Prepare your security company for the holiday season
The holiday season is just around the corner. And, just like every year, millions of people will take on the streets shopping for gifts or just enjoying the discounts on Black Friday.
However, not everything is jolly about this time. An increased influx of shoppers and walkers intensifies the risk for criminal activity: robbers know that people will be walking around with more cash than usual, and shoplifting can seem easier with the confusion generated by crowds.
In fact, some reports indicate that shrinkage - the loss of inventory due to theft - increases by more than 15% during this period.
Stores and malls are aware of this, and they are likely to grow their security measures during the season. If your security company gets hired for the job and you want to offer an outstanding service, keep reading.
This article will give you four tips to prepare your security firm for the demands of the holiday season.
1. A scheduling system you can trust
Increased demands at a time of staff shortage pose the challenge of allocating scarce resources wisely.
Manual and legacy systems may not be your best allies in this scenario, as they allow for mistakes, double-scheduling, and inefficiencies in case of last-minute changes.
Moving towards a more efficient scheduling system can make all the difference for you, your staff and your clients.
PARiM’s Workforce Management Software is a reliable solution for all your scheduling and shift management needs, and it’s five times faster than spreadsheets:
The entire shift creation process is made to mirror how temporary staffing works. Each new shift has all the relevant data from position and location to pay and charge rate automation.
Our Select Mode and 1-click shift actions make adapting your schedules to emerging new situations uncomplicated.
The system allows you to manage shifts, absences and availability for months ahead for core staff and your most important locations.
Want to learn more about what our scheduling software can do for you? Book a call with our experts and find out.
2. Assign the right people to the right shifts
Different circumstances require different skills, and you need to consider this when assigning jobs to your employees.
However, higher volumes of work and shorter deadlines can complicate your schedulers’ work considerably, allowing essential things to fall through the cracks.
PARiM’s software allows you to invite your people to apply to open shifts after filtering them down to specific groups based on qualifications, position or 20+ other criteria, so you can make sure only qualified workers apply to the relevant jobs.
Besides, our tool allows for setting up any type of ruleset based on your local legislation to monitor compliance with complex labour laws, helping your schedulers in the most sensitive area of their work.
3. Ensure communication and be flexible
Staying on top of your operations is crucial when changes come fast, which will certainly happen during the last quarter of the year.
Managing your business from wherever you are can help you react fast when there is an unexpected change in a shift, issues with attendance, or any other unexpected circumstances.
Flexibility, combined with a clear communication channel with your staff, can keep you on top of your game even during the busy seasons.
PARiM’s Software features a free mobile application with functionalities tailored for both managers and staff. It is the perfect ally for hectic periods:
Managers can overview the workers’ schedules, keep track of the running shifts, clock people in and out, approve timesheets and much more.
Staff members can view their work schedules, apply for available shifts and mark their availability or unavailability for specific times.
PARiM’s mobile app can also notify your workers about shift changes, new shift assignments, shift cancellations and other real-time information via push notifications, saving your schedulers the time dedicated to calls or emails.
All on the go and without the need for a fixed workstation.
4. Safeguard your workers
Busier periods come with increased risks for your security workers. However, you can make a difference with just a few additions to your workflow:
Use geolocation to automate the monitoring of your staff and be instantly notified if something falls out of place. PARiM offers the possibility to create routes for your guards through NFC tags and iBeacon devices.
Automatically confirm that every shift is being covered and that your lone workers are unharmed with PARiM's automatic check calls for security personnel.
Seeing that you invest in their safety can help your employees feel valued, something crucial in a time of economic recession.
If you need extra tips on keeping your security employees safe, check out the complete guide on our blog.
To a successful holiday season
You still have time to prepare your company for the upcoming holiday season. Start your free, 14-day trial of PARiM today and request a demo with one of our experts so we can show how you can tailor our system to your business needs.