July 16, 2014
Digital video surveillance systems’ obvious advantages relate to theft and other illegal activity. For example, you pull into your office parking lot and hop out of your car. You're normally the first one there, however, when you turn on the lights, your eyes fall on the sight every business owner has concerns about. One of your front windows has been broken, and it's clear that items have been stolen. Without a digital surveillance system, this story ends. No suspect and limited evidence makes finding the culprit challenging. However, when your retail store is equipped with digital video surveillance system, you can take action.
Though theft prevention is the obvious advantage of surveillance systems, there are many additional benefits that enhance the safety, security and operations of your retail store.
Digital Surveillance Side Benefits
Digital video surveillance for retail stores doesn’t just protect your business; they offer a host of other, positive benefits for your workplace. Here are some of the secondary benefits of making the switch to a digital system:
#1: Employees Feel Safer
There's something reassuring about knowing that your employer has your back. Employees know that they shouldn’t confront someone dangerous because the suspicious and/or illegal activity will be recorded, thanks to your surveillance system. In addition, when employees feel safer they're more productive, and they're able to focus on providing excellent customer service.
Also, since potential criminals see the surveillance cameras, they're less likely to take the risk of doing something illegal in the first place.
#2: Prices Remain Competitive
With less theft – from both employees and customers – you don't have to raise prices for your items. When the product you're purchasing only leaves the store when it's paid for by a customer, rather than being stolen, you can eliminate mark-ups previously used to account for this loss. More competitive prices mean you'll attract more business.
#3: No More Scanning
If the worst case scenario should come true – your business becomes a victim of vandalism, theft or other illegal activity – and you are using a VCR system, you'll have to spend time scanning the tapes to see what happened.
If you had a digital system in place, you can use the search functionality to find the exact moment something occurred and have it display on the screen in front of you in a much shorter period of time.
#4: Monitor Remotely
Digital surveillance allows you to monitor your workplace in a remote environment – for not only security, but employee productivity, too. Typically, when the boss is around, employees are more productive. By monitoring your workplace remotely, you'll be able to keep an eye on activity and identify issues that need to be addressed.
#5: Better Video
One of the major problems with using a VCR surveillance system is the quality in both audio and video. At times – especially if there is background noise or if the tape has been used before – it's nearly impossible to tell what's going on. The image is muddy and often indecipherable. This changes with digital video surveillance systems. As everything is recorded in near HD quality and digitally stored on a hard drive, you don't have to worry about image quality.
Digital Video Surveillance for Retail
Unfortunately, crime is a part of our world and businesses need to take preventative measures to protect themselves. For this reason, surveillance systems are essential in a retail environment today. Choosing to go with a digital surveillance system for retail will provide a host of beneficial side effects that will more than offset the cost of your initial investment. Competitive pricing, employee safety and remote monitoring are just a few of the primary advantages of choosing a digital system to protect your business. Request a consultation to discuss a digital video surveillance system for your retail business.
