21 minute read
SOLUTIONS SHOWCASE
Are Security Guards Disrupting Your Holiday Season?
Protos Security Can Handle the Holiday Rush!
The holiday season is a wonderful time of year for many, but for loss prevention officials, there is no rest. No other time of the year is more professionally critical than the period between November 1 and December 31 each year. According to the National Retail Federation, the all-important, two-month holiday shopping season can represent as much as 30 percent of annual sales.
As seasonal shopping increases, thefts of every kind are on the rise. However, a variety of new industry tools are helping LP officers take back the holiday season and spend more time with their families. With more sophisticated industry partners and vastly expanded technical capabilities, companies like Protos Security are showcasing the real value of their innovations to the entire LP industry.
“Our central AP team works hard every year to source quality guard coverage for the Thanksgiving and Black Friday holiday rush. In years prior, this process was extremely labor intensive and involved sourcing and contracting with multiple companies, only to be left without coverage when those companies were unable to fulfill our request or sent unprofessional, untrained guards,” one national LP operations director said.
Protos continues to offer dispatch support twenty-four hours per day, 365 days per year. Their always-on, call-center teams take pride in standing ready to process emergency calls, fill last-minute security needs, and provide incident reporting around the clock.
“Since contracting with the Protos Security team, we not only have saved time and money but also have had superior customer service with attention to detail and terrific communication,” client Tim H. said. “With the Protos partnership, we were able to fill thousands of man hours with quality guards and provide a safe and secure shopping environment for our customers.”
The dispatch team works together with dedicated client account managers (CAMs), who have standing long-term client relationships, are familiar with each of their customer’s specific facilities and support needs, and know each potential work site’s individual risk profile. Protos has designed its teams and client support structure to ensure that each and every guard order gets filled with vetted guard vendors and appropriately trained guards. The CAMs work hand-in-hand with the Protos dispatch team to ensure the best guard company and staffing plan gets matched to each individual contract and work site need as they are efficiently processed, booked, and confirmed. Available around the clock, this power team answers questions and helps respond to emergencies as they arise.
“For one of our clients, we provide coverage for more than 200 locations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This is the only time the stores are closed all year. With the security coverage in place, the employees are able to spend quality time with their families,” Rosalind Fields, Protos senior client account manager, said. “The security coverage also reduces concerns from our client, who knows that their locations are being monitored by trained security officers.”
Protos has been successful in covering every location for this client the last two years. Prior to utilizing Protos, the client had multiple locations that routinely could not be staffed by other security vendors.
Many know that Protos was founded on industry-shifting technology. They are no stranger to market disruption, and they continue to live up to their innovative reputation. For those LP professionals who still want to be in the know, the Protos Client Portal app allows for remote monitoring of guard status, incidents, and more. All
these great features are just as easy as checking the latest sports scores on your phone. From Black Friday to New Year’s events, LP teams nationwide have a long history of competing to secure top guards for crowd control, often at the last minute as they seek to supplement and to accommodate last-minute shopper surges. The Protos vendor network makes sure all in the Protos “Since contracting with network have valid licensing, the Protos Security team, we not only proper training programs, and active and appropriate insurance coverage. By eliminating the have saved time and need to check individual money but also have had superior customer placements before confirming each assignment, Protos is saving clients critical time and service with attention freeing up resources that can be to detail and terrific communication.” better deployed to less-routine administrative tasks. Even the standard overnight security and night watch programs are being optimized. Protos’ now famous GPS location validation systems and hourly punch-in protocols continue to ensure that hired guards are in proper position and on active duty where and when they are supposed to be. With a continual virtual check-in on the guards you’ve hired, Protos can help ensure your merchandise is safe, no unauthorized parties gain access to your facilities, and service payments are both prompt and proper. Companies like Protos are helping the LP industry evolve rapidly and stay focused on their core missions. Now is the time to put the proper processes, technology, and partners in place before the holiday rush. Take advantage of these new service capabilities, so you can enjoy a little more time with your family this year. It can be wonderful. Leading LP pros are relying on Protos Security to reduce the burdens of managing large security guard programs. To learn more, contact Kris Vece, LPQ, at 540-751-3756 or krisvece@protossecurity.com.
