Have you been considering installing a CCTV system for your business? They’re really an excellent idea–and they have many more benefits than you might think.
CCTV systems are excellent for preventing crimes. If someone is watching the camera and sees something happening, the offender is more likely to be caught. In fact, the camera itself is a deterrent: people tend to be less likely to rob a business if they know they’re being watched.
If you already have cameras, but they’re not high resolution, then they can actually encourage crime. Too many times, we’ve seen nearly comical wanted placards put up at victimized stores where the identifying image is a shadowy, unidentifiable blur. Not only is putting up such blurry images unlikely to result in catching anyone, but putting up such bad surveillance images can actually cause more problems for your business, because bad security camera images let everyone know that, if you steal from this store, you won’t be identified. Once those fuzzy images are seen and word gets out, your business will likely be more of a target than it was before. So, in as much as a camera can prevent crime, a bad camera can actually encourage crime.
You should install cameras that not only keep track of goings-on, but have the resolution to let you to easily identify people on the screen.
However, it’s not just anti-theft security that CCTV systems are good for, a camera system is an excellent tool to use for running your business, not just protecting it. For example, if you analyze the way that customers move in your business, the way they interact with things, where they stop, where they congregate, how traffic flows in your business, you may be able to see a better way of arranging things, one that could not only improve traffic flow, but also place more popular or better-selling products in a place of greater prominence.
Using recordings can also be a good way to keep tabs on your employees, so you can reward them or take advantage of learning opportunities. CCTV systems can even help protect your employees–if a disgruntled customer makes an untrue claim about bad employee behavior, you can go back and watch the encounter.
There is something you should know about CCTV systems: sometimes they can give business owners an inflated sense of security. They are incredibly powerful and useful security tools, but they shouldn’t be the only security measure you rely on. After all, if someone breaks in after hours, wearing a mask, it’s not the camera that will stop them, it’s the doors, locks and safes. Investments like good locks, door alarms, and good lighting are also an important part of commercial security.
If you’re interested in boosting your existing security, while also getting insights to improve your business, CCTV cameras are a smart investment. Call us to find out more about CCTV installation!
