Well, I did it. I finally did it and broke down and brought home another lifelong family member, a golden retriever puppy named Brinkley. I truly forgot how much dedicated time and energy these little pups required to get them trained into a future functional adult dog. My constant commands and repeated behaviors are there to create consistency and will lead to excellence for this very energetic 9-week-old pup.
What does training a golden retriever puppy and security have in common? The definition of training is “The activity of learning or teaching the skills and knowledge needed for a particular job or activity:” In security, when you hire someone with an expected expertise to do a job, its important they understand the product and have the knowledge to install, train and repair if needed. Now what is needed or required is always dependent on the overall scope of the job. Some people you hire will have that knowledge, but I would say most of them will require training for specialized products and programming skills per individual product and manufacturers especially in our industry, security. The days are gone when you could just put in an analog camera and fire up a VCR/DVR and it work out of the box.
The questions that need to be asked as you interview potential security integrators should be, “Is training a priority for your company and teams? What employee programs are in place for ongoing training and certification in the products you represent?” Most good companies should have that, and most RFP’s or RFI’s we participate in regularly ask that question. You might, however, be surprised by who doesn’t do this. And If you are not asking those questions, it is important to start. You certainly do not want a plumber or air conditioner technician who says they get all their information from YouTube or have read a plumbing or AC for dummies. Investing in your people and your training programs is one of the most important things you can do as a company, especially with the ever-changing landscape of technology.
NAVCO has been very fortunate to have an average tenure of our 200 plus employees of over 10 years. We have technicians and installers who have been with us over 40 years. They have gone from servicing and installing reel to reel and tube cameras along with analog, IP and now to programing cloud cameras. Consistent training and certifications have allowed them to stay current. And even as camera technology leaps are now happening almost every other year versus the previous 5 to 10 years, we remain best-in-class. Not to mention, VCR’s, DVR’s, NVR’s, and now server-based video platforms. This list continues in alarm and access control.
Our HR team has implemented a tracking program for training that measures the hours trained, the certifications obtained as well as additional trainings required for their specific roles. We have also implemented ongoing training programs for our admin, sales, and corporate teams to support the whole picture we call NAVCO. The dedication and priority of training our people lets us provide customers with an average of 1.1 trips to resolution on service calls and 90% of the time we deliver a picture prefect installation. Ultimately choosing an integrator who invests in training is going to save you money in the long run. We make it a priority to invest in our people which provides a better ROI for our customers. Training may not seem important upfront but ultimately, the comfort of knowing you picked a long-term partner who can adapt to an ever-changing world of technology and support you as they have promised is worth the investment.
Training is time consuming and requires effort on the part of the trainer and the trainee, but the investment is worth it in the end. Brinkley will soon be fully trained and ready to join my other two dogs, Molly & Beau, and I on our walks on the beach.
Angie Barnes, EVP Sales
Angie has 27 years of experience in the security business in Cash Logistics and Physical Security. Angie has held positions in Strategic Sales for Brink’s Inc., in the Cash Logistics space, managing their largest national customer portfolio. Over the last 15 years here at NAVCO, she has held positions in Business Development, Director of Marketing, VP of Sales and now EVP of Sales. Angie’s focus has been on the development of people and increasing business opportunities for NAVCO’s strategic growth in the United States.
