SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.
Issue link: https://securitysales.epubxp.com/i/141570
s beTHEt of 2013 INSTALLER OF THE YEAR (SMALL TO MIDSIZE COMPANY) BEST An inventive avenue ATI uses to connect with customers and prospects is by holding a technology expo, which has grown in each of its four years. Above, associates take a break from the 2013 event held May 16 at The Cliff House Resort & Spa in Ogunquit, Maine. customer does." What really sealed the need to move in that direction for Simopoulos was an experience he had after selling a new video surveillance system to a key client. During a site visit it came to light that one of the customer's cameras was inactive — news to them and ATI! Like a lightning bolt, the integrator realized the value in providing a proactive service to remotely check for ofine cameras, hard drive failures, cameras out of focus, and much more. To minimize problems in the feld, as a quality control measure ATI has an R&D; team test all new products before they are released to its sales team. Maintaining a standardized level of excellence has also meant limiting the number of manufacturers used and making sure ATI techs are certifed on those solutions. "A large training matrix for our 18 technicians shows where the gaps are and ensures they are knowledgeable in the products when they arrive at customer sites," says Olsen. "In addition, we track the sales, operations and ofce teams on the same matrix so we can ensure they continue to gain professional development and training." ACTIVE, CREATIVE MARKETING Effective marketing is crucial at any stage of a servicesbased company, but even more so when transitioning to new oferings as ATI has done. Consequently, the company launched a rebranding campaign during 2012 leveraging new as well as traditional marketing techniques. "We invested over $25,000 in a brand-new Web site that incorporates social media," says Simopoulos. "Our sales team writes blogs based on solutions they develop for customers while in the feld. We rebranded our entire feet of trucks with graphics defning our business. New brochures, tri-folds and print materials were redesigned and launched — all with a similar look and feel." Another inventive avenue ATI uses to connect with cus- 54 / SECURITYSALES.COM / JULY 2013 tomers and prospects is by holding a technology expo, which has grown in each of its four years. Te most recent drew in excess of 300 attendees and included 50+ vendor booths. Te free daylong event includes educational seminars on visionary topics like Near-Field Communications (NFC) and smartcards, hosted video, video guarding and more. "Our marketing team is constantly reviewing the strategies we put into place," says Simopoulos. "It is important to rely on both current customers and prospects to determine if our marketing eforts are a success. A rise in leads after the launch of a new marketing efort assures us we are heading in the right direction. Te input of our employees is equally important." ALL OPINIONS MATTER Remote support services are just one practice that helps ATI deliver premium customer service and care. Te frm has every customer f ll out a survey after an installation. To entice a high response rate, when they complete the online form they are entered in a drawing for a $100 cash prize. According to Simopoulos, while 99% of the feedback is positive, input indicating a weakness is taken very seriously as to what must be improved. All surveys are shared with every ATI associate. Customers are asked to rank each department and identify people who have gone above and beyond what was required. Named ATI members are recognized and rewarded with cash bonuses. A case involving a hospital client whose security system failed serves as an example of how ATI goes the extra mile to satisfy a customer. Within 10 minutes of contacting the service department, engineers connected to the system and began remotely troubleshooting the problem. It was quickly found that the software license was wrongly showing as expired. ATI contacted the manufacturer and determined the license key was coded incorrectly. A new key was generated and remotely loaded to