Let’s Sit at the Same Side of the Table Or How to Be a Better Partner
By Stefanie Hoover, CFI
With a regular blog titled “Confessions of a Forensic Interviewer,” you’d think that every week I’d have something to say about interviews. I do. But here’s the thing: I’m a solution provider now. In order for me to write regularly, I have to write about my experience, and what I’ve experienced since transitioning from retail loss prevention five years ago to solution provider has been, well, a lot.
Thinking back to when I worked for various retailers over the years and bumping into “vendors,” let’s just say I was mostly underwhelmed (though sometimes pleasantly surprised) at the service we received.
My role brought me into contact with field technicians and occasionally a manager, if something had gone haywire. I was there during installations as the eye in the sky or checking on the work after it was done and saw a whole range of behaviors on the job, from taking extra-long lunches, to flirting with store staff, to just plain shoddy workmanship. Not everything was negative, as I said. There were pleasant surprises too: techs who showed up on time with a name badge, checked out at the end of shift, and walked me through the work that they did.
Through all my years of working with vendors, I never once had a supervisor, project manager, or account rep call and ask me how the job went. This was curious to me. Wouldn’t they want feedback from the customer directly?
I always thought to myself that if our vendors would communicate with us more often, then they would become solution providers. Now, having lived on the vendor side for five years, I noticed that communication isn’t always easily forthcoming from the retail side either. And I relearned what my experience as an investigator first taught me—that communication is a two-way street.
So this will be a two-way article. I’ll offer suggestions for improving the retailer-vendor communications from both sides, so regardless of which side of the table you are sitting at, you may find a helpful nugget.
I always thought to myself that if our vendors would communicate with us more often, then they would become solution providers. Now, having lived on the vendor side for five years, I noticed that communication isn’t always easily forthcoming from the retail side either. And I relearned what my experience as an investigator first taught me—that communication is a two-way street.
Being a Great Customer
If you are a retailer who wants a rock-star vendor, don’t just sit back and wait for it to happen on its own. When you’ve gone through all the trouble to select a vendor—or even if you have a long-term partnership—talk about your expectations and then follow up on them. Almost every retailer has a service-level agreement (SLA) or master service agreement (MSA) in place, but how many actually talk about those things that make that SLA run?
For instance, you may have an SLA in place that states your vendor needs to respond to service calls within five days; however, are there any mechanisms in place to make sure each service call is placed with a maximum amount of information from your end, so the vendor’s tech can properly complete the job when on site? If your store isn’t satisfied with something about their service, can they document the issue, or does it go by word-of-mouth to the loss prevention manager?
You’ll see a common thread here: it’s communication.
Many times, frustrations start to develop because the retailer waits too long to share the issues. The larger the organization, the more delays there are, and the quicker these frustrations pile up. Do you have a regular touch-base with your vendors? It may not be the most exciting conference call of your week, but regular calls can help to develop a rapport, and you may be surprised that information starts to flow,
and things will bubble up that otherwise may have stayed dormant and festering.
Being an Awesome Solutions Partner
One thing I’ve learned as a solution partner is that every retailer is different, and they all communicate quite differently. Some don’t want to hear from me at all unless they have a problem. Then there are those with whom I can pick up the phone, pick their brain about a new product, and have a great chat.
What needs to stay consistent is the attempt to communicate, from day one. Outlining the critical processes and double-checking that there is consensus is crucial. If your retail customer has a different expectation than you thought, it’s only going to become exacerbated as time goes on.
Don’t hesitate to call your retail customers with bad news. We all have those tough calls to make; things don’t always go perfectly. But the longer you wait, the worse it will get.
