Porirua City Council

Kelvin’s previous experiences in managing security contracts hadn’t been good. A lack of information, fabricated reports and ineffective patrols were just a few of the issues he had experienced.

Account management is challenging because so many people move between jobs, often just as good working relationships start to develop. This makes it difficult to sustain the required service level and is a disappointing consequence of employers focussing on revenue rather than the great customer satisfaction that can be delivered by motivated account managers.

Having people who understand the needs of each site is really important but often the person who negotiates the contract for the security firm doesn’t pass on the details and information they have discussed with the team delivering security services on the ground.

The KPIs set by the client are then not achieved because the security team have competing requirements, especially where firms are trying to use fewer staff to manage more sites to improve revenue.

Reporting is a further issue and is often not consistent with what is actually happening on the ground. Inaccurate reporting, false figures and other questionable data are serious issues.

Similarly, the performance of staff often isn’t what is needed – driving past a site rather than visiting the site properly and carrying out all the checks and tasks properly is a common industry short-cut. Furthermore, security staff often don’t understand the relationship between what they do and their employers’ requirements.

“A lack of communication and incorrect information is a major issue – even being actively mislead sometimes! Lots of times security suppliers tell clients what they think they want to hear rather than the reality on the ground”.