifically unique security surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition software. Last month the Canadian Civil Liberties Association issued a call for a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology in a wide range of settings. While stakeholders from law enforcement officials to business and commercial property owners would make an argument for the tech’s utility, social advocates counter that the privacy trade-off is far too great at this point. Better to stall a widespread rollout until a proper legal and regulatory framework can be built to control its use.
That comes on the heels of a new Ernst and Young report indicating that COVID-19 seems to have changed Canadians’ expectations of data privacy. Fully 63 percent of survey respondents said knowing how their data was collected and stored was of prime importance, along with control over what data is being shared (57 percent), their trust in the organization sharing their data (51 percent), and knowing how their data is managed, shared and used (45 percent).
“The pandemic has ushered in significant changes that may have altered consumers’ attitudes towards data privacy, but they are unwavering about the importance of security.”
Ernst & Young
Security vs. privacy
In residential settings, those expectations are reaching new heights. Rental tenants and condominium owners alike are growing increasingly concerned that their movements are being monitored on a daily basis. In some cases, they are. Unique security surveillance systems have long kept track of the movement of people and packages across residential environments, but new technology has delivered exponential enhancements in monitoring capabilities. In the vast majority of cases, however, their deployment is intended strictly to deter crime or inappropriate behaviour. The reality is that most commercial and residential property management firms–who are dealing with a raft of new challenges related to COVID-19–lack the staff (let alone the desire) to leverage that data in ways that would be of any reasonable concern to residents.
It’s simply available as a tool to review traffic flow in case of an incident or to piece together timelines in the event of an accident. Reviewing an incident using surveillance footage is usually a key tool in preventing a similar occurrence from happening in the future. The real question that residential stakeholders need to answer is whether privacy trumps protection in residential settings.
With license-plate recognizing cameras collecting data in parking lots and garages, and biometrics recording even more sensitive information every time residents enter a building, do new technologies cross an ethical—and even legal—line? Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, some residential communities in Canada have gone as far as to implement contact tracing and temperature monitoring (sometimes using high-tech cameras) to protect their residents and mitigate the risk of an outbreak on their premises.
The urgent circumstances of the emergency aside, will we eventually regard these health and safety measures as a step too far?
Balancing privacy and protection
The obvious solution involves implementing an effective security strategy that balances the right to privacy with the need for protection. That means customizing tactics to suit the needs of the residential community in question, be it housed in an ultra-tall downtown tower or a densely packed rental building. Property managers are best advised to develop a series of privacy protocols that outline how personal data will be collected, stored, managed, and eventually expunged. Access to that data must be tightly controlled. And that not only means limiting the personnel who can review it but determining how it will be stored (e.g., on a local server or in the cloud). What cybersecurity tools will be used to mitigate the risk of a breach?
The best way to ease residents’ concerns over how their data is used is to build trust and remain transparent. By communicating on a regular basis—in some cases perhaps even developing a committee comprised of management and residents that’s tasked with setting guidelines to handle that data—reviewing and revising policies as needed and then erasing that data at predetermined intervals, most residents will be comfortable with having their personal details collected and stored.
Work with your security provider or a specialized data-management consultant to start and manage this process. Handling sensitive data is best left to the experts. Rest assured, your residents will appreciate the time and attention to detail in managing their personal information.
How is your building managing security technology?
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It goes without saying that 2020 is a year that many of us will be glad to forget, just as we look forward to a socially distanced and happy holiday with loved ones. Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has challenged everyone from individual Canadians and healthcare professionals to business owners and bureaucrats in ways that we couldn’t have imagined as recently as early March. But the many struggles of the COVID-19 crisis have also reaffirmed our strength and resilience as a country. In the face of adversity, we adapted and managed, even as we continue to mourn the many lives lost and the scores of businesses brought down by the ensuing economic disruption.
The security industry has not been immune to the pandemic’s harsh economic impact. Companies large and small have reeled as affected sectors such as hospitality, travel and retail were forced into shutdown mode or were suddenly required to scale back business in ways that immediately lessened the need for security coverage. But I’m proud to say that through it all, Wincon Security has managed to not only navigate these stormy waters, but thrive.
The reason, of course, is because we’ve built incredible partnerships with our many clients. Their loyalty and support has been pivotal to Wincon’s success for more than 26 years, and in hard times, they’ve remained by our side. We’re grateful for the opportunity to protect their people, property and assets, and we can’t wait to see how we can find new ways to meet their security needs in the years ahead. The push to constantly improve is a core value, one that we embrace and also consider a responsibility that we simply won’t take for granted—it will continue to drive us to deliver even better service to our customers long after this pandemic has passed.
