8 minute read
Meet the installer
PROFESSIONAL TEST
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR TRAINING AWARD 2022
Training is an essential part of security system technology installation - from learning about new systems to getting advice of best practices. Manufacturers and distributors are well placed to deliver such help
• Abloy Academy • BT Redcare All-IP Toolkit • CDVI Access • Gate Safe • Paxton In-person & Virtual
Training • Pyronix Training on Demand • QED Training Academy • RBH – Axiom Approved Training • Texecom Academy • Videcon Training
VOTE NOW
www.psimagazine.co.uk/vote
TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROVIDER OF THE YEAR 2022
In addition to the regular categories listed over the previous pages we also have an award for the Technical Support Provider of the Year. As every supplier and manufacturer offers help for installers we do not like to restrict your voting options by listing finalists. Therefore for this category you can vote for anyone you like when you cast your awards votes online.
If you have required technical assistance with an installation over the last twelve months and have been particularly impressed by the advice and service given now is the time to put that company forward for recognition. This can be for any manufacturer, distributor or organisation working in the electronic security and fire sector.
Visit the PSI website and on the awards voting page and you will be able to register your vote for any company that has gone above and beyond in helping with your enquiry. There’s no shortlist to choose from, just enter the name of the company in the space provided and that will go towards their numbers.
Let us know who you think goes above and beyond to help.
Meet the installer
Security life with Matthew Tolkien of BusinessWatch Group
What would be a typical project for you? A typical project for BWG would normally consist of a number of systems be it intruder, access, CCTV, ANPR or fire integrated to a front end or PSIM. We install a lot of high end solutions and products which have been tried and tested but the main factor is wherever possible the systems we provide will have remote connectivity and connected to our ARC (RMS). Our service offering is all about being proactive we want to provide world class service and what I mean by that is we want to know about a failure on our clients site before they do and more importantly we want the ability to diagnose and where possible fix the problem remotely. On average we diagnose and repair 71% of failures remotely and this is increasing every time one of our legacy systems is connected through to us. This is the area we really thrive in as a business and if you were to contact any of our “connected” clients I am sure they would say the same. We have invested and built a robust aftercare service which I would honestly say is one of the best in the industry right now.
Do you have any ‘go to’ technology and manufacturers? We install a lot of Mirasys and Avigilon servers, and a lot of Avigilon and Axis cameras on CCTV. However the beauty of the Mirasys is you can pretty much pick and choose any ONVIF camera so a lot of our sites have a real mixture of manufacturer cameras based on their functionality, performance and client’s budget.
With regards to intruder alarms we install Texecom and Galaxy for our commercial clients and Orisec and Ajax for our domestic clients. Again the reasoning behind these choices is purely down to the connectivity and what we can do via the software available.
Access control all depends on the integration its normally Paxton, RBH or Brivo again its all dependant on the client’s requirements.
We are a Fireclass partner so use this where possible but again depending on client requirements, and the solution and what it is we are protecting we would be happy to install any open protocol solution.
What is the best thing about working in this industry? The diversity, each day is different. I used to love it when I was on the road in sales as one minute you could be in a high rise block of flats surveying a new fire system and the next meeting you could be surveying for CCTV in a manufacturing site to help with internal theft and or health and safety.
The other good thing about the industry is its people. I’ve met some great people and characters throughout my career and some which will be friends for life. Name: Matthew Tolkien
Job title: Managing Director Time in security/fire: 21 years Company: BusinessWatch Group Location: UK wide with offices in Leeds and Peterborough Areas of expertise: Integrated technology solutions including all fire and security systems and remote monitoring/managed services
Accreditation: NSI Gold, NSI Gold Cat2 ARC, BAFE, Constructionline Gold, Cyber Essentials
Is third party accreditation beneficial to you? Absolutely, we are NSI gold company and our ARC is NSI gold category 2 which is really
Since 2021 the company has taken steps towards sustainability with the adoption of electric vehicles for both engineers and staff
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important for a lot our clients due to their insurance requirements.
We also carry Cyber Security, Safecontractor and Constructionline Gold.
Do you think there is an engineer skills shortage? Any trouble recruiting? There is definitely a skills/engineering shortage in the UK unfortunately in the past we have recruited badly and have suffered the consequences we are now starting to recruit on attitude and are fortunate to have an in-house training programme that all new starters go through which is conducted by our trainer Jolene Taylor. We have a full training matrix and skill set pay structure that the engineers know and more importantly they know what they need to achieve to increase to the highest pay grade.
The other thing we are passionate about is apprenticeship programmes the four apprentices we had have now become service/install engineers and we will be reigniting the apprenticeship programme now restrictions are starting to lift.
We are hoping to have our training and apprentice academy up and running by the end of the year.
Are there any common requests from customers that give you problems? Great question, but I have to honestly say not really. When a client comes to us with a request or problem we will do our upmost to fulfil it where possible, some examples of that which we have implemented is: • Customer portal so clients can see any outstanding PPM’s and reactive visits, they can see their spend if we are hitting our SLAs and common parts used on their sites all this is totally transparent. • SMS text messaging when an engineer is on route this was a request due to our domestic division, our clients don’t want to wait in all day for a an engineer. • Clients complain about turn around of quotes, we developed an app so that the engineers can complete a survey and quote there and then whilst on site.
We are always looking at new technology to see if we can improve our processes and procedures to enhance our customer experience.
What is the security/fire industry’s biggest myth? Struggling to think of one, but perhaps every time we recruit a salesperson they will bring £2m of orders with them!
What impact has smart/home automation had on your business? Its not had a massive impact as yet purely down to our client base but within our domestic division Homewatch I know Kristian who heads it up is testing some new products and we have recently become a control4 partner. We know this is where the industry is heading especially now prices are reducing with more manufacturers having it in their portfolio. It used to be mainly high net worth individuals and tech geeks that had it but now it’s readily available so we will be investing in our team to make sure they’re fully trained for when the opportunity arises.
What would make your job easier? Being an MD and reporting into shareholders can be challenging at times especially if targets aren’t met for whatever reason so the drive in the business at the moment is looking at processes and procedures and build a recurring revenue base so it covers our overhead, I think that’s every MD and business owners goal. Once we have achieved our goal my life will become easier as we will not be reliant on install revenue targets each month.
What is your ultimate/fantasy electronic security/fire product? Any product that we can sell for a high margin!
What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself? Do well at school as it opens up more opportunities for you in life and when you’re earning always put a little money a side each month as you never know when you may need it.
Will England ever win the World Cup again? This year hopefully! Come on England...
If you won £25,000 what would you do with the money? I’ve been after a T5/6 campervan for a while so I would probably treat myself to one so the family and I can go off exploring whenever we wanted too. The wife would say otherwise and want to keep it in savings!!