As my friend and boss, Steve Sell, likes to say, deliver good news fast and bad news even faster. Communicate truthfully. People can smell BS a mile away. Retailers have enough to worry about without having to deal with a vendor who is colorful with the facts.
We also have to accept that sometimes people don’t click. Personalities may clash, or there may be history of some kind you have no control over. Communicate anyway. Ask the other party: How would you like me to communicate? What works best for you? What have you experienced in the past that you’d like me to do differently?
Treat others with respect. This goes both ways. I have seen retailers treat vendors like indentured servants, and I have also seen vendors acting like they own the place. These attitudes don’t serve anyone and only further build the walls between the two sides. If you are a retailer and have a procurement team who handles your LP buying, I suggest sitting in on a conference call or meeting to see how things are going.
A finely tuned partnership between retailer and vendor can only result in benefits for both sides. Just think of the idea-sharing, problem-solving, and money-saving that could arise if ideas were exchanged freely and on a regular basis.
To illustrate this, I’ll leave you with an example as a final thought. I let one of my retail partners know I was going to be in his area recently, and we made plans to grab lunch. He was telling me about a problem they were having with some auditing, and I was able to recommend a company to him that might be able to help. You could write this off as normal networking or even run-of-the-mill sales stuff, but I disagree. This came about because we have good communication and feel comfortable with one another. Comfort and easy exchange of ideas only come about with some work upfront on communication. We’re there. And you can be too.
Treat others with respect. This goes both ways. I have seen retailers treat vendors like indentured servants, and I have also seen vendors acting like they own the place. These attitudes don’t serve anyone and only further build the walls between the two sides. If you are a retailer and have a procurement team who handles your LP buying, I suggest sitting in on a conference call or meeting to see how things are going.
Cyber Security and Brand Protection Are Team Sports
As this holiday season approaches, are you ready to stand with your IT security counterparts and protect the brand? How many of you have a working relationship with your IT security department? Do you collaborate on “like” issues, share information, or sit at the table together to strategize and defend your company from both physical and digital threats? Do you discuss and assist in finding the right partners to protect your brand integrity? If not, you should. You are the original brand protectors.
As companies invest in more and more technology and your more technologically savvy new hires enter your organizations in every department, you will need to understand these skills like never before. Many of you are and will be required to become system-savvy and develop an aptitude in data analysis to identify criminal activities that are constantly evolving online. Cyber crime
is a real threat to you and your business and not so unlike the threats from a physical standpoint.
Threats around skimming, phishing, vishing (voice phishing), gift card fraud, social engineering threats, ransomware, return fraud, stolen credentials, password changing, e-commerce fraud, employee training and retention, vendor fraud, and even various security regulations all have both a physical and digital component. Since you are already accustomed to criminal activity around these types of threats, your added skills, including your keen investigations abilities, are a bonus, but you must invest in learnings in this arena. Did you know that cyber crime will more than triple the number of job openings to 3.5 million unfilled cyber-security positions by 2021, and the cyber-security unemployment rate will remain at zero percent?
The state of retail cyber security is truly all over the board. Some retailers are more secure than others, but the attacks keep coming from all angles. Every forty seconds a business falls victim to a ransomware attack, and more than 90 percent of successful hacks and data breaches stem from phishing, emails crafted to lure their recipients to click a link, open a document, or forward information to someone they shouldn’t. In addition, phishing attacks with malware links are one of the easiest and most common ways for hackers to compromise social media platforms. The abuse of point-of-sale terminals is taking on new forms, from manipulation of devices to the fraudulent acquisition of new terminals. It’s an ever-evolving, persistent assault, and retailers can’t rely solely on a regulatory compliance or checklist approach.
