Force Shield Security

The Challenges

Having recently expanded the company from door supervision into the manned guarding space, Force Shield Security felt it was necessary to introduce a lone working strategy that could help it to monitor its guards.

Due to the nature of work carried out by the guards, Force Shield had a health and safety obligation by which it needed to comply. In order to meet these legislative requirements, the company decided it needed to invest in a suitable lone worker solution which would protect and monitor its guards when working alone and out of hours on patrol jobs.

Previously, the security company depended on one of its manned guarding clients which had its own internal check-call system to monitor the guards. However, this was not a sustainable solution when taking on new work beyond that client and so Force Shield Security needed to invest in another more suitable solution.

The Solution

Force Shield Security implemented Crystal Ball’s MobileLWP in May 2015 across its entire manned guarding workforce.

This decision was based on the prior experience of Crystal Ball by the Operations Director James Horvath:

“I used Crystal Ball when I worked at another security company and was always very impressed with it. I believed it would fit our requirements here at Force Shield. When we decided to invest in a lone worker solution, Crystal Ball was instantly my first choice.”

With MobileLWP in place, Force Shield Security can now effectively monitor and ensure the welfare of its manned guards through a simple smartphone application.

MobileLWP’s integrated panic alarm functionality means the guards can raise an alarm if necessary through the easy-to-access ‘hot key’ on the handset or ‘SOS’ button within the app. This enables an alarm to be raised effortlessly if required.

MobileLWP also offers continuous welfare and protection through Routine Welfare Checks. This functionality allows the guards to set a designated time period and if he or she fails to respond when that time period or ‘session’ expires an automated amber alert will then be raised.

James Horvath explains why the functionalities that MobileLWP provides are fundamental to the guards’ safety:

“Some patrols our guards do can last at least an hour and may involve carrying 20 keys and swipe cards, leaving the control room and patrolling a public area. In these situations the panic alarm and Routine Welfare Check features are absolutely fundamental. If one of our guards was assaulted while on these patrols, getting his phone out and dialling a number just wouldn’t be feasible. We need a quick, effective way of raising an alarm and Crystal Ball provides this.”

The Outcome

Since implementing Crystal Ball, Force Shield Security is now able to provide its clients with accurate and detailed information, says James Horvath:

“Crystal Ball is proving to be a very useful tool for providing clients with evidence. We are able to automate or manually pull off reports to show our clients where the guards have patrolled and what times they have been on duty. Having access to this information has given our clients peace of mind and reassurance that the job is being done correctly. These reports also assist when pitching our services to potential new clients; it acts as a selling point for the company as it gives an extra level of detail that other security companies are unable to offer and therefore aids in winning new business.”

Investing in MobileLWP has also provided the company’s management team with peace of mind. Utilising the system as a workforce management tool allows the company to monitor employee locations and ensure they are doing their job correctly and are on the correct sites at the right times.

James Horvath also explains how the guards appreciate the investment the company has made to protect their welfare:

“The guards certainly appreciate the company investing in a solution that is going to ensure they are protected. They appreciate that we have researched what is needed as a reliable safety measure as opposed to the traditional phone call every half an hour to ensure they are ok. Using Crystal Ball is a much more streamlined and effective way of ensuring the guards are safe and keeps the company up to date with new technology.”

Additional Comments

“Crystal Ball’s lone worker protection is very user-friendly, I love the online portal which allows me to log in remotely wherever I may be. For our company it has assisted us in meeting health and safety legislation and made our workforce feel a lot safer.”