by Jessica | Nov 1, 2018 | Industry Trends
The security industry has dramatically changed, and interactive services are here to stay, which can be a terrific way to attract new customers and retain existing customers. The national churn rate in the alarm industry lingers around 10 percent, but with interactive services that are used daily, a customer becomes tied to the services and to the dealer.
Parks Associates, Inc. found that 40 percent of consumers who currently have security systems are interested in energy management, versus 25 percent of those without a security system. Adding interactive services will allow users to control the lights and temperatures in their home, while increasing a dealer’s recurring monthly revenue. WH International Response Center (WHIRC) recommends focusing on the fact that these products are affordable and will be used daily. They also integrate with the customer’s existing security system.
Most interactive services have a dashboard for dealers that can help you navigate your customer base and point out customers who are not fully using the system to its capacity. WHIRC recommends marketing to those customers and encouraging additional features to enhance the customer experience. And it’s not just for residential customers. With integrated access control, video and security, interactive services are a great fit for commercial applications.
With your partnership, WHIRC is determined to provide the services needed for your success. We are currently integrated with most of the major interactive services and will soon be integrated with SecureNet Technologies to offer a solution that is more versatile and has panel compatibility.
SecureNet is fully integrated with the DSC iotega, 2GIG GC2, 2GIG Rely and Alula Helix. SecureNet also has an IGM that will allow dealers to update their legacy systems, re-engage their customers, and improve customer retention. SecureNet uses a fully encrypted VPN communication from the security system to the central station. It comes with the SmartLink App for interactive security, video monitoring, home control and built-in automation. Dealers can manage contacts, set notifications and the app has the ability to be custom branded.
For more information or to get set up for SecureNet services, contact Rick Stevens (612-868-0010) or Cody Decker (763-477-3124) today.
by Jessica | Aug 1, 2018 | WHIRC News
Monitoring companies and standards and certifications companies such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), are keeping a close eye on the rapid advances in technology. New requirements are in place for UL 827, which is the Standard for Central-Station Alarm Services, that take effect mid-2020. This UL standard update not only improves the security of all data and information, but also increases the dependability and redundancies to protect that data.
WHIRC continues to stay up-to-date with technology and embraces the changes to the new UL standards. The effective date for the requirements was pushed back earlier this year as some monitoring centers were unable to meet the new requirements in the original timeframe. However, WHIRC completed the necessary updates and is compliant with all the new standards.
In the Feature Article below, Rod Coles, chief executive officer at Bold Technologies, talks about the “cloud” monitoring solution. We announced at the WHIRC Partner Symposium in May that our disaster site will be located in the Bold Cloud solution. This provides WHRIC with additional redundancies and capabilities to complete updates and upgrades seamlessly. This means there will be no interference in monitoring or connection for you and your customers. WHIRC’s cloud configuration will be a complete replica of our physical site and is housed at one of Bold Technologies’ two data centers. We are excited for this solution and the additional security it brings, and it is a UL approved “cloud” monitoring platform!
Along with advancing technology, cyber security is a constant focus for the WHIRC team. We assure you that security measures are in place to protect all data and information retained at WHIRC. We are prepared for future growth and excited for what the future brings!
by Jessica | May 17, 2018 | Event Updates
WHIRC would like to personally thank all the customers, dealers, manufacturers and peers that attended our 10th annual Partner Symposium, which was held at Crown Plaza Minneapolis Northstar Downtown on June 20. With this being WHIRC’s 25th anniversary year, our event focused on all the new technology and how to build your business for the future.
Our five-person Dealer Panel gave guests the opportunity to discuss issues they are having with their own businesses and our panel of industry peers offered strategies to overcome them. Guest speaker Aaron Hunnel inspired the audience when he talked about turning obstacles into opportunities.
For those who attended, we hope you enjoyed the symposium and took advantage of the many networking opportunities it provided. We were happy to once again provide this free educational opportunity for our customers and industry friends. If you missed the fun this year, we hope to see you there in 2019!
Along with installation questions, marketing questions and other important parts of the business, our dealer panel and manufacturers also touched on video monitoring offerings. Within the next 7 years, the IP Security Camera Market is set to grow at more than 20 percent compound annual growth. Camera technology only continues to evolve including more analytics capabilities to better identify the event, which is a signal from the video system. The signal is triggered by motion, line crossing, or additional analytics that are set in the recorder.
This security camera trend only seems to be picking up momentum and offers increasing opportunities for recurring monthly revenue (RMR), which is exciting news for our dealers.
WHIRC is prepared to monitor all alerts that are sent from any type of system including a video recorder. WHIRC provides multiple video integrations and a Universal Connector that is able to be programmed to turn any simple message into an alarm. We currently work with multiple authorities to assist them with identifying locations, images and landmarks. When a customer’s camera identifies an event and sends a signal to WHIRC, our agent’s use the customized alarm handling instructions of the event to properly handle the alarm or signal.
We hope to see you next year at our 2019 Partner Symposium!
by Jessica | Feb 1, 2018 | WHIRC News
The U.S. security alarm market continues to grow and WHIRC is fully prepared to handle it. We are continually aware of upcoming technology and are proactively prepared for the implementation.
The Freedonia Group research firm from Cleveland, Ohio, valued the U.S. security alarm systems market at $3.8 billion in 2016, and forecasts the market to reach $4.9 billion by 2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1 percent.
Both the residential and non-residential sides of the alarm systems market are predicted to be in high demand with The Fredonia Group predicting the greatest demand coming in life safety systems, followed by intrusion.
“The biggest driving factor … is going to be the continued growth of construction activity going forward,” Katherine Brink, industry analyst, Freedonia Industry Studies, told Security Systems News (see our Featured Article below). Brink added that this factor effects both residential and non-residential.
Brink said that key technological trends will include the ongoing interest in video verification in the residential market, as well as systems that can connect with smart homes.
The growing senior population is also creating an opportunity for the Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) industry. The increasing number of seniors, partnered with a higher desire to stay in their homes (as opposed to moving into assisted living facilities) makes PERS devices a key piece of technology for the coming years. WHIRC offers multiple options in PERS products and monitoring including traditional phone line, cellular, and GPS.
To help stay on top of technology breakthroughs, WHIRC participates in most interactive services through manufactures of “smart home” applications. These interactive services would include arm, disarm, thermostats, lights, locks and many more. WHIRC also offers multiple video monitoring options, including traditional video, DVR’s and NVR’s.
WHIRC is fully prepared for future growth in technology. If the device can send a signal, we can receive it including alarm signals from traditional phone line, cellular, IP, radio, email and SMS.
WHIRC offers multiple methods of notification from our staff including text messaging, email, automated voice and traditional voice call from an operator. This customizable approach allows us to meet the needs of each individual customer regardless of how their system is set up. WHIRC also offers customized reporting that is included in our standard monitoring rates.
With the demand of growth increasing 52 percent, we at WHIRC are ready.
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