Twenty years ago a security system like CCTV was deemed as either an extravagance or a necessary evil. In today's business climate camera systems can be used in a variety of ways to enhance and yes, contribute to the profitability of a company.
Everyone agrees today that a capable CCTV system make businesses more secure and offer a safer work environment for employees. Don't be limited by just using your system for surveillance though.
If you have a relatively modern system it can be several different ways.
Monitoring Employee Productivity:
The same cameras that are watching for robbers and shoplifters can also be used to make sure employees are behaving in a safe manner. (How many workman's comp issues have you dealt with?)
As a business owner or manager you cannot be at work every hour. However, your CCTV system can be recording all the time. This enables you to effectively manage your employees without having to be there physically. This gives you tremendous leverage when confronting workman's comp or other liability issues.
Several months ago I worked with a restaurant who put in a complete CCTV system throughout their facility. Even in the kitchen and prep areas. Within a matter of days the owner had video evidence of not only employees roughhousing with sharp knives, but very unsanitary happenings as well. Enough to get this particular restaurant in trouble with the health department. By being proactive and monitoring his employees this owner was able to fire the offenders and had the evidence to back the firing up.
There are CCTV systems out there today which offer the business owner the capabilities of viewing the cameras at an off-site location such as their residence. These systems require a static IP address in order to be able to access the DVR, but the extra costs involved are well worth having that management tool at hand. This type of CCTV monitoring can be used anywhere employees are found. In other words, everywhere.
Customer Reactions:
Retail companies like to put their special items on end-caps because of their outstanding visibility. By using that retail philosophy and combining that with a well placed camera, owners are able to get visual clues as to whether this particular item is having the expected effect on customers. The reaction given by customers can help an owner determine whether the items are big movers or big flops.
Scanning mistakes or crimes:
Technology has allowed CCTV today to be incorporated into the computers of retail registers. By matching up the price scanner with a CCTV camera retail outlets are able to have side by side views of not only what is being scanned, but also the register screen as well. This is another excellent management tool. One grocer I know has used this technology to catch an employee supposedly ringing up alcohol, but actually had the bar code turned away from the scanner effectively giving the product to a friend at no charge. This owner knew his shrinkage in the liquor department was out of line and once he saw on his DVR what was happening he knew why.
An enhancement to an intrusion detection system:
As technology continues to improve new and better features are added to CCTV DVR systems. One such recent feature is the ability to use the cameras as another motion detector. There are systems out there, the Intellex system for instance, which will allow the user to set up an area in a camera view so that if this area gets compromised an alert can be sent to the user. This feature is extremely helpful in any facility since it can detect employees who go into unauthorized areas or crooks who think just because they haven't set off an alarm they're OK.
Although many people feel that having cameras watching them every time they enter a business is invading their personal space. It has become a major tool in not only protecting those people, but also allowing the business owner to run his operation better and safer.
Bob Wynn
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