Many businesses use CCTV for security purposes, prevention of crime is of course its primary function. But CCTV can help your business in many other ways than just crime prevention. CCTV cameras are also an added deterrent and will generally cut down on opportunist crimes. Having CCTV present in a premises is also known to create a safe-feeling work environment, picking up on suspicious behaviour to prevent crimes before they have even happened. This can inspire confidence in staff, particularly those who may feel at more risk, for instance, in busy nightclubs or bars with rowdy customers.
Basic CCTV systems give an overview of a business floor, making it a great tool to find members of staff easily across large buildings. This frees up time that would normally be taken to ring around different rooms in the building or even staff having to manually check each room by foot when someone is needed. This overview is also good to keep your staff safe. Overseeing any accidents or altercations with the public can help in legal processes and speed along the completion of any incident reports.
This management tool can also be used in service industries, e.g. restaurants. The cameras can allow management to see if customers are sitting for a long time without being served or plates being cleared away. In other industries it can help show how long members of the public are waiting to be seen to by a member of staff. By adding audio surveillance to your system you can also monitor staff and customer interactions, which can in turn be used to settle any disputes which may arise and protect your employees from false allegations.
Watching CCTV back can also give you a clear idea of the level of job satisfaction your employees have, and provide ideas on how to improve your business environment to ensure staff are happy at their work.
Monitored CCTV gives great peace of mind over all aspects of your business, especially those which you would not usually watch over, such as car parks. CCTV here can identify number plates and help you to find those who may have been acting suspiciously around your premises. Monitored CCTV can alert you to what is happening and allow you to then view the goings on, and choose to notify authorities.
Remotely monitored CCTV gives you these options as well as giving you the freedom of being anywhere in the world. There are apps for your smartphone and tablets enabling you to view multiple cameras on one device from anywhere with an internet connection.
More expensive CCTV systems can go a step further than surveillance and even be used for access control. Software is now available to identify members of staff in particular age demographics and genders, allowing for easy access by those who fit the correct staff profile.
In shopping centres this can be taken even further and used for marketing purposes. It has already been implemented in a number of centres, using CCTV cameras to gather data regarding which entrances see the most people pass through and of what gender and age group these people fall into. This data can then be used to determine which areas of the shopping centre prove most popular and which promotional displays should be placed where to gain the optimum attention from its target market.
Many security companies offer tailor made CCTV system design to specifically cater to your business’s needs. Insurance companies also recommend NACOSS/NSI Gold standard installers to guaranteed quality and the option of police monitoring.
Companies such as Harrogate CCTV offer you an initial survey free of charge to talk through your options and decide what is best for you.