Video monitoring offers distinct advantages over other security methods
No matter your business type, protecting your assets is essential to your success. Taking a few simple precautions to limit theft and vandalism makes running your company a lot easier and minimizes the time you’ll spend dealing with insurance agencies – and expensive increases in your insurance premiums.
Thieves and vandals commonly target car dealerships because pretty much everything on the lot is expensive. The average cost of a new car in the United States is over $48,000, and used vehicles are exploding in value, too.
Experienced criminals can quickly steal a vehicle and sell its parts for a significant profit or swap out the VIN and drive the stolen car indefinitely. If you don’t have an adequate security solution, you won’t even know the vehicle’s missing until it’s too late.
Fortunately, multiple surveillance systems are available for car dealerships. You can also hire an on-site security team, although that option is often cost-prohibitive and doesn’t provide the same level of surveillance as video monitoring.
Learning about your security options will make your decision easier. Here are five benefits of a car dealership security system worth examining before investing in a solution.
1. It deters theft and vandalism
The benefits of video surveillance begin with its ability to deter crime. The presence of cameras around your car dealership means that everyone who enters the property knows they’re being watched – and that there will be recourse if they take or break anything.
These systems also act as deterrents by allowing security personnel to communicate with trespassers who enter the property at night. Detection analytics inform your off-site security team of the breach, and a trained surveillance agent will check the live feed. The agent can then issue an audio warning and notify the police if necessary.
Simply issuing this warning will likely limit damage to your property because trespassers typically flee when they know they’re been spotted. The result is a safer car lot that experiences less overnight crime.
2. It provides remote access
Another advantage of video monitoring is that it gives the owner (or other trusted staff members) 24/7 remote access. You can view the feed at any time to make sure employees are following protocols and the location is safe. If you have multiple dealerships around the city, you don’t have to be on-site at all of them to keep an eye on things. You can also check in at night for a little peace of mind before heading to bed.
3. It saves money
Remote monitoring sounds futuristic and, therefore, expensive, but it’ll cost you less than hiring a security guard or two to watch your car lots at night. It’ll also save you money on insurance because agencies are likely to offer lower premiums when you have a video monitoring system in place.
Video surveillance is more efficient than an alarm system because it cuts down on false alarms and call-outs. A human verifies every threat before any intervention occurs, so you don’t have to worry about becoming a nuisance to the police.
4. It eliminates blind spots
One problem with hiring an on-site security team is that they can’t see everything. Your security guard could be walking the property all night, but car dealerships can be large, and it’s impossible for a man on the ground to have eyes on every car all the time.
One of the main benefits of a car dealership security system is that you can install cameras in strategic locations around the entire property. Careful camera placement ensures you aren’t left with any blind spots, so your remote monitoring team can see the whole car lot at all times.
There’s also a good chance your dealership has some hidden locations behind buildings or around corners that could be vandalism targets, so installing cameras in these areas will allow your security team to keep an eye on them, too. The more you can see, the easier it becomes to curb crime at your dealership.
5. It offers faster response times
Finally, your remote monitoring system offers faster response times than nearly any other security system type. If your video isn’t monitored, you won’t know what happened until you review the footage, and by that time, it will probably be too late to catch the culprits.
When you have an on-site security team, they’ll have to verify the intrusion before calling the police, which can take some time. The same goes for an alarm that notifies a security guard, as the guard has to verify the cause of the warning before escalating the situation.
Video monitoring gives your off-site security personnel immediate access to the property through your cameras. Agents can then quickly determine the cause of the disturbance, attempt to intervene, and call the police within seconds. Your local police will likely take the call very seriously in this situation, too, since your guard can see what’s happening on the car lot and even let them know where the suspects are located.
Invest in video monitoring
The benefits of video surveillance are nearly endless. Not only can you monitor your lot in real-time, but you can review the video if you notice that an item is missing, or search for suspicious people who might have visited your lot in the days leading up to a theft. You can also use this video evidence to look for instances of key theft, key swapping, or relay theft. The result is an entirely secure car dealership.
Mobile Video Guard offers video monitoring solutions for car dealerships and other businesses that are common targets of thieves and vandals. We can help you set up cameras in strategic locations and offer remote monitoring services to protect your business further. Contact Mobile Video Guard today to learn more or get a quote.
