If Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? -3 WC Blog 709
Loss Prevention Calculator -4
Buying An EAS System Saves You Money; Use The Loss Prevention Calculator To See How
If Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? That is an interesting question to consider. Can it do it in a day? Perhaps it can be done in a month? Maybe in a year? Can it be done at all? Does it sound like a silly question in the first place? It isn’t a silly question because often people don’t think about how something can pay for itself. In retail we invest in something to improve sales or productivity but not with the mindset it is going to pay for itself over time. Consider when you bought cash registers for your store. You weren’t looking at when that register was going to pay for itself. You might have looked at the ease of use, the functions it could do or if cashiers could have individual sign-on’s but you didn’t think, “Hey, this register is going to pay dividends in time!” You may have even thought about how long is the warranty on it in case it breaks down. Loss Prevention is one area of store operations where there is not only a return on the investment but it can pay for itself and Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) created a Loss Prevention Calculator that will help in seeing that return on investment.
Bill Bregar the founder of LPSI already knew the value that Loss Prevention brings to a store. His company was built on using that knowledge to help stores reduce their shortage and stop theft and fraud. Armed with his experience as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, a Bachelor’s Degree in Private Security Administration, training as a Private Investigator and a former National Director of Loss Prevention for several companies, Bill wanted to share that knowledge with owners of small and medium sized stores. One issue is that many people considering a Sensormatic security system deemed it to be just another expense. They did not properly understand that the system reduces theft and even criminal activity that often surrounds stores that experience rabid shoplifting and employee theft. What was Bill’s answer to the problem, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. The store owners need only to go to the LPSI website, open the ROI Calc. tab and enter a few pieces of information. The result is that user’s see how much they will conservatively reduce the store shrink by and how many months it will take for the Sensormatic system to pay for itself. THAT is a powerful return on investment. If Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? The Loss Prevention Calculator can answer that question for you.
There is another benefit to owning a Sensormatic security system that is usually not considered when deciding if it will improve profits. Purchase the system with the door counting sensor included and you can accurately track how many people are visiting your store. Now you are thinking I’m crazy. Consider this, if you know how many people walked into your store and you know how many sales you had in a day from your register information you get a difference. What was it that kept every one of those customers who left empty-handed from buying something? You can then begin to plan for ways that you might be able to capture some of these lost sales in the future. Maybe you do quick surveys of those customers. You may change up your displays or advertising. You might reassess your customer service training. Looking at the time of day of customer traffic you may change up how you schedule employees.
So back to the original question, if Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? There is no specific time frame. What I can tell you is that they DO significantly impact losses due to theft. I have seen them work over my 28 years in retail. Add the door counting sensor in and use the data to increase sales and that is going to only add more money to your bottom line. Now take a few minutes to try out the Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself. What are you waiting for? It’s FREE!
The Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
If Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? That is an interesting question to consider. Can it do it in a day? Perhaps it can be done in a month? Maybe in a year? Can it be done at all? Does it sound like a silly question in the first place? It isn’t a silly question because often people don’t think about how something can pay for itself. In retail we invest in something to improve sales or productivity but not with the mindset it is going to pay for itself over time. Consider when you bought cash registers for your store. You weren’t looking at when that register was going to pay for itself. You might have looked at the ease of use, the functions it could do or if cashiers could have individual sign-on’s but you didn’t think, “Hey, this register is going to pay dividends in time!” You may have even thought about how long is the warranty on it in case it breaks down. Loss Prevention is one area of store operations where there is not only a return on the investment but it can pay for itself and Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) created a Loss Prevention Calculator that will help in seeing that return on investment.
Bill Bregar the founder of LPSI already knew the value that Loss Prevention brings to a store. His company was built on using that knowledge to help stores reduce their shortage and stop theft and fraud. Armed with his experience as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, a Bachelor’s Degree in Private Security Administration, training as a Private Investigator and a former National Director of Loss Prevention for several companies, Bill wanted to share that knowledge with owners of small and medium sized stores. One issue is that many people considering a Sensormatic security system deemed it to be just another expense. They did not properly understand that the system reduces theft and even criminal activity that often surrounds stores that experience rabid shoplifting and employee theft. What was Bill’s answer to the problem, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. The store owners need only to go to the LPSI website, open the ROI Calc. tab and enter a few pieces of information. The result is that user’s see how much they will conservatively reduce the store shrink by and how many months it will take for the Sensormatic system to pay for itself. THAT is a powerful return on investment. If Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? The Loss Prevention Calculator can answer that question for you.