Having a trusted and creative third-party company like Fortalice Solutions on your team can often be invaluable, especially in the event of an incident or an over-capacity or resource-gap situation. Fortalice is a boutique “white glove” cyber-security professional services firm with an innovative and experienced team who are focused on protecting people and businesses while mitigating exposure to cyber criminals and activities. We do not rest on the typical regulatory compliance checkbox approach. Instead, we understand that each individual retailer is unique and focus on the efficacy of security, making sure that the right controls are in place and that they are actually working to stop bad things from
happening. At Fortalice, we are professional secret keepers and work diligently and creatively to help companies recover quickly if an incident occurs and get to the heart of the matter in an effort to protect our clients.
Our services include but are not limited to enterprise-wide cyber-risk assessments (CRA); red, blue, and purple team penetration testing; incidence response (IR), including preparing for and recovering after an incident; open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations; merger and acquisition (M&A) due diligence; threat hunting and digital monitoring of VIPs and board members; social media account takeovers; highjacked devices; and various extortion demands.
Having the right team on the field is the best way to keep you and your company safe from the onslaught of all unwanted threats, and Fortalice Solutions is here to keep you and your business Rhett Asher protected online. Visit fortalicesolutions.com or email Rhett Asher, executive vice president and director of retail solutions, at rhett@fortalicesolutions.com for more information.
Whether hospitality or retail, you need to maximize profit. A retailer needs to understand why seventy people walk by the store, but only three enter, or why buyers are standing in line, only to leave. Restaurants may have had a sudden unexplained increase in food costs. Grocery stores may have had a sudden decrease in margins. LP directors are tasked with answering these concerns rising from unexpected issues like high shrink, increased food costs, margin changes, a theft incident, or a substantial loss that requires a new approach.
Combining this with the market’s new reality—shrinking profits, flat comps, closing locations, or modest growth—LP directors must play a more strategic role for profitability by improving how assets are protected. But it’s more than just asset protection. LP directors need to do more to improve the operations of their locations.
Decrease Costs, Increase Revenues: Disparate System Aren’t Helping You
As an LP director, you have two main objectives: decrease costs and increase revenues. No doubt you have a number of solutions in play to help you achieve these objectives. Amongst these could be video, fire and intrusion security systems, remote monitoring, or traffic-counting analytics, to name a few. Unfortunately, most of these systems and processes are not working together. When your systems don’t talk, they aren’t helping you.
What’s needed is a solution that helps you improve performance by marrying video, analytics, and customizable solutions for smarter locations and superior results. To deliver the industry a leading performance-improvement solution, DTT acquired 360iQ and LP Innovations, a nationwide, single-source provider of loss prevention solutions for the retail industry with a dedicated full-time field staff. This new combined solution enables DTT to be a one-stop shop for your performance improvement.
DTT/LPI/360iQ helps make your location better and improve your top and bottom lines in three ways. 1. Intelligent Video. More than a camera, our video is intelligent, camera agnostic, and immediately installed. We’ll deliver you modern tools with low maintenance supported by multilocation and single-sign-on functionality. Our teams in Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Poland can support you with customized video and audio cross-reference capabilities supported by your local DTT field team. 2. Advanced Analytics. The combination of data analytics and video creates unparalleled value and is key to the DTT solution. We’ll tell you about your loss prevention trends or what locations are performing better amongst other critical metrics. DTT integrates with all major point-of-sale (POS) vendors, and our technology is API-driven. You get a complete reporting package based on video-based analytics like queuing, speed of service, or average greet time for example. Gain an end-to-end integration quickly that’s powered by our technology, not simply resold. 3. Customizable Solutions. Combining technology with our nationwide field team, DTT can build specific programs for you. ■ Video-based SmartAudits™—A custom report detailing what’s happening daily by location showing loss, customer experience, and liability. ■ Investigations and Remediation—Video-based or in-person help to recover cash and deal with problem situations. ■ Holistic In-Store Programs and Performance Audits—With over 50 people in the field, we can have a key team member within an hour of your store. ■ Safety and Security Package—For late night, 24-7, and theft- or security-sensitive areas.