Case in point: We made significant investments to upgrade our technology infrastructure this year, while also working to enhance our employee training and development programs. We believe that delivering effective security solutions is about far more than doing the basics. In most cases, our security personnel are not only frontline representatives of Wincon Security, but also of our clients’ brands—be they retailers, commercial property managers, or any company in between. Their work on-site can significantly impact that brand experience, which is why we constantly strive for new ways to enhance our team’s customer service skills with real-world, situational training.
Of course, helping our customers succeed means staying at the forefront of new technology reshaping our industry. We’ve continued to research the latest in security software and hardware from facial-recognition cameras to advanced biometric systems that could have applications across both commercial and residential properties. That work is ongoing as we enhance our organizational commitment to research and development, which includes enhancing our own back-end technology infrastructure—a critical investment that enabled much of our administrative staff to work remotely during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, none of our success would be possible were it not for the tireless dedication, professionalism and hard work of our team members. At the pandemic’s peak, they put themselves in higher-risk public settings to ensure that our clients’ properties and people were kept safe and secure. They neither complained nor refused the challenge. Instead, they made it to work each and every day with an attitude that exemplified the very best that Wincon Security has to offer.
To better protect them, we recently implemented a new Whistleblower Program that provides a mechanism to report everything from sexual harassment to any form of unwelcome behaviour experienced while on the job. We’re committed to providing a safe, welcoming and fruitful workplace experience—and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that our company culture isn’t negatively impacted by unacceptable behaviour. Our whistleblower directive to employees is simple: If you see something, say something.
So, as we look back on 2020 and raise a glass with the promise of a better 2021 ahead, I’d like to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a happy holiday and a healthy New Year. While rising COVID-19 case counts remind us that difficult months still lie ahead, vaccines give us hope that a return to normal is on the horizon. This year proved that we can make it to the finish line—safely, securely, together.
When news broke recently that the Swedish Data Protection Authority fined a local municipality more than USD $20,000 for privacy violations, it marked the emergence of a potential new front in the struggle to balance privacy rights and security requirements.
Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—sweeping legislation that governs everything from website tracking to data collection practices across the 28-member European Union and European Economic Area—the use of data gathered with the help of facial recognition and biometric software is restricted and tightly controlled by. Apparently, a school board in Sweden didn’t get the memo and used facial recognition software to track high school student attendance over a three-week trial period intended to test out new technology.
The school board saw the tracking software as a more efficient use of teachers’ classroom time. According to media reports, attendance-conscious educators had apparently been devoting about 17,000 hours a year to keeping tabs on their pupils. The SDPA saw the matter differently and issued a significant fine, a first for Sweden.
Prepare to customize your strategy and invest in security components that will mitigate risk and advance your organizations strategic goals.
Tech as a cyber security tool, but to what end?
The European Union has taken the lead in legislating to secure privacy rights and protect citizens, just as authorities in other regions have turned to cutting-edge new technology designed to enhance protection measures for the general public. In the wake of recent shootings in Toronto, for example, the city’s community housing agency has announced plans to increase video surveillance in at-risk neighbourhoods, all to help deter crime and aid police enforcement efforts. In the United Kingdom, cities such as London have long relied on street-level surveillance to maintain safety. The U.S. government has been using biometric technology, including the fingerprinting of foreign visitors, at border crossings for years.
The challenge that arises, of course, is when governments abuse these tools. China has faced widespread criticism for its use of facial recognition and data collection programs in its western provinces to track the local Uyghur community. In other parts of the country, Beijing actively uses technology to help silence or monitor anti-government voices. Many liken the tactics to an Orwellian invasion of privacy, an effort to enforce government-sanctioned values on an unassuming populace.
If a school board in Sweden uses facial recognition technology to track students, some argue, it’s not far-fetched to expect a more widespread application of that software across society. In the hands of a trusted few, there isn’t much concern. But what happens if those individuals can no longer be trusted?
Does your cyber security strategy violate rules? Consult with us to learn more.
Legal systems adapting to new technology
The reality is the use of technology as a protective tool is hardly novel and, in most cases, isn’t nearly as sinister as some may contend. The big question, as with the example from Sweden, is to what degree governments will tolerate its use. Authorities in Canada are beginning to weigh in on the safety and security vs. privacy debate.
In Ontario, for example, a labour arbitrator recently ruled in Teamsters Local Union No. 230 v Innocon Inc., that a concrete delivery company (Innocon) had the right to install cameras in its trucks to help improve driver safety and highlight potential driver misconduct by recording a driver’s actions, but only in the event that the vehicle swerved unexpectedly or took some form of evasive action that could indicate erroneous or erratic driving. In the arbitrator’s view, some level of in-cab monitoring was justified because an employer’s business interests can supersede an employee’s right to privacy under specific circumstances.
Cyber security strategies for business
Business owners should be aware that at any point, our legal landscape could shift and new laws could limit the use of biometric or facial technology when used in public spaces or workplaces. But I predict that governments will take a measured approach to balance privacy and security concerns. It’s likely that we will see a tightening of privacy restrictions in Ontario and across Canada at some point. In the meantime, however, your focus should be on assessing your organization’s security vulnerabilities and taking an integrated approach to protecting your people and assets.
That means reviewing the plethora of tech tools available on the market and deciding which ones make sense for your organization based on its operational needs. Facial recognition technology may make sense for a retailer with several busy locations, for example, but could provide little benefit to a software development firm with much simpler security needs. Be prepared to customize your strategy and invest in security components that will make a decided impact in helping mitigate risk and advancing your organization’s strategic goals (e.g., not being robbed, having your data held hostage, or seeing your commercial property or workplace invaded).
But first, take the time to understand your jurisdiction’s privacy laws. Make sure your security strategy doesn’t violate any rules when the time comes to implement cutting-edge—yet potentially controversial—security technology.
The new BOMA report offers cyber security advice for commercial property owners
We not only live in a world addicted to data, but one that often ignores cyber security.
From our smartphones to the digital personal assistants (Siri, Alexa) that have been marketed as tools to free our time for leisurely pursuits—the jury’s still very much out on whether they’re helping most of us achieve that goal—an increasing number of interactions in our daily lives involve internet-connected digital devices that track human behaviour. Most of this data is benign and has little application outside of the marketing world. When I mention visiting a destination on a social media account, for example, I suddenly find ads for that destination in my news feed. It’s annoying, maybe, but not necessarily a major breach of privacy.
Now, what happens when smart devices start tracking and collecting information across the commercial property?
… attackers are becoming more persistent and patient, whether to gain ransom or cause other damages …
BOMA Canada
Connected commercial properties
No need to wonder because that’s likely already happening in a building you occupy, and perhaps the one you’re sitting in right now. Everything from your building’s door card readers and fire alarm panels to its HVAC system, surveillance cameras, and thermostats could well be connected to the Internet. The potential for efficiencies, cost savings, and property performance improvements are almost too numerous to summarize in a single article. But so, too, are the cyber security risks.
While security firms such as ours still guard against so-called traditional thieves—thieves who break into a facility intent on stealing merchandise or equipment, or engaging in vandalism, for example—Wincon Security has evolved into an integrated solutions provider in recent years precisely because an equal and fast-growing risk exists in the online realm. Sophisticated malfeasants, many of whom are connected to overseas organized crime rings, are looking for easy targets. That means organizations or commercial property owners reluctant or unwilling to invest in a holistic, digitally-focused security strategy to protect their assets are gravely exposed.
Why wait-and-see never works
Unfortunately, many organizations take a cross-your-fingers approach to security, betting that they’re too small or their data is too invaluable to draw the attention of cyber thieves. That is until they’re hit. Then most are left scrambling trying to restore systems or pay ransoms to recover data and rebuild their businesses after an online attack.
Ensure your security personnel is well trained in mitigating cyber threats as they are standing guard. Consult with Wincon today to learn more.
So great is the threat that BOMA Canada recently published a Cyber Wellness Guide for commercial property owners. In it, the organization notes:
The IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) currently in the market is geared towards user value and hasn’t necessarily been looked at from a thorough cyber security perspective. That increases the onus on building managers to have a robust plan to prevent and deal with cyber issues.
In addition to the expanding network of smart devices, attackers are also becoming more persistent and patient, whether it is to gain ransom from you or to cause other damage. In addition to local hackers who may use phishing attacks or ransomware to cause potential damage, there are international threats too as proximity does not matter when dealing with cyber risks, and no sector is immune.
Indeed, it’s not alarmist to assume that a hacker could breach your building’s cyber defences (assuming they’re in place, which isn’t always a given), steal data, and even coordinate with thieves to break into your facility. If your organization happens to deal in high-value or sensitive materials, this is of particular concern. So, what’s a property owner or manager to do?
Be proactive to bolster cyber security
As the BOMA report notes, it all starts with preparation. Having tools such as firewalls, anti-virus software or endpoint security on laptops and other vulnerable devices in place is crucial. Huge advancements are also being made with artificial intelligence technology to detect breaches long before they become obvious or increase risk. Of course, staff training is another important consideration—and that includes making sure that security personnel is as well trained in mitigating cyber threats as they are in monitoring traditional causes of building vulnerability or standing on guard to prevent incidents such as physical break-ins.
Having a significant security budget in place is another important consideration that many property owners overlook—particularly if they’re prone to trying to look for ways to maximize profitability at the expense of all other considerations. That budget should include line items for both physical and cyber security measures. From there your team will need a cyber security plan that can be implemented at a moment’s notice if a data breach occurs. The plan should be customized to your specific needs and be comprehensive enough to address a range of possible scenarios.
Most importantly, be sure to work with a security provider who understands the risks involved as the IIoT becomes ubiquitous, cyber threats increase and the need for solutions integration becomes more important than ever. Because the last thing any busy commercial property owner should waste time fretting over is whether a hacker in some far-flung locale is preparing to compromise the security of their data or their facility.
A lot has changed in your business since 1992, the year I founded Wincon Security. You’re undoubtedly facing a vastly different array of complex business challenges—particularly where security is concerned. Finding innovative new ways to bolster everything from your cyber security infrastructure to guarding against facility break-ins—to name only a few obstacles to success—has become increasingly complicated.
A lot has changed in my business, too. What hasn’t is our commitment to service excellence and a dedication to employing the latest cutting-edge technology to keep you and your properties safe. As we’ve worked to maintain those high standards, our business has evolved.
We do far more than train and staff security guards these days, which was the original foundation on which our business was built. We’re now a full-service integrated solutions provider focused on delivering enhanced value to our customers. We build relationships based on trust, while always standing behind our commitment to help you drive improved bottom-line performance from the services we deliver.
That alone would be enough to celebrate in our 25th year in business. But there’s a lot more we’d like you to know about Wincon Security and where the company is headed.
When I launched the company in the early 1990s, the Internet was slowly gaining mainstream acceptance. Mobile phones were expensive and in limited use. Fax was still a primary means of business communication. And in our industry, facility security was largely managed by key-wielding guards who spent days and nights patrolling buildings or monitoring CCTV cameras, searching for potential problems along the way. It was a very different business environment.
Wincon Security founder and CEO, Winston Stewart
I was a young, untested 21-year-old entrepreneur who’d only recently graduated from Seneca College’s law enforcement program. Despite my inexperience, I saw gaps in the security marketplace and figured I could plug them. A couple of jobs in the security field gave me the opportunity to listen to clients who felt they weren’t receiving the kind of value-for-service they expected from their supposedly customer-focused security providers. Those experiences largely shaped my vision for the kind of security offering Wincon could provide. I knew I could do it better, so I did.
We started out with just one client—who we’re proud to say is still part of the Wincon family—and a handful of employees. We’ve since expanded the business and now serve more than 50 Canadian and international corporations, and maintain a roster of more than 200 full- and part-time employees. As with any business, we’ve had to pivot at various points in our history, particularly with the advent of incredible new technology that seemed like the stuff of science fiction in our early days.
A new focus on solving business challenges
So, about five years ago, we started branching into systems solution integration, incorporating high-definition cameras, advanced biometrics, card access systems and cutting-edge security software into our security tool kit. We even use drones for facility patrols, helping to cut costs, improve efficiency and further reduce risk for owners and managers of retail, commercial, condominium, office and industrial properties. By building strong partnerships with suppliers across North America and beyond, we now have access to high-tech equipment capable of meeting virtually any security need you might have, particularly when coupled with our 24-hour support and facility monitoring service.
That focus on innovation was driven by a desire to continue being the Greater Toronto Area’s security service provider of choice for the next decade and beyond—admittedly not an easy feat in a highly-competitive industry such as ours. We believe that with new technology in hand and a focus on solutions integration, we can continue to personalize our service offering to better suit organizations such as yours.
A service-first culture
Thanks to our boutique structure, we’re able to sit down with you, listen and take the time to understand your needs, inspect your property and review assets in need of protection, then deliver a customized service plan that’s both affordable and sustainable. We take pride in identifying and helping you understand the vulnerabilities you don’t even know you had.
All of this means continuing to find new ways to improve training for our staff and enhancing client communications. The former process is ongoing as we introduce new technology to our employees and train them on its effective deployment. When it comes to communications, we have plans to keep you better informed than ever thanks to a new blogging, social media and newsletter initiative that will showcase everything from industry insights and risk-mitigation strategies, to Wincon news and developments across our company.
While I’m so proud to celebrate our 25TH year, I’m even more excited about the opportunity to be of greater service to you in the years ahead.