There is another benefit to owning a Sensormatic security system that is usually not considered when deciding if it will improve profits. Purchase the system with the door counting sensor included and you can accurately track how many people are visiting your store. Now you are thinking I’m crazy. Consider this, if you know how many people walked into your store and you know how many sales you had in a day from your register information you get a difference. What was it that kept every one of those customers who left empty-handed from buying something? You can then begin to plan for ways that you might be able to capture some of these lost sales in the future. Maybe you do quick surveys of those customers. You may change up your displays or advertising. You might reassess your customer service training. Looking at the time of day of customer traffic you may change up how you schedule employees.
So back to the original question, if Loss Prevention pays for itself how fast can it do it? There is no specific time frame. What I can tell you is that they DO significantly impact losses due to theft. I have seen them work over my 28 years in retail. Add the door counting sensor in and use the data to increase sales and that is going to only add more money to your bottom line. Now take a few minutes to try out the Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself. What are you waiting for? It’s FREE!
The Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
RECOGNIZING EMPLOYEE THEFT FROM MANAGERS
While a lot of time has been spent on recognizing Employee Theft, as a business owner, you have to know that your managers are just as capable of stealing from you than your hourly teams. Moreover, managers have a unique ability to steal even more and go undetected even longer because they know the controls that are in place and they know how to beat them. As the owner of the business, you need to trust, but verify, all activity from your managers.
Over my career in Loss Prevention, I have had a dozen or so store managers that were arrested for theft. You can have every program working 100% to Stop Shoplifting, but one dishonest manager can completely derail an entire year’s worth of financial success. While the number of manager theft cases that I’ve had are relatively small over a 12 year period, they’ve all accounted for the absolute highest and most prolific thefts of any case I’ve worked. Those 12 cases have a higher combined case value that all of my cases over the last 5 years combined. Millions of dollars. So how do you determine if a manager is stealing from you?
Entering and Exiting the Store at Odd Hours
Hopefully, you have an alarm system for your store. If not, please stop reading now and have one installed yesterday. This is something that is an absolute necessity. Preventing a burglary is just as important to your store as it is to Stop Shoplifting. The great thing about modern business alarm systems, is that you can generally receive reporting on when the system was armed/disarmed. You should often review this data, as it will show you when a manager entered the store, and when they left, as well as everything in between. If your store is open from 8am-8pm, there’s no reason for a manager to come back in the store at 1am, right?
Bank Deposit Issues
If you are trusting a manager to deposit the day’s earnings each night, be wary of banking errors. If your store counted $2,000 on Friday and your statement shows that $1950 was deposited, you likely have an issue of Employee Theft by one of your managers. While banking errors are more common that we’d care to admit, consistent issues by one manager in particular should be a strong clue that forces you to look further.
Lost Keys
You’ll find it hard to Stop Shoplifting if you have sets of your keys “lost” in the world. Granted, it’s human to lose a set of keys at least once in your life. I’ve lost a set of store keys once. It was a learning experience and It’s never happened since. If you have a manager that continues to “lose keys”, then there’s probably something happening that shouldn’t be. Always change your locks when keys go missing. It’s also a great idea to have policies that spell out disciplinary action for managers that do lose their keys.
Frequent Large Discounts
Your managers are empowered to run your business. That often means approving discounts for a variety of reasons. Managers can easily slip from “taking care of a customer” to Employee Theft. Managers that give out discounts freely to everyone they know are quite popular with customers, but they are a detriment to your bottom line.
Unexplained Cashier Shortages
What if, all of a sudden, cashiers started coming up a few dollars short every day? Not just one or two, but every single one of them. Cashiers that have been solid for years are suddenly missing $2-$3 dollars every shift. This was actually one of my biggest cases where a manager was stealing cash. Every time this particular manager finalized a cashier, she would swipe a few bucks and run the cashier short. This went on for years before she was caught and costed the store several hundred thousand dollars over time.
Preventing employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
While a lot of time has been spent on recognizing Employee Theft, as a business owner, you have to know that your managers are just as capable of stealing from you than your hourly teams. Moreover, managers have a unique ability to steal even more and go undetected even longer because they know the controls that are in place and they know how to beat them. As the owner of the business, you need to trust, but verify, all activity from your managers.
Over my career in Loss Prevention, I have had a dozen or so store managers that were arrested for theft. You can have every program working 100% to Stop Shoplifting, but one dishonest manager can completely derail an entire year’s worth of financial success. While the number of manager theft cases that I’ve had are relatively small over a 12 year period, they’ve all accounted for the absolute highest and most prolific thefts of any case I’ve worked. Those 12 cases have a higher combined case value that all of my cases over the last 5 years combined. Millions of dollars. So how do you determine if a manager is stealing from you?
