Deterring theft is a vital part of any successful business. The fact is, you put in a lot of hard work to get where you are—the last thing you need is to lose ground because someone takes advantage of your security vulnerabilities. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to protect your business.
1. Pay attention to your inventory.
Keeping inventory is one of those things that some business owners love and others hate. If you are not too keen on tracking your inventory, try to find shortcuts—like leveraging modern technology—to ease the process. No matter how tedious it may seem sometimes, keeping accurate records of inventory is a necessity to identify if things go missing.
2. Be smart about making bank deposits.
You have to get the money to the bank periodically. It’s just part of basic business security. But you have to remember that your deposits are vulnerable until they are in the bank. Even though it may be less convenient than you’d prefer, varying up your deposit times and the routes you take should be standard.
3. Take good care of your customers.
Practicing good customer service, like having friendly and attentive employees helps to deter theft. Not only do you build better rapport with your customers, you always have someone paying attention to what is going on in your place of business.
4. Try to eliminate blind spots.
There are a variety of ways to minimize the areas of your business that cannot be seen easily. Using things like security mirrors and/or surveillance cameras makes it possible to keep a clear eye on the entire business—so nothing happens that you are unaware of.
5. Review discrepancies.
Many times business owners avoid listening to their intuition because they do not want to be overbearing, but chances are you know your business better than anyone. You do not want to be overly paranoid, but you probably have a pretty good idea when things don’t add up. If you notice something strange or out of place, there is no harm in looking closer.
6. Install a security system.
Businesses prevent theft from external actors primarily through security systems.Business security systems are designed specifically to address the risks that are common to your industry. A reputable security company will take you through the consultation process to help you understand what your options are, then defer to your final decision on what you think you need. Getting a security system is required if you want to really keep thieves out.
7. Answer security calls.
Having a security system is not enough. You need to pay attention to the alarms and react appropriately if they signal you. It is usually easiest to pay for monitoring so you do not have to get up and head to the business every time the alarm goes off. But if you are not going to hire someone to do the job, then you certainly want to make sure it gets done. Without someone to respond to the alarm, the security system cannot be fully effective.
8. Make security visible.
While it may be tempting to hide your security efforts to catch criminals in the act, it is more effective overall to have your security system visible so that it deters bad actors from the start. Post the fact that you have a security system on your business, keep security cameras visible and let the world know that breaking into your business or stealing from it is a difficult thing to do.
Learn More About Business Security
If you are considering a security system for your business, we encourage you to contact us. Our security experts can help you understand the different security options available and which might be the best for your business. Please contact us today to learn more.
