RiskXtraSeptember2018

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x RISKXtra Selecting Workforce Management Software for Security Operatives Workforce management software comes in different forms, but all of them claim they will help your security services company run more effectively. When it comes to the crunch, though, which solution are you going to believe in? Mark Folmer outlines seven key questions you should ask in order to find the right software for your day-to-day operations schedule Workforce management software is really a ‘catch-all’ phrase for desktop and mobile systems that help a business manage its staff scheduling. The term originated in Contact Centres and within the realms of other service businesses that employ a large number of workers who are paid on an hourly basis. The ultimate goal of such software is to gain visibility into key business metrics, such as the number of operatives needed on site at a particular time of day. By using a software solution for demandoriented workforce management, planners within the business can optimise staffing by creating schedules that, at all times, conform to the forecasted requirements. At the same time, a workforce management solution helps end users to observe all relevant legislations, local agreements and the contracts of individual employees (including those allimportant work-life balance guidelines). So you’ve reached the point where you’ve ‘kicked the tires’ on a number of software platforms in security workforce management. You can recite by heart the claims they’re making about being the best solution since nolick envelopes, but now it’s shortlist time. You want to identify the software that lives up to its claims. You want to determine which solutions will truly contribute towards the efficiency and profitability of your security services company. You need to eliminate the vendors making “noise” from the ones that signal a path towards genuine efficiency and growth. To help save you time and money, we’re going to focus on seven areas to help you zero-in on the workforce management platform that will truly contribute towards the efficiency and profitability of your security services company. Before we examine these seven areas, though, do make sure your firm is carrying out its software search in a sound and systematic way. There are five recommended steps in the software-selection process. First, plan and budget for the software. You will need senior management buy-in and a project team. Second, analyse your requirements. Focus on what’s most important to you and document it. Third, search for vendors. Shorten your long list of vendors to approximately three key solutions. Next, test the software in demos. Keep your Demo Script consistent for all the vendors so you can compare apples to apples. Be sure they live up to their industry claims. Last, but not least, decide on the best software ‘fit’ for your company. Include implementation and training in your evaluation of the best solution. It’s at step three that we recommend you ask the following seven key questions about the workforce management software that you’re considering for use among your employees… (1) Does the platform provide a solution that takes into account your entire business? No sane individual hires a personal trainer to build their biceps only. Similarly, when you want to attain maximum success in your business — when you want to strengthen and make more efficient and profitable your entire organisation — you want to make sure the platform you adopt can empower you to automate your business from end-to-end. After all, to derive all of the benefits inherent within a security workforce management system, you have to take the blinkers off and strive for optimisation of your entire operation. You have to look at security workforce management as a mission-critical system connected to other critical functions, such as your accounting and payroll systems. Vendors who don’t have an end-to-end solution can easily be detected. Their questions will be focused on one or two particular functions in your business, or they’ll address your pain points in a site-by-site manner and 58
Security Services: Best Practice Casebook not assess the business as a whole. That’s because they’re simply not equipped to handle what might be termed ‘the bigger picture’. (2) Does the platform require the purchase or use of “their hardware”? Before the widespread use of smart phones, workforce management platforms required all kinds of extra equipment to collect and download guard tour information. Today, it’s the case that some platforms still demand this costly, inconvenient and servicerequiring equipment. Yet a contemporary smart phone has all the necessary features to carry out an efficient and data-rich guard tour — assuming, of course, that the platform involved can take advantage of current technology. Do you want to be constrained by the costs and hassles of managing and maintaining “their hardware”? (3) Is the platform designed to be mobile? Anytime and anywhere access to the Internet has become a ‘given’ in our day-to-day lives. Why should your operations platform offer you less convenience and flexibility than that? However, some security workforce management platforms still rely upon on-site hardware for data exchange. As a result, data collection may be limited by location and time of day. This lack of flexibility constrains what your staff and management can do, and that inevitably translates into reduced