Entering and Exiting the Store at Odd Hours
Hopefully, you have an alarm system for your store. If not, please stop reading now and have one installed yesterday. This is something that is an absolute necessity. Preventing a burglary is just as important to your store as it is to Stop Shoplifting. The great thing about modern business alarm systems, is that you can generally receive reporting on when the system was armed/disarmed. You should often review this data, as it will show you when a manager entered the store, and when they left, as well as everything in between. If your store is open from 8am-8pm, there’s no reason for a manager to come back in the store at 1am, right?
Bank Deposit Issues
If you are trusting a manager to deposit the day’s earnings each night, be wary of banking errors. If your store counted $2,000 on Friday and your statement shows that $1950 was deposited, you likely have an issue of Employee Theft by one of your managers. While banking errors are more common that we’d care to admit, consistent issues by one manager in particular should be a strong clue that forces you to look further.
Lost Keys
You’ll find it hard to Stop Shoplifting if you have sets of your keys “lost” in the world. Granted, it’s human to lose a set of keys at least once in your life. I’ve lost a set of store keys once. It was a learning experience and It’s never happened since. If you have a manager that continues to “lose keys”, then there’s probably something happening that shouldn’t be. Always change your locks when keys go missing. It’s also a great idea to have policies that spell out disciplinary action for managers that do lose their keys.
Frequent Large Discounts
Your managers are empowered to run your business. That often means approving discounts for a variety of reasons. Managers can easily slip from “taking care of a customer” to Employee Theft. Managers that give out discounts freely to everyone they know are quite popular with customers, but they are a detriment to your bottom line.
Unexplained Cashier Shortages
What if, all of a sudden, cashiers started coming up a few dollars short every day? Not just one or two, but every single one of them. Cashiers that have been solid for years are suddenly missing $2-$3 dollars every shift. This was actually one of my biggest cases where a manager was stealing cash. Every time this particular manager finalized a cashier, she would swipe a few bucks and run the cashier short. This went on for years before she was caught and costed the store several hundred thousand dollars over time.
Preventing employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Pre-Employment Screening-3 WC Blog 633
Background Investigation-4
Top Hiring Mistakes Include Failing To Conduct A Background Investigation
One of the top hiring mistakes I have seen from employers is the failure to conduct pre-employment screening on prospective job candidates. There are a number of unforeseen problems that can and often do manifest themselves only after a new employee is brought on the team. There are also consequences for employers that make hiring mistakes, like losing great candidates. From an article in Business News Daily by Sammi Caramela, January 8, 2018, “Hiring? Avoid These 7 Common Mistakes”, the writer mentions several that jumped out at me and one that I have been guilty of committing. Among those mentioned by the writer:
• Trusting first impressions – It is not unheard of for a manager to be influenced by the first impression a candidate gives to them.
• Lacking transparency – This applies the business failing to be clear about the job and what it may entail. Applicants should have a realistic understanding of the position.
• Forgetting to highlight culture – Ms. Caramela points out that businesses may neglect to promote the “style and culture” of the company which can include salary, benefits and even perks. For example, a flexible work schedule may be something that could appeal to some strong candidates.
• Being too narrow in your search – The writer reminds us that hiring a diverse team means being open to hiring various age groups, races, genders, etc. Expanding the background of the people on a team brings in new ideas and perspectives.
These are excellent reminders that managers should consider as they post job ads and begin the interviewing process. What the article failed to mention is that not completing a background investigation is also a common mistake.
Pre-employment screening is more than an employer calling the contacts or references listed on an applicant’s resume. It involves a deeper dive into the candidate’s past. This may involve a driver history, a credit report and even a criminal background check. As an employer you might not want someone who is a partaker of illegal drugs working for you. A screening can include drug testing of candidates prior to welcoming them on board. Looking into a person’s past can uncover information that the person may have been attempting to conceal from you. Why would they do that? Some people may have convictions for crimes and believe they would not be considered for a job if they noted it on an application. Someone may job hop because they have an inability to control their temper and they have been fired multiple times. They list a reference as someone they know who will pretend to have been a supervisor. A background investigation by a reputable company that specializes in them can discover these types of deceptions. A hiring manager may not recognize that the reference is not a credible source of information. Screening applicants improves the chances that a candidate under consideration for a position will be a good choice and not one that will carry negative consequences.
