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aim White Papers
July 2011

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Top 10 things to consider when choosing an ARC: 

 

Account management

How often will I receive a visit? Who is my main point of contact?  How many accounts is the manager responsible for?  If and when you need someone, you need a fast response

 

Accreditations

Is the ARC NSI Gold Accredited?  If so, this will buy you credibility in front of your customers and will give you an assurance that the ARC is working to the strictest of guidelines, providing your customers with the optimum levels of security.

 

Track record

Have you spoken to some existing customers to find out how the ARC has performed over the years?  Always ask for reference sites to carry out your own due diligence.

 

Financial stability

Moving ARC is a big move for any installer.  If you are committed to making the move, can you be sure that the ARC is going to be a long-term business partner for your business?  Do they have the financial muscle to be here in 10-years time, despite tough trading conditions?

 

Resilience

How resilient is the ARC?  How do their backup systems work in case of an emergency?  If they have 2 ARC’s, where are they in relation to each other?  How easily can staff be relocated?  If their systems fail how long will they take to be fully operational again?

 

Facilities

From time to time you may have the requirement to take your customers to see your monitoring provider.  How impressive are their facilities?  Will they heighten your customers’ perception of you as a business?  Does the ARC provide best in class facilities for its staff to lower attrition levels?

 

Performance stats 

How does the ARC measure up against the BSIA alarm handling guidelines?  What are their telephone handling times like?  Are these measured ongoing?  Can you see evidence?

 

Supplier relationships

Does the ARC ensure that signalling products are fit for purpose before accepting them into their catalogue of approved products?  Do they embrace supplier incentives and offers and always pass these on to installers? 

 

Technical support for your engineers

What mechanism do they have in place to support your engineers in the field when commissioning new systems?  What levels of experience do they have within their business that can be passed on to support you in times of need?  Indeed, do they provide field based technical support?

 

Remote access into the monitoring platform

Is their provision of a remote access package into the monitoring platform that can be tailored to your requirements, enabling you to be in control of your own systems?

 

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