Security Sales July 2021 - 72

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Monitoring Matters by Peter Giacalone
Getting the Most
From Your Provider
Central
stations
provide
tools and
applications
for their
dealers
and their
subscribers to
take a greater
control of their
part in the
security chain.
▶ PARTNERING WITH a central station monitoring
provider is potentially the biggest and
most important decision an alarm dealer or DIY
provider of security systems will have to make.
Th ird-party or wholesale central station monitoring
companies have matured substantially over
the years and especially the past decade. Early on
in my career I operated a wholesale monitoring
center during a time when wholesale central station
monitoring providers really didn't get much
respect from central station industry peers and,
even some trade associations.
Times have changed drastically over the years
and today wholesale monitoring companies contribute
tremendously toward the growth of our
industry and monitor a meaningful number of
accounts as a segment. It is this growth and the
fast-moving competition along with market pressure
that has caused some of the larger national
monitoring centers to really step up their game
and set a pace for others to follow. Th is transition
is so meaningful that many companies that have
provided their own in-house monitoring for decades
have transitioned to full-time monitoring
or hybrid monitoring with a third-party, wholesale
provider.
Some operating centers perform better than
Peter Giacalone
is President of
Giacalone Associates,
an independent
security consulting
fi rm serving
central stations,
manufacturers and
dealers.
72
others and have taken the steps to expand from
the traditional fundamental off erings of basic
monitoring services, to off ering and providing
enhanced services that accelerate greater results
for alarm dealers and their subscribers. As a
professional who has spent a big part of my career
in executive management for large national
monitoring centers, it's pleasing to see monitoring
providers present their propositions in such
comprehensive fashion.
Dealers have such great benefi ts when they
utilize and leverage the services and support
mechanisms available from these leading-edge
central stations. It's really troublesome when I
hear of dealers arguing over what equates to pennies
with a provider, rather than discussing how
to leverage the many great services and support
mechanisms available that would result in real
Security Sales & Integration JULY 2021
dollars and increased margins toward their company's
bottom line.
I am always very motivated to communicate
and converse about what appears to be the
endless opportunities we have as an industry as
technologies and services unfold. I see many
companies embrace and adopt these opportunities
and prosper, while others sit back, wait
and wonder. Consumers are more educated
today than ever before as it relates to security,
home automation and lifestyle management,
and monitoring.
With the rapid success of DIY systems that include
professional UL central station monitoring
and systems getting easier to install, many consumers
are seeking alternate paths to the same
solution. It's up to dealers to take what they have
in their arsenal and combine that with their personal
service towards holding on to existing clients
and gaining new ones.
In the past, a third-party central station was
simply a machine that sat behind the alarm
dealer and responded to signals and subscriber
calls regarding their monitoring. Also, central
stations controlled the entire process from new
account onboarding of data and data changes.
In today's world, central stations are much more
than this. Central stations provide tools and applications
for their dealers and their subscribers
to take a greater control of their part in the security
chain.
Th ey provide monitoring in a transparent
fashion while the alarm dealer sits front and
foremost as they should. Most importantly, most
wholesale central stations are of great posture and
wherewithal. Th ese strong providers off er great
support mechanisms through their technological
resources as well as their professional human resources.
Many of the really strong providers have
many layers of support and advisory that come
along with their subscription fees.
Most dealers don't take advantage of this. In
some cases, it is similar to hiring a well-rounded
security consultant to assist in expanding your
business. Don't be shy in requesting from your
central station monitoring provider the variety of
metrics and service-level agreements (SLAs) that
are essential to your business. Th ese centers are
much more sophisticated than ever before and the
information they can provide to you is extremely
benefi cial to managing your business, as well as
making sure you are partnered with the monitorsecuritysales.com
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Security Sales July 2021

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