So which of the five mistakes listed have I been guilty of committing? I confess in the past I have erred by trusting the first impression of a job applicant. This candidate had an outgoing personality, he maintained eye contact with me and according to his resume he had prior Loss Prevention experience. We conducted an interview in which he did really well, answering questions with strong responses. A preliminary job offer was made and when the company’s background check was complete we started his training. Over the next two months the employee made several poor decisions and I eventually had to fire him. It was only after his departure I learned through a second-hand source that the former employee had been fired from a job in Florida under questionable circumstances. I learned that the background investigation completed by our company or whoever they contracted with were not very thorough. Had the check been more complete the details of a gap in employment may have been uncovered. I may have also been alerted to the incident that led to his alleged dismissal. I still have to admit I was blinded by my first impression and that was my own fault.
Don’t make hiring mistakes that can hurt your business. Be open to hiring people with different perspectives. Be clear in what the job you are filling really requires of an employee, highlight the benefits of working for your business and don’t be sucked in by first impressions. Finally, be sure that an experienced company conducts pre-employment screening of job candidates you are considering. In-depth screening ensures applicants with sketchy backgrounds are removed from your applicant pool and only the best remain.
A background investigation is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
One of the top hiring mistakes I have seen from employers is the failure to conduct pre-employment screening on prospective job candidates. There are a number of unforeseen problems that can and often do manifest themselves only after a new employee is brought on the team. There are also consequences for employers that make hiring mistakes, like losing great candidates. From an article in Business News Daily by Sammi Caramela, January 8, 2018, “Hiring? Avoid These 7 Common Mistakes”, the writer mentions several that jumped out at me and one that I have been guilty of committing. Among those mentioned by the writer:
• Trusting first impressions – It is not unheard of for a manager to be influenced by the first impression a candidate gives to them.
• Lacking transparency – This applies the business failing to be clear about the job and what it may entail. Applicants should have a realistic understanding of the position.
• Forgetting to highlight culture – Ms. Caramela points out that businesses may neglect to promote the “style and culture” of the company which can include salary, benefits and even perks. For example, a flexible work schedule may be something that could appeal to some strong candidates.
• Being too narrow in your search – The writer reminds us that hiring a diverse team means being open to hiring various age groups, races, genders, etc. Expanding the background of the people on a team brings in new ideas and perspectives.
These are excellent reminders that managers should consider as they post job ads and begin the interviewing process. What the article failed to mention is that not completing a background investigation is also a common mistake.
Pre-employment screening is more than an employer calling the contacts or references listed on an applicant’s resume. It involves a deeper dive into the candidate’s past. This may involve a driver history, a credit report and even a criminal background check. As an employer you might not want someone who is a partaker of illegal drugs working for you. A screening can include drug testing of candidates prior to welcoming them on board. Looking into a person’s past can uncover information that the person may have been attempting to conceal from you. Why would they do that? Some people may have convictions for crimes and believe they would not be considered for a job if they noted it on an application. Someone may job hop because they have an inability to control their temper and they have been fired multiple times. They list a reference as someone they know who will pretend to have been a supervisor. A background investigation by a reputable company that specializes in them can discover these types of deceptions. A hiring manager may not recognize that the reference is not a credible source of information. Screening applicants improves the chances that a candidate under consideration for a position will be a good choice and not one that will carry negative consequences.
So which of the five mistakes listed have I been guilty of committing? I confess in the past I have erred by trusting the first impression of a job applicant. This candidate had an outgoing personality, he maintained eye contact with me and according to his resume he had prior Loss Prevention experience. We conducted an interview in which he did really well, answering questions with strong responses. A preliminary job offer was made and when the company’s background check was complete we started his training. Over the next two months the employee made several poor decisions and I eventually had to fire him. It was only after his departure I learned through a second-hand source that the former employee had been fired from a job in Florida under questionable circumstances. I learned that the background investigation completed by our company or whoever they contracted with were not very thorough. Had the check been more complete the details of a gap in employment may have been uncovered. I may have also been alerted to the incident that led to his alleged dismissal. I still have to admit I was blinded by my first impression and that was my own fault.
Don’t make hiring mistakes that can hurt your business. Be open to hiring people with different perspectives. Be clear in what the job you are filling really requires of an employee, highlight the benefits of working for your business and don’t be sucked in by first impressions. Finally, be sure that an experienced company conducts pre-employment screening of job candidates you are considering. In-depth screening ensures applicants with sketchy backgrounds are removed from your applicant pool and only the best remain.
