5 Questions To Ask Your Current Vendors

We know that fire protection and security systems events can happen any time of the day or night. Alarms can get triggered, sprinkler systems can get activated, or card access controls can malfunction to name just a few of the possible situations that can arise. New staff might be faced with issues that they have not yet been trained how to handle, or there might be an unidentified person by the refuse area that gets noticed through security cameras.

When it comes your fire and security needs, no two companies or situations are ever the same. What matters is that you have a very responsive monitoring company to call when you need it. This can make all the difference in case of an emergency or situation that needs to get resolved quickly.

5 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR VENDORS

Here are the top five questions that we recommend asking your current vendors. CLICK HERE for a downloadable document so you’ll have the questions handy when you need them.

1. Do my phone calls always get answered by a real person – day or night?
2. What is your average response time to an emergency?
3. Do you guarantee that a qualified technician will be at my location ASAP?
4. Will your experts troubleshoot my issues over the phone as needed?
5. What will your company do to go the extra mile for our business?

I was thinking about all our amazing customers who we’ve served over the past 20 years and the different needs we have had the privilege of solving for them. We handle over 6000 calls a year but each call presents unique challenges that we’re happy to address. Here’s just one story that comes to mind.

GRAND CASINO HINKLEY AND KISS

Since I’m a huge fan of pop music and classic rock, one situation that happened this past summer stands out. We got a call from Grand Casino Hinckley around 5 pm on a hot Wednesday in mid-July. The Local Fire Marshall had been out to their Events & Convention Center and told them that they needed to have 6 new large CO2 fire extinguishers on-site before the KISS show or the event would not go ahead as scheduled. The extensive pyrotechnics of the KISS show had some additional safety requirements that needed to be addressed ASAP.

We immediately got all the details, came up with a plan, and assured our contact at the casino that we would personally deliver what they needed since there was no time to schedule pick-up and delivery from UPS or FedEx.

Hinckley, Minnesota is over 70 miles from our headquarters in Elk River and we didn’t have the equipment in stock. We contacted one of our trusted brand partners and located the equipment needed on the east side of the Twin Cities. I was determined not to let one of my first customers down or even have them worry about this issue, so I headed north to Hinkley after picking up the extinguishers. We got them delivered and in place by Wednesday evening with plenty of time for the inspector to sign off on Thursday and keep the show on schedule for Saturday Night.

ABOUT BROTHERS FIRE & SECURITY

As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods.