When a business installs an IP camera, undoubtedly the primary use case is to monitor for intruders after hours. However, most will soon discover a number of other useful applications for a well-placed surveillance system. We’ve gathered 6 common advantages to having an IP camera that can benefit your business.
1. Protect inventory from theft
In the case of sales stock accessible to the public, a visible camera is invaluable for deterring and identifying shoplifters. It can also watch for personnel abuse of company resources. A camera system can help you verify delivery of items and inventory counts and decide how staff are using assets.
2. Improve staff productivity
A need to monitor one area of a business, such as a sales floor, can prevent staff members from performing as many tasks as they could be. With access to a security camera, a single person can keep tabs on one area while fulfilling job duties in another. This can both improve workday efficiency and allow you to save money by reducing the number of simultaneously scheduled employees.
3. Verify employee timetables
An IP camera can help confirm that staff members are arriving on time and remaining present for their full shift. Handwritten timetables can easily be altered, and even electronic versions are not totally secure against later manipulation. A video recording is the most accurate record of employee presence available.
4. Monitor quality of service
Customer insight is key to improving the level of service your business offers. But, questionnaires and online reviews never tell the whole story. By observing operations remotely, you can see patterns in service emerge and thereby arrive at a solution, whether it’s confusing lines at the register, a poorly marked entrance, or consistent misunderstandings that occur during staff interactions.
5. Provide real-time performance feedback
Another advantage that comes with monitoring service is the ability to observe personnel performance. Add a mic and you’ll be able to give staff members real-time feedback and advice on their interactions with the public, decreasing the amount of time necessary for training. Complying with the law in most states that require all-party consent for audio recording is a simple matter of placing a sticker on your entrance to disclose its presence.
6. Increase the sense of security
One of the less tangible but equally important benefits of visible IP camera placement is the impression of security that it provides. A camera improves the professional appearance of a business and reassures staff and customers that there will be a visual record present if an emergency occurs.
For many businesses, installing a security monitoring system is the next step to achieve improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Contact us for more information on the advantages of integrating IP cameras into your workplace.
Michael Durante spent his teenage years into his early 20s climbing the ladder in a branch of a successful banking firm, starting as a teller and ending as a Sr. Branch Manager within 6 years. In 2003, he left the banking world to join his father and create TIE National, a telecom company 60 years in the making. Together, they grew the company from a two-man operation solely working on telephones to a multi-million dollar international business with employees in over a dozen states, covering everything from phone systems to cloud products and computer systems. You can find Michael on LinkedIn.