NO. 1 2010 - Securitas

touch base,” notes Kochan. “We use the old Ed Koch
line: ‘How’m I doing? ’ which sets you up for a very
favorable type of conversation. Sometime it lets the
cat out of the bag with an issue we need to resolve,
which is fine. Let’s get it out there. We are very transparent
with the client,” he adds. “If there are issues
going on, we involve Avaya; they have knowledge of
things so we can solve issues together.”
As Parkin notes, “There are personnel issues at
any site, but what’s important is understanding
expectations, keeping communications channels of
conversations open, and then responding appropriately.
Other companies can overreact or be more
concerned about documenting than listening. With
Securitas, things don’t fester; we can talk and resolve
these issues at the branch level and stay well ahead
of the big issues.”
careful staffing provides a
tailor-made team
One of the most critical ways that Securitas USA
helps take care of Avaya is through careful staffing.
In addition to their skills and experience, Securitas
USA officers at Avaya must also have a personal
communication style that fits the client and their
specific function.
“The first people our customers see are our security
officers, so they’re the ones that are going to give our
customers their first impression,” says Trosin. “They
need to offer assistance, keep their conversations
professional, have a positive look and wear their
uniforms with pride when they are onsite. The clients
need to feel they can approach them.”
“What security officers do is customer service, not
serve as a quasi-police force or a para-military
organization,” adds Parkin. “Ultimately, any action is
about the officer and you need to do right by them.”
“At Avaya, each position requires a specialized fit and
we all work together to identify the correct person
for each position,” explains Keleman. “The receptionist,
for example, is the face of Securitas and Avaya.
That’s the first person anyone sees when arriving; he
or she needs to be friendly and outgoing and create
a positive impression. CEOs of all different types of
companies walk through that front door and we don’t
want to do anything that would create a bad impression
for the client.”
In fact, Securitas USA has recently revamped the
force at Basking Ridge in order to develop a team
more intuitive to Avaya’s style. “Sites evolve,” says
Kochan. “We were looking to make changes not
because of a problem but to reflect the different
needs and personality styles of our client; we thought
a different approach would be a better fit.” Kochan
and Keleman were able to take advantage of a pool
of skilled and experienced Securitas USA officers and
find the best fits for the site.
“Of all the security companies that I’ve worked with
through the years, Securitas has officers that are very
professional and calm under pressure,” says Trosin.
“They observe and document things very quickly, and
their vigilance, helpfulness and integrity stand out.
taking advantage of a
broad spectrum of resources
In addition to monitoring the offices via the two
Command Centers, Avaya has expanded Securitas’
responsibilities to provide security service at locations
in the United Kingdom, Germany and India.
Parkin has taken advantage of Securitas’ experience
and understanding of international business protocol.
After consulting with his global Securitas contacts,
he is transitioning the overseas security to a more
regional approach, which he hopes will help smooth
over small sticking points such as time zone scheduling
conflicts and cultural differences.
Avaya has also utilized Securitas USA’s specialized
services. “We have situations where we can help
them,” explains Kochan. “If they need help in Mexico,
they don’t need to go to the Securitas USA client portal
to find the contact. Instead, Bill can place one call
to me and we take care of it. It’s the ease of use that
makes more sense for a company like Avaya to use
a company like Securitas, which is broad-based and
has business wherever they have business.”
According to Parkin, Avaya appreciated the ease
of use in engaging Pinkerton Consulting and
Investigations (C&I) to provide a security assessment.
“We needed something that falls outside the
guard service. Securitas was up front with its other
capabilities and there was never a push; no pressure
to sign a four-year deal. We could simply tie it on to
the master agreement. The turnaround time was
phenomenal; no one could have done it as quickly.
Securitas had its feet on the ground.” ¡
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