CCTV the 9 Critical points on why it is effective.

Did you know that even the smallest act of vandalism in South Africa could leave you liable for thousands of rands worth of repairs?

As a business owner, you are probably wondering if you should install a CCTV system, or should you perhaps use dummy cameras instead?  Or maybe you have decided on not having cameras installed at all.

In our experience, having a fully functioning CCTV system is more than protecting your company from intrusions or possible vandalism. It can ultimately help improve your bottom line. In the below article we look at the 9 reasons behind why we believe that having a CCTV system is worthwhile.

• Real time monitoring:

Every business owner would love to know each and everything that is happening in their business. However, this is not always possible. Or is it? With real time monitoring you can ultimately have a full view over your business from anywhere. You can remotely access from your laptop, tablet, and/or cell phone.

• Prevent or Reduce theft:

By strategically placing CCTV cameras around your business, you can effectively reduce the risk of potential burglaries. Criminals are less likely to break into a company that is clearly protected by CCTV. However, with newer technology systems its more than just a visual deterrence. By installing an active deterrence system, you can scare off possible intruders by means of audio playbacks and strobing light effects. But that’s not all – you can set up early alerts notifying either you or your security team of a possible break-in prior to the event taking place. Helping you protect your business in a smarter way than ever before.

• Your customers will feel safer:

Along the same lines, having clearly positioned security cameras will make your customers feel safer and more secure at your business. When customers feel more confident about their shopping experience, they are more likely to be repeat customers and even recommend your business to their friends, family, and colleagues. When customers feel like you are invested in their experience and their safety, their overall perception of your business will improve.

• Provide Evidence:

CCTV systems can be used in more ways than one to provide evidence -but it is often the best form of evidence one can provide. Maybe you need to prove misconduct from an employee, or perhaps prove misconduct from a student to one of your teachers or possibly need to provide evidence of a break to your insurance?  Regardless of the type of evidence needed, having a high-quality CCTV system can be a saving grace.

• Prevent Employee theft:

The saddest part about being a business owner is the thought of your employees stealing from you.  A thought that does not cross our minds enough. Often, we trust that our hiring processes have eliminated the risk of employee theft however, it is almost impossible to tell what people would do when you aren’t looking. By installing a quality CCTV system, you can reduce the amount of theft done within your organization. By staff knowing they are being monitored, they are less likely to commit fraudulent activities.

• Resolving Disputes:

There will come a time where you will find yourself in a “he said – she said moment.” You could have a customer accuse one of your staff of stealing while being there, or possibly you have had a staff member accused of sexual advances on customers, or perhaps a teacher in your school that has been accused of violence towards a student.

All of those seem rather difficult to resolve, don’t they? You could rely on eyewitnesses to give you a breakdown of exactly how and what they experienced. However, every story would have different variations and would be impossible to prove. By installing a decent quality surveillance system, solving disputes has never been simpler.

By being able to extract footage that incorporates both audio and visual there will be undeniable proof holding each party accountable for their actions. Which in turn could save your company.

• Save money on armed guards

Before CCTV systems existed, we relied on armed guards patrolling our property to keep our hard-earned assets – safe. This caused challenges as the said guards that were meant to be protecting our premises, were either involved in robberies on the premises or found sleeping on the job. With newer type CCTV systems, we don’t need to spend huge amounts of monies per year to have guards walk around. By using smart algorithms these cameras become active guards that never sleeps.

• Easily access video footage:

Currently, accessing documents on the go has become ever more popular. Majority of people have a smart phone that connects them to more information then ever before. Imagine having the capability of being able to not only remote view into your CCTV system, but also be able to access previous images or videos directly from your cell phone? Imagine having the flexibly of being able to assist a lost customer by simply searching their vehicle registration number and being able to show them live footage of where their car is parked? Imagine being able to identify a lost child in a store simply by searching what he was wearing? We give our customers the flexibility of being able to find any piece of information in a few easy clicks.

• Return on investment:

We are all human and in turn need to take breaks during a day. However, these little breaks can ultimately reduce productivity. By installing CCTV in strategic places, you will have the ability to monitor staffs’ where abouts more effectivity, helping you detect certain patens that might need correction. Additionally, with your staff knowing they are being monitored, they will ensure that they are working to the best of their ability. With the use of smart algorithms your CCTV system will be able to identify groups forming and notify you immediately. It will ultimately help you eliminate possible intrusions and discourage stealing/theft – thereby save you money.

At Pancom, we assist our customers with a comprehensive site survey in which we analyse the buildings’ layout and best camera positions, to identify blind spots that may cause security risks.

Contact us today for your free site survey.