When time is of the essence

Managers working in the contract guarding industry are under severe pressure just now. The fight to retain existing business is ongoing at a time when margins are risibly lower than they should be, and it’s a constant battle to win new work. Then there’s the small matter of Security Industry Authority licensing to be dealt with, not to mention the myriad of Health and Safety issues surrounding lone worker assignments (and the threat of legal action if and when anything should go wrong).

In what is often a high stress environment, then, those same managers will always be on the look-out for any guidance document, training course or systems solution that can make their daily routine just a little smoother in transition and inception.

One Holy Grail which many a manager has pursued (often fruitlessly) has been the search for a comprehensive – but at the same time totally flexible – timesheet and roster management information system. A simple software package linked with state-of-the-art hardware that will aid the busy day-to-day administration of a contract security guarding services provider.

For a long time, there was a distinct gap in the pricing structure for such systems, and also in terms of the functionality of existing software solutions. There has also been a stated desire for a system that may be easily tailored to the needs of the end user, in addition to voices calling for solutions that come with suitable finance and leasing options.

Data cross-referencing

One company – Blackburn-based Tagtronics – has seemingly devised several neat solutions under the generic heading ‘TagtronicsPatrol’, encompassing Control Room variables (eg rosters, invoices and payroll, etc), Time and Attendance (to highlight exceptions and missed points) and CallLog (covering caller ID and real-time monitoring).

Unlike its sister title Security Installer, Security Management Today doesn’t complete Bench Tests of new products and systems. We write about them, yes, but we don’t road test them. This time around, though, we visited Tagtronics’ hq to see the system for ourselves, and to evaluate whether or not the company’s bold claims stack up. In the case of security software, seeing is very definitely believing...

TagtronicsPatrol is indeed a simple system. Once the initial client and site details (and schedule of shifts) have been entered into the database, and cross-referenced with the officers’ availability cycles, the system generates all relevant paperwork – from monthly invoicing through to working rotas and payroll. Double bookings for any one officer are automatically eradicated (unless authorised by a manager).

A nice touch comes in the form of the Intelligent Guard Allocation ‘filtration’ process, which will suggest the most suitable officer available to take on extra shifts. Intuitive software, no less.

These features obviously remove the need to search endless reams of records to ascertain who should go where, releasing valuable time for dealing with the many other demands placed on guarding companies. Interestingly, if the end user’s existing system already deploys an accounts package – Sage, for example – then bottom line totals may be integrated from Patrol ready for that accounts software to monitor aged debtors. A useful tool indeed.

Real-time information

In line with regulation, individual officers’ licence numbers may be retained by the system, and prompt calls initiated as to when renewal time is approaching. Management meeting dates can be logged, and reminder messages added

The PatrolMaster Guard Tour system very obviously uses state-of-the-art electronic tagging technology. Real-time information can be captured to monitor an employee’s movements and confirm levels of service provision. In use, a data capture baton is assigned to an officer while an equivalent electronic tag is duly assigned to the client’s site. All the officer need do is touch the baton to the tag while on patrol and information is ‘stamped’ electronically onto the reader.

Details of each visit and/or tour of the premises are stored in the baton and, at pre-determined intervals, may be downloaded through the cradle interface to a designated PC.

Of much interest will be the CallLog Call Monitoring Module. This is a telephone monitoring facility that uses the BT 1471 principle to verify the whereabouts of a particular employee. The client’s telephone number is stored in a database so that, when a call is made, the system can immediately spot where that check call is being made (by way of a Caller ID facility). All the security officers need do is call a specified number once they reach site. Simplicity itself.

Tolerance levels may be set as to when a call is expected. For instance, if one visit is due to start at 10.00 am, but an officer is allowed to arrive ten minutes later than the scheduled time, the system will only sound relevant alarms when the call exceeds pre-designated tolerance levels.

Again, the alarm mechanisms within the system are configurable to suit the end user’s needs, whether in the initial form of pop-up messages and alarms or – where calls need to be monitored out of normal office hours – through SMS messaging to a mobile phone.

Feedback from the clients

In conversation, Mike Williams (Tagtronics’ managing director) and Steve Lander (the company’s sales executive) stressed to Security Management Today that one local security company has already invested in this overall solution and duly saved over £15,000 during the course of Year One. Impressive stuff.

The possibilities for the overall solution are vast. In line with regulation, individual officers’ licence numbers may be retained by the system, and prompt calls initiated as to when renewal time is approaching.

Management meeting dates can be logged and reminder messages added, so too the dates for existing contract renewals. Alarm calls may also be stored for keyholding, in addition to digital reproductions of site plans. A massive advance for end users.