A background investigation is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I just got bit by the clothing security tags epidemic. You know the one I’m talking about. It is the purchase that is made but the cashier wasn’t paying attention. It is the alarm tag that wasn’t removed and it set off the electronic article surveillance towers. What was even more irritating was I stood at the door to the place and no one came over or acknowledged me. Well one person acknowledged me, the guy sitting on the chair waiting for someone who was shopping. We both looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders and I left. That wasn’t the end of of my story there is more. But hey, I like cliff hangers so I will tell you the rest in a couple of minutes. Until then there is a little lesson you can already glean from what I have told you. Your cashiers HAVE to pay attention. When they are assisting at a register and a store uses Sensormatic tags on clothing it is critical that they are deactivating labels or removing tags. The customer service issues that occur when it is not done properly are a poor reflection on your business.
Those tiny little clothing security tags can create big problems. Sensormatic anti-theft devices are designed to protect merchandise from theft and they are extremely effective at it. They aren’t supposed to be a customer service distraction but that is what can happen if stores don’t train employees properly. The downside of tags is that they have to be removed when a customer makes a purchase. Electronic article surveillance labels don’t require removal at the register but they do need to be deactivated or they will also set off alarm pedestals. In order to make an anti-theft system truly effective, managers must train cashiers on the proper processing of merchandise. That means passing everything over a scan bed where a deactivation unit is usually housed and hand scanning merchandise as little as possible. It is just as important to devise a standard for tagging when it is done at the store. Like items should all be tagged in a prominent location that is positioned approximately the same on each piece. For example all jackets might have a clothing security tag placed in a seam near the cuff of the jacket. Pants may be tagged in a seam near the right hip. If this practice is followed cashiers are going to become accustomed to looking for the Sensormatic tags every time they ring a sale and that will avoid a lot of errors.
It may not seem like it should be that big a deal but let me tell you from my encounter it can be so let me finish my story. As I mentioned, no one checked on me after I set off the security alarm. I went home and presented my purchase to my wife. Well, it wasn’t exactly what she wanted so a bit later that day we took it back to the store for a refund. I walked back in and the alarm sounded…again. I just shook my head in irritation. I got to the return counter and handed the cashier my receipt. She then pulled the coat out and was looking to see if clothing security tags were still on it. She gave me the suspicious glance as she noticed the tag was still attached. Now I was a bit ticked because as a former Loss Prevention Manager I knew what she was thinking, “Yeah, this guy bought one and stole one.” Well, if she wasn’t thinking it I know it would have crossed my mind if I were in her position. I explained that the cashier had been talking to me during the transaction and was probably distracted and forgot to look for it. I told her I had not been approached when I exited the store. I don’t know if she believed me but if she didn’t it did not hinder my ability to get the refund. It may have also helped that I told her I only needed the item credited back to my card I was not looking for cash. Nothing else was mentioned about the tag but I can say there was some embarrassment on my part at the first alarm and irritation at the thought someone potentially thought I stole something.
Protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic tags is the smart move to make. You’ll reduce losses due to criminal activity and make your store much more profitable. What you need to understand is that those same tags can become a problem without proper training. Purchase a Sensormatic system from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and get the proper training while you are at it.
Sensormatic tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Customer Counting Device -4 WC Blog 708
Door Counting Sensor-4
Expand Your Business By Using A Door Counting Sensor
By using a customer counting device in the college library where I work we were able to use data we pulled to make a justification for purchasing new library chairs. In our building we have well over 300 students using the facility from about 10am until around midnight. During those “non-peak” hours we are still serving over 100 people. Even into the wee hours of the morning we will have 10 – 30 students before we hit finals week. At finals week we will go over 500 students in our library and stay around 100 all night. It is amazing how busy we stay as a library. For administration who may not understand what we mean when we say we are “busy” having hard numbers makes a difference. How you get those hard numbers can’t be a guessing game and our library has a dual method of collecting this data. First we have an employee that hourly walks the library and does a count with an iPad. The second method is a door counting sensor we have set up in three locations.
Understanding that there are some owners and managers who may not be all that familiar with what a customer counting device is I want to spend a little time talking about them. There are a variety of styles and models a manager can choose from in selecting a door counting sensor. There are free-standing counters, some that are some tied into video cameras but the one I would recommend is the one offered by Sensormatic. Stores already operating a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance system may have the towers that can have a sensor installed. The device can be integrated in many existing towers providing not only the security of retail theft prevention but also the accurate counts of the number of people entering and exiting your store. I like the double duty that this configuration provides for the business. You reduce shortage through theft reduction by using a Sensormatic system and in the process put money back to the profit line. The counting part gives you data that you can use to make your company even more profitable (I’ll explain shortly). The point I would like people to understand is that this is a much more efficient system than looking for any other solution to tracking store customer foot traffic.
