I recently ran into a customer that was unhappy with their system. Their exact words was “This is absolutely useless.” The customer had the system just installed and was unhappy with the results. When they asked the installation company to fix the issue, they were given a change order to approve.
What Happened.
The customer did have an unreasonable expectation of their equipment. They wanted a fixed camera to be mounted twenty five feet in the air and provide a wide viewing angle. This is absolutely doable; however, they also wanted to read the license plate of any car that drove by. This is a clear case of a salesperson selling equipment not educating the client, and a customer buying a system.
??? Do What???
Some salespeople are driven by the almighty commission and say anything to sell equipment and labor. Using the above example, the salesperson did give the customer what they wanted, A fixed camera on a pole mounted twenty five feet in the air, the disconnect was that the customer expected a level of detail that the salesperson couldn't deliver and didn't try to educate on why.
How to fix
After sitting down with the customer,listening to what they wanted, and educating them on several different ways to achieve close to their desire (cameras that have a 15,000x zoom with crystal clear picture exist only in the movies), a remedy was chosen that would give them greater detail utilizing the equipment they already purchased. They did agree on the change order; however, the change order was for an end result and not for equipment. In all fairness the change order did contain legal jargon that protected both side. Lets face it, if you give a client two inches they will want two thousand miles...most of the time.
We as security professionals need to find the balance between just selling equipment and labor and selling a system. One of the best ways that I know to do this is to include a system summary that contains a “Operational Logistics” of the system along with the parts list. The “Operational Logistics” should spell out exactly what the sum of the parts are capable of doing once pieced together. For example here is a basic summary of an access control system:
“Once completed the customer will have to ability to program and distribute access cards. These access cards will serve two purposes. One will be for personnel identification and the second will be to contain personnel credentials that will be analyzed each time the card is presented to a card reader. If the personnel has the correct authority the door will unlock “Granting” them access to restricted areas, that will be lock by electromagnetic locks and controlled by the access control system. The access control system will also monitor a door's position. If the door is held open too long or is “Forced” open, an alarm will be distributed to the proper authorities by means of email. The system will also monitor a “Request to Exit” motion. This motion, when tripped, will transmit a signal back to the access system to unlock the door for a predefined amount of time, allowing hands free egress when exiting a restricted area.”
I know this is a little crude and lacks serious detail; however, you get the point. It might take you a little longer to complete a quote; however, you leave nothing to the imagination of the customer and they don't become estranged when the warranty is over.
