Hiring the right security service for your company is a decision that needs careful consideration and thorough research. It will also save you cost and give you peace of mind, knowing that your business facilities, equipment and products are in good shape.

How do you decide to choose a suitable security service for your business? Here are seven questions to ask that can help you assess your needs and options:

Security services

Security needs differ between industries. One way to narrow down your search is to pick services whose clientele is similar to your business type. For example, if a company has experience protecting IT companies, they are more familiar with the issues and risks in the industry. 

Good companies usually have security guards who are well-versed with IT issues and concerns, hackers, and virtual and physical threats. These services also come with guards skilled in specific tasks, experiences and security expertise suitable for a particular business.

Qualifications

Security services need to have the proper insurance to carry out their jobs. These insurances cover any incidents such as detaining someone or damaging property while conducting their duty. Without the appropriate insurance, the liability falls on you as the property or business owner. Licensing requirements are also another factor to look into, as this means the security service has the legal right to operate in your state or city.

Finally, security guards hired by the security company should also come with the necessary qualifications or certifications. These certifications are related to standard security and safety protocols, relevant computer applications, industry knowledge etc. The more high-risk the industry, the more certification the security guards need to qualify them for the job. Typically, these qualifications can be obtained through programs like Security Guard Training Ontario.

Staff

Size and capacity are essential when choosing a security company. How big is their workforce, can they run security 24 hours, and how many guards they can have on duty are important figures to know. Additionally, services with multiple office locations could also come with built-in reinforcements, additional security set up and enhanced supervision services based on locality.

Connections

Security services that have a branch in your area are an excellent benchmark to evaluate their quality of service. Not only will they be familiar with the security risks in your area, but they will also have the right network to law enforcement agencies, the police and detectives in the city. Local connections are helpful whenever there is a threat or risk known in the area.

Credibility

The online and physical reputation of security services is a crucial element to survey. What is the word on the street regarding the service you are planning to sign up with? Speak to business owners in the same industry as yours, check online reviews, forums and comments sections on the internet. These are all part of the evaluation you must do to get an idea of the quality of service. Take time to go through these reviews, and if you see more bad reviews than good ones, that's a big red flag.

Budget

Price is an important indicator when it comes to purchasing decisions. However, where security is concerned, price is often the last priority. You want a company that provides quality service at a reasonable price.

Pricing that is too low might entail other hidden costs such as overtime charges, patrol charges, and even extra fees if an incident occurs. Also, look into highly-priced security packages. Does the price validate the services they offer? Does it come with the proper infrastructure and regular supervisor check-ins? Do you have access to 24/7 support?

Response Time

Professional, well-established security companies have plenty of processes in place to ensure that things go smoothly on a day-to-day basis. This includes emergency response time when reacting to a distress call, standard operating procedures for responding to a customer's request, office hours for non-security personnel, frequency of roll-call and so on. As the saying goes, first impressions matter, so a company's response time to your email or inquiry about their services is a good indication of their professionality.

Quick and fast responses are highly valued, followed by the quality of content in their responses. Are they shady when giving information about their pricing and services? How responsive are they to your questions? What is their tone of voice when you correspond with them? These are all the different ways to evaluate a security company. All of the questions listed here can help you narrow down your options to decide the best security fit for your business's needs.