Page 15 - Campus Security & Life Safety, March/April 2021

first response times and average incident resolu- tion times.
Crucially, this quarterly review mechanism also includes comparative data which enables the customer to measure their performance against others. This comparison between peers provides an ongoing barometer of how well teams are doing. These valuable insights can show customers where there are opportunities to further improve performance.
Successes can be celebrated if problems are
addressed early on with enhanced proficiency training, targeted online courses and explainer videos, or targeted promotional tools.
Major, but Unexpected, Benefits
There is another benefit to this approach. It is a major advantage that customers truly value but isn’t usually obvious when you first look to adopt a new technology. Are there oppor- tunities to network with other users and share best practices? For example, look toward ven-
"Investing in the necessary on-boarding, training, and providing customer support through ongoing meetings and metrics results in customers truly getting the most out of their service. "
dors that host online and in-person events and conferences that will bring together police and security chiefs and heads of department that enhances the value of the service solution.
It is at this coming together of customers, industry thought leaders and operators from around the world where successful results are shared, and valuable relationships are forged. Senior practitioners share details of incidents, challenges, and examples of operational inno- vation, and help counsel one another through difficult circumstances.
In addition, you should be provided the opportunity to look ahead at product devel- opment plans for the short, medium and lon- ger term. This should allow every customer present to vote on and prioritize specific product enhancements they want to see next, so that every customer has a voice versus just the largest customers. It is imperative that vendors commit to act on these votes, and report progress as product roadmaps are expanded throughout the year. When vendors make a new feature or capability available, it should be released to their entire customer base.
Investing in the necessary on-boarding, training, and providing customer support through ongoing meetings and metrics results in customers truly getting the most out of their service. With this approach, university police and public safety teams can come out ahead in 2021 by getting the most from the latest gen- eration of campus safety, security and emer- gency management solutions. This rigorous approach will help ensure campus security leaders enhance and deliver a level of protec- tion, rapid response, and operational com- mand and control capability that they could only dream about a few years ago.
Glenn Farrant is the CEO of CriticalArc. MARCH/APRIL 2021 campuslifesecurity.com 15
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