Security services firm even safer with phone-based workforce management solution
Mountain View, CA — July 6, 2006 — Location information is critical to the security services industry, the key question among clients being, Where is my asset? Failure to answer this question quickly and accurately can mean the loss of a client — or something far more valuable.
Thus it comes as little surprise that Monument Security, a uniformed security officer and loss-prevention company, recently deployed a phone-based mobile workforce management technology solution from Xora Inc. The Web-based system, deployed by Monument in July 2005, is used to track the location and activities of field agents.
Monument field agents use the Xora software application running on their cell phones to record time sheet and job-status information. This data is coupled with the agent's location information, captured automatically by the global positioning system (GPS) receiver embedded in the phones and sent to clients via e-mail, a real-time process that is a first for the security services industry.
Drop-down menus on the phone-based application enable Monument to generate reports that can be customized to the needs of individual clients. And the point-and-click user interface makes recording time sheet and activities information easy for agents on the go.
Since the phones are equipped with a GPS receiver, there is no disputing the location of the agent at the time his data is being recorded. This serves a number of purposes, not the least of which being that, in an emergency, Monument can quickly locate an agent who may or may not be able to communicate that information on his own.
Up-to-the-minute agent location information also helps Monument determine whether agents have the bandwidth to perform additional patrol stops during their work periods. Before adding the workforce management technology, Monument patrol agents were making approximately 15 stops per day; they are now up to between 19 and 22. The difference has meant an increase in revenue generated by each agent of more than $13,000 per year, based on the average fee per stop.
As a tool for resolving labor disputes, the combination of location and time sheet data is invaluable. In one case, Monument used a report from the system to show that an agent was not on the job as he was supposed to be. Previously, if there was a question as to whether or not the worker performed his assignment, Monument might have paid the worker anyway to avoid disputing the issue in court, where the fine for losing can be as much as 30 days' pay.
The workforce management system also is helping to minimize unemployment insurance claims, as workers who feel they have been dismissed unfairly are less likely to file a claim when they know their locations while on the job are being monitored. The Employment Development Department tracks the number of claims against each company to determine their percentage of unemployment insurance. If the number of claims are down a company's percentage may decrease. Since deploying the technology solution, Monument has seen a reduction in the number of claims filed, resulting in a $40K annual savings.
According to Monument CEO Scott McDonald, Xora was selected for its flexibility, ease-of-use, and ability to enhance customer service. Xora is a valuable sales tool, too, stated McDonald. Customers appreciate the checks-and-balances provided by the system. Add to that the tremendous return on investment, and it's safe to say Xora is key to our being an industry leader.