Marrying the combination of video, analytics, and field services means your locations work smarter with results that speak for themselves. A DTT customer increased its profits by over $700 per store, per month.
Superior Performance Improvements
Working with DTT, you’ll reduce waste by 50 percent in the first year and improve margins. We’ll identify operational inefficiencies and provide a holistic view of data across the entire operation to deliver business insights. DTT will also create awareness, so employees are more productive and customers satisfied. DTT is delivered as a managed service, so you won’t get stuck with obsolete technology or upfront investment in expensive devices or software.
With DTT, you’ll differentiate based on critical metrics, not guesses. Our 24-7 service team, staffed by hundreds of tech support and loss prevention professionals, delivers you these service insights. We deploy local teams backed by our support center. This location-by-location engagement is why our customers love us.
Visit dttusa.com for more information.
Supply-Chain Security Getting Back to the Basics
The daily life of an LP professional continues to become more and more complicated managing complex supply chains, global markets, risks, increased e-commerce, big data, and a list that continues to grow. From time to time we all need to take a step back and make sure the basic fundamentals of our policies and standard operating procedures are being practiced throughout the organization. 7PSolutions began in April 2010 to fulfill an unmet expertise within the supply-chain security arena by employing global supply-chain experts that could guide LP professionals through the complexities of the domestic and global supply chain. This expertise is combined with real-time GPS technologies along with our RouteWatch SaaS that is second to none in the market—a model that has been so widely accepted as an industry standard that others have attempted to duplicate.
Although 7P has had several “firsts” in our short history, the foundation of our services and technologies assists our customers to ensure the basic fundamentals within their loss prevention procedures are being driven throughout their organizations. One of our biggest strengths is assisting LP organizations ensuring that their company policies and goals are being met and employees at every level are properly trained and understand their roles on a need-to-know basis.
A solid LP supply-chain strategy must go beyond placing a GPS device within a shipment or bait package. 7P’s expertise includes a robust cargo-security best-practice document that allows the LP team to check off those strategies that are most important to their policies, products, and shipping lanes. These services also include assistance with such certifications as Transport Asset Protection Association (TAPA) Facility Security Requirements (FSR) and Transportation Security Requirements (TSR). Whether these strategic processes are internal or external, 7P provides the assistance and knowledge to train staff members and vendors on a need-to-know basis only.
As we monitor thousands of miles per days in the air, over the rail, on the ground, and on the sea, we gain a true understanding of the daily challenges that LP organizations face. As transportation experts, we are well positioned to provide solutions around these challenges.
Still today one of the biggest issues that we see within the industry is the lack of proper vetting of carriers and drivers. This can lead to major delays and issues in the event of a cargo theft. For this purpose, we are speaking to domestic ground shipments; however, the same driver interviews should be performed for any mode of transportation, even when the carrier is simply taking the product a few miles to an airport. The vetting process of the carriers for air, sea, and rail should be similar as to how their employees, agents, and contracted vendors are trained and aware of best practices used to prevent loss of product.
Drivers must be provided clear instructions of what is expected. They do not need to be aware that they are being tracked. Our monitoring center receives calls from drivers checking-in even when they do not have GPS on board. This is a result of good driver instruction and keeping them unaware that they may or may not have a tracker onboard.
Additionally, we help document full details about the driver and the truck he is driving. The 7P RouteWatch platform allows you to document all of this information within the platform, including pictures of the driver and vehicle being used. We see all too often this information missing because it “takes too much time to document.” However, a few minutes with each shipment can save hours of time in the event something happens and can make the difference between making a recovery or not.
Getting back to the basics and coupling 7P real-time GPS with CargoNet’s 24/7 recovery support center, cargo theft data, and expansive law enforcement communication platform could be the difference between a painful loss and getting back your products.
Call us today at 812-988-4433 or visit 7Pgps.com to find out how we can help you get back to the basics of reducing shrink, fighting organized crime, and increasing the bottom line.
