My family’s favorite fast-food place is the restaurant with a chicken as a logo and a cow as a mascot. When we go there, the food isn’t of high-end restaurant quality (of course, neither are their prices), but the quality of how you are treated is amazing! You can find numerous satirical videos of their employees delivering babies or changing your oil, etcetera. This is what is missing in the security industry.
As a young 23-year-old security professional in Afghanistan, I didn’t grasp this concept while protecting US government officials. My sole concern was protecting their lives. Yes, we were polite and professional, but customer service was not a priority for me. For example, while protecting a high-ranking Government official, I had to inform the military advisor, a Colonel in the US Army, that his seat was in a less-than-desired spot in the motorcade (the luggage van). We had a large roster of principals to protect, and being the bearer of bad news to this high-ranking Army Officer was not a concern to me, nor was ensuring he was comfortable. We were on a mission, and that was that.
Fast forward over a decade later with a lot more experience, I look at the current state of security, and it is very much the same. Security Guards and Security Officers go to work, sit, or stand in the corner to Observe and Report. They perform their tasks and do it well. However, something is missing. It is that smile! The idea is that Security is Customer Service. Not just catching the bad guy, but going the extra mile for the principals and even the customers of your principals. If those customers who walk into a retail store are greeted with a genuine smile from a Security Athlete from Watchmen Solutions, it will make them feel more welcome. If they feel welcomed, they will spend more. If they spend more, then that is just added value from us to the retail stores we service. It is a WIN-WIN! In two of our locations, we provide security for, they have a customer counter at the threshold of the door. It is very important to me that our Security Athletes do what they can to avoid the counter to improve the store’s selling ratio per customer. Even little things like this will go a long way. Does it have anything to do with Security? Nope. But it shows we respect the store and care about what they care about!
Looking back, I could have done more to make that Colonel’s unpleasant seating arrangement more pleasant. Perhaps take him to his vehicle, show him who can help him with his luggage, give him some water, or simply smile and greet him with a great attitude. Customer Service is SECURITY! It will be our most valued asset against any digital platform. If you are looking for a Customer Service-based Security Company near Charlotte, NC, then set up a booking HERE online TODAY!