I mentioned that our library used the data we have accumulated to upgrade and improve seating in our library. Of course we have to get buy-in from college administration for the expenditure of money and the numbers we provided were a critical piece of this effort. Store owners don’t necessarily have someone else to answer to for improvements but before money is spent there should be some justification for it. Let’s say you are considering a store expansion. It would only be reasonable to want to know if there is enough patronage for it to make sense. If the vision is, “build it and they will come” you might want to rethink your strategy. Hoping people will flock in and buy only because you add square footage is crazy. Now, if you have a customer counting device and can see that the patronage justifies that expansion then you have a solid reason to grow.
I would also mention that you might use a door counting sensor and find out that you have a LOT of people coming into the store but the numbers are not reflected in the sales receipts for the day. Now you have some digging to do to see if there is a reason people are compelled to walk into your store but then leave empty handed. Maybe you need to look at freshening up store displays or perhaps you have empty shelves that are not being filled. Customers won’t always ask for something if a shelf is empty, often they just walk out. Maybe you need to revisit the customer service provided by your employees. It may be they don’t know what great service really means.
You may not be adding chairs to a library but you are building a business and a customer counting device can give a lot of insight into how successful your store is. It may also help in identifying areas of opportunity for improvement. A door counting sensor will help improve your business, count on it!
Need information on a customer counting device? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
By using a customer counting device in the college library where I work we were able to use data we pulled to make a justification for purchasing new library chairs. In our building we have well over 300 students using the facility from about 10am until around midnight. During those “non-peak” hours we are still serving over 100 people. Even into the wee hours of the morning we will have 10 – 30 students before we hit finals week. At finals week we will go over 500 students in our library and stay around 100 all night. It is amazing how busy we stay as a library. For administration who may not understand what we mean when we say we are “busy” having hard numbers makes a difference. How you get those hard numbers can’t be a guessing game and our library has a dual method of collecting this data. First we have an employee that hourly walks the library and does a count with an iPad. The second method is a door counting sensor we have set up in three locations.
Understanding that there are some owners and managers who may not be all that familiar with what a customer counting device is I want to spend a little time talking about them. There are a variety of styles and models a manager can choose from in selecting a door counting sensor. There are free-standing counters, some that are some tied into video cameras but the one I would recommend is the one offered by Sensormatic. Stores already operating a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance system may have the towers that can have a sensor installed. The device can be integrated in many existing towers providing not only the security of retail theft prevention but also the accurate counts of the number of people entering and exiting your store. I like the double duty that this configuration provides for the business. You reduce shortage through theft reduction by using a Sensormatic system and in the process put money back to the profit line. The counting part gives you data that you can use to make your company even more profitable (I’ll explain shortly). The point I would like people to understand is that this is a much more efficient system than looking for any other solution to tracking store customer foot traffic.
I mentioned that our library used the data we have accumulated to upgrade and improve seating in our library. Of course we have to get buy-in from college administration for the expenditure of money and the numbers we provided were a critical piece of this effort. Store owners don’t necessarily have someone else to answer to for improvements but before money is spent there should be some justification for it. Let’s say you are considering a store expansion. It would only be reasonable to want to know if there is enough patronage for it to make sense. If the vision is, “build it and they will come” you might want to rethink your strategy. Hoping people will flock in and buy only because you add square footage is crazy. Now, if you have a customer counting device and can see that the patronage justifies that expansion then you have a solid reason to grow.
I would also mention that you might use a door counting sensor and find out that you have a LOT of people coming into the store but the numbers are not reflected in the sales receipts for the day. Now you have some digging to do to see if there is a reason people are compelled to walk into your store but then leave empty handed. Maybe you need to look at freshening up store displays or perhaps you have empty shelves that are not being filled. Customers won’t always ask for something if a shelf is empty, often they just walk out. Maybe you need to revisit the customer service provided by your employees. It may be they don’t know what great service really means.
You may not be adding chairs to a library but you are building a business and a customer counting device can give a lot of insight into how successful your store is. It may also help in identifying areas of opportunity for improvement. A door counting sensor will help improve your business, count on it!
Need information on a customer counting device? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
