Rolling Video Showcases

Rolling Video Showcases

Locks Plus outfits mobile fleet with AXIS Companion to deliver surveillance demos to customers’ doors

Locks Plus Security Solutions, based in southern Florida, was founded in 2002 as a traditional locksmith company. The familyrun business offered commercial and residential customers routine services from rekeying locks and replacing doors to installing dead bolts and exit alarms. By 2016, it was clear that branching into the video surveillance side of security would be an important step in its continued success.

MORE THAN A DEADBOLT

“Locking your door with a dead bolt is one thing,” says Daniel Kallan, vice-president and co-partner of Locks Plus. “But seeing who’s on the other side of it is a whole other level of security.”

To learn more about the technology, Kallan attended an industry tradeshow that gave him an opportunity to view and compare vendors for video camera systems. Once he saw the innovations presented at the Axis booth, he knew he found the right products for his clientele. The next step was to figure out how a company without a conventional shop could market a video surveillance solution.

“Our vans are our mobile offices,” Kallan said. “We keep stock in our trucks all the time so customers can see and touch what we sell. I knew that showing customers a product catalog or a YouTube video of a surveillance system wasn’t going to close the sale.”

Kallan believed if his customers got hands-on experience with the cameras they would be convinced.

He proposed installing an Axis system inside his trucks as a mobile viewing point for his customers. Embracing the idea, Locks Plus was off and running with their demo equipment.

CREATING A MOBILE SHOWROOM

Kallan outfitted the company’s three mobile offices with compact AXIS Companion demo systems consisting of two HDTVquality AXIS Companion Dome V network cameras equipped with 16-gigabytes of storage on an embedded SD card. The cameras are powered by a Power-over-Ethernet switch. A smartphone loaded with the AXIS Companion mobile app serves as the viewing platform. Since the vans have no Internet connection, Kallan installed a Belkin wireless network in each vehicle for connectivity.

When prospective customers step into the van, the Locks Plus employee shows the live streaming video on a smartphone so customers can watch how the surveillance solution works in real-time. The two strategically placed Axis cameras—one facing the van’s interior and the other towards the street— showcase the quality of the image under a dynamic range of lighting conditions.

“Once I explain how easy it is to use and how safe the system is, the customers really love it,” Kallan said. “They especially love that the cameras are self-contained recording and storage systems that can be accessed remotely. They don’t need to deal with a separate network video recorder that could be stolen or damaged. If an incident occurs they can copy the video for the police or permanently archive it offline for later analysis.”

Kallan finds that introducing customers to these demos has created a powerful resource for closing and upselling.

ADDING NEW LAYERS OF SECURITY

Locks Plus mobile shops provide security hardware and services to a wide range of properties from retail shops and restaurants to commercial offices. Introducing customers to Axis video surveillance systems is the obvious next step for enhancing their protection. With only a couple of years selling Axis solutions under his belt, Kallan is looking forward to adding Axis video door stations and access control technology to his mobile showrooms.

This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Larry Chay is the small business program manager at Axis Communications Inc.

Featured

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.