productivity. Cloud-based platforms, on the other hand, offer 24/7 access, dependable data security and the convenience of automatic software maintenance for the end user. (4) Does every modification of the software require custom in-house programming? Perhaps one of the function leaders in your company believes that their software needs are unique. If so, make sure they have a business case to prove it because, when it comes to software customisation, you must carefully consider the cost benefits involved. More customisation means a longer time to write and test the code, a longer time to yield a return on investment and more system and staff instability as you work through the transition period to the new implementation. Furthermore, when upgrades are necessary, the custom code will need the ‘white glove’ treatment. Is your company comfortable about making these costly concessions? If not, the stability and cost savings of a turnkey platform, and especially one focused on the security industry, must be thoroughly considered even if a little flexibility must be traded-off. “Anytime and anywhere access to the Internet has become a ‘given’ in our day-to-day lives. Why should your operations platform offer the business less convenience and flexibility than that?” (5) Does the platform have a roadmap for future development? Before you sign a multi-year contract, you want to be sure that the software platform you commit to today will be evolving with you tomorrow. Since the security environment, technology and your business are in constant evolution, your security workforce management platform must evolve and adapt as well. A vendor with an “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”-style mindset will leave you with a set-inconcrete platform that will limit your options for adapting to new business conditions. Ask your potential vendors questions like these: ‘What kind of roadmap for development do you foresee?’ ‘What input determines how the platform will develop?’ and ‘What will be the frequency of upgrades?’ (6) Does the platform seem to be designed with customer input in mind? Anybody who has worked in the security industry knows that its operational concerns and challenges are distinctive. If, during the demo stage, you notice platform features that seem unrelated to the industry, or not remotely relevant to your own needs, ask your vendor how these features came to be. Some companies systematically solicit customer feedback as an integral element of software development. To stay on top of a changing world, they also consistently participate in industry-related conferences and dedicate people to monitoring trends. Does your vendor engage in this kind of dialogue and information gathering? (7) Does the platform try to be a jack-of-alltrades for multiple industries? A Swiss Army knife certainly comes in handy on a day-to-day basis, but when you’re talking about survival in the big bad woods you need to resort to more serious tools. Similarly, a general purpose enterprise resource planning system that does the job for a pizza delivery firm isn’t going to stand eye-toeye with a software platform specifically designed for mission-critical functions in the security sphere. When it comes to workforce management software selection, it’s important to commit the right resources and approach to the process. Mark Folmer MSyI CPP: Vice-President for the Security Industry at TrackTik 59 www.riskxtra.com>
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x www.riskxtra.com RISKXtra Securit
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x RISKXtra September 2018 Contents
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x RISKXtra Editorial Good for Busin
Page 7 and 8: News Update City of London Police a
Page 9 and 10: News Analysis: Apprenticeships in t
Page 11 and 12: x RISKXtra News Special: Global MSC
Page 13 and 14: Opinion: The Modernisation of CCTV
Page 15 and 16: Opinion: Mind Your Own Business to
Page 17 and 18: x RISKXtra BSIA Briefing Many reade
Page 19 and 20: x RISKXtra Advertisement Feature Mi
Page 21 and 22: Data Protection Considerations for
Page 23 and 24: x RISKXtra Building Management: Acc
Page 26 and 27: x RISKXtra Advertisement Feature: H
Page 28 and 29: 2018 OLYMPIA LONDON, 28 - 29 NOVEMB
Page 30 and 31: FIRE SAFETY What you need to know a
Page 32 and 33: FIRE SAFETY “All pre-learning mat
Page 34 and 35: FIRE SAFETY Hochiki launches FIREsc
Page 36: FIRE SAFETY Pulse Alert VADs lower
Page 39 and 40: FIRE SAFETY Kentec introduces four-
Page 41 and 42: FIRE SAFETY Ensuring Fire System Ef
Page 43 and 44: x RISKXtra Emergencies and Life Saf
Page 45 and 46: We go to greater lengths. Axis Secu
Page 48 and 49: x RISKXtra The Race to the Bottom i
Page 50 and 51: x RISKXtra Meet The Security Compan
Page 52 and 53: x RISKXtra ‘What makes the modern
Page 54 and 55: x RISKXtra Selling Security Without
Page 56 and 57: x RISKXtra Despite the ongoing best
Page 60 and 61: x RISKXtra CTI: Keeping UK Citizens
Page 62 and 63: x RISKXtra Routes to Learning: Staf
Page 64 and 65: x RISKXtra Risk in Action Dahua’s
Page 66 and 67: BENCHMARK Smart Solutions BENCHMARK
Page 68 and 69: x RISKXtra Appointments Martin Harv
Page 70 and 71: ACCESS CONTROL CCTV CCTV INTEGRATED
Page 72 and 73: GATE AUTOMATION & ACCESSORIES WHOLE
Page 74 and 75: INTRUSION DETECTION AND PERIMETER P
Page 76: NOTHING MISSED Independent left and
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RiskXtraSeptember2018

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