Pros & Cons of Using GPS for Security Guard Tracking

Technology has reached every sector possible, from healthcare to education to security guard services. A piece of technology that has completely changed the security industry and security companies is the GPS system. Since a security company is a service-based business, the importance of monitoring the work of all employees who represent the company becomes very crucial. Many private security companies are employing GPS technology to keep track of their security guards remotely. A GPS tracker for security guards is the easiest way to monitor your guards and maintain timely service to your clients. Even if your organization is small, you can set up a system employing GPS trackers to monitor your staff.

Let's find out more about this technology, including its benefits and drawbacks with regard to tracking security personnel.

What is GPS technology?

I am sure you are very familiar with GPS or Global Positioning System. No? Have you used Google Maps? Tried to track the Uber driver on the map? Well, then you certainly have used GPS before. GPS locates a person in real-time by using satellites. With the help of this technology, you can also view the traffic along your journey and the weather.

GPS tracking keeps track of 3 types of data - location, time, and route. Suppose you use GPS tracking to track a mobile device. The technology uses a network of satellites to pinpoint the exact location of the mobile device. If the device is on the move, it can also track the route, and the time it took to travel that distance from one point to other. This is how we track our orders.

GPS tracking has been in existence since the 1960s. It was used for military purposes then and was not allowed for public use. After over two decades, the technology was introduced to the general public, and now it is a technology every person relies on almost every day.

Advantages of using a GPS tracking system

Well, the technology certainly has a lot of advantages that can help people in daily life, but let’s discuss some advantages of GPS technology that help you monitor your security guards.

Know where your guard is

Imagine calling up guards all the time when you need to check where they are. Moreover, how will you know if they are telling the truth? It's not about identifying the bad employees and punishing them, but once your reputation in the market is tainted, it cannot be turned back to what it was before.

With a GPS tracker, you can get real-time information on the whereabouts of your security officers. You will be able to see if all officers are at the required location and at the scheduled time. If you are using security guard management software, the system can immediately send notifications to a security guard to be in the requested position as soon as possible.

If you observe any unnecessary movement of your guard while they are on duty, the software is able to send automatic alerts to make sure that the guard stops loitering around and is present at the given spot.  

Knowing where your guard is, becomes extremely important in the case of emergencies and accidents. For example, you have scheduled a guard tour on-site. If your guard identifies something strange and requires assistance, he will have to contact you and explain the details. Then you will also need them to accurately tell the location so that you can send reinforcements or any other professional help required. Until the help arrives, it might be too late.

GPS helps greatly in managing such situations. You can see where the guard is exactly and who is available to provide help the soonest. If you use security guard management software, the task can be accomplished sooner. The guard on-site can send a request to the managers, and the manager will get an alert on their side of the software. The managers can quickly see who is around and post orders to be at the given location the soonest they can.

Save yourself from false liability claims

It is not very uncommon for clients to blame the security company for any mishap. Sometimes, these claims are false. You cannot show mistrust in your employees without any proof and cannot ignore the client either. A piece of solid evidence can help you out in such situations. And there is nothing better than an automated report of an employee's performance that has all details, including when and where the guard was.

Management software uses GPS technology to make these detailed and very accurate reports. If the report concludes that your security guard is at fault, you can take the necessary actions to restore the trust of your client in your service.

Entertaining false claims like these will not only deteriorate your reputation in the market but will also leave a bad impact on your employees. The employees will surely believe that the business owner or the manager has no faith in them.

Another system that can help you in such conditions is a guard tour system. For this system, you will need to make some checkpoints. The checkpoints can be anywhere in the location. They are majorly spread across the guard’s patrol route. At each guard tour checkpoint, there will be QR codes or NFC tags that the security guard can scan. When they scan these codes, the managers will know that the guard has reached the checkpoint. All missed checkpoints will also be recorded. Moreover, at every checkpoint, the guard can submit a report. You can use these reports to defend yourself during false accountability issues.  

Monitor your team remotely

With a GPS tracking system, you can monitor your guards remotely from anywhere around the globe. Remote monitoring turns out to be extremely beneficial when you operate in multiple locations and for multiple clients at the same time. It is also useful when you are providing services for a big event. Such events happen over a large area, and hence supervising the guards by visiting the field will be too time-consuming and difficult.

You can also monitor mobile patrol from a cabin in your office. You can identify the route the vehicle takes and also the speed at which it is moving. GPS tracking can help you make mobile patrolling safe and efficient.

Geo-fencing

Geo-fencing is a method in which you can define a confined area virtually anywhere on the planet. If the mobile devices you are tracking go out of this area, an alert is raised. It also uses GPS technology to function. This is very useful when you don’t want a security team to leave a specific area. You can define multiple areas like this and assign different teams in different areas. You may evaluate these locations simultaneously as well or appoint a separate supervisor for each location.

Affordable

Using GPS technology along with good security guard management software, you can reduce expenses of things like registers, a workforce to make reports, and other hardware like handheld walkie-talkies. The technology is not expensive to install and is also easy to use. Additionally, mobile devices are so common today that almost everyone has a smartphone with them. They can easily access the system and work efficiently. If you weigh the many advantages of these software programs against the price you will have to pay, you will certainly understand how profitable using this software is.

Disadvantages of using a GPS tracking system

There is a flip side to everything. GPS technology does offer efficiency in conducting security operations and ease in tracking your security guards but it does have a few disadvantages associated with it.

Knowing the location doesn’t tell much

Any security guard company would spend some time training their employees thoroughly to make sure their behavior and quality of service are according to the company standards. However, without a supervisor on the field, the chances of your guards not taking their job seriously are higher.

What if a security guard reaches the site on time but is not paying attention on site. A mobile device does enough to distract anyone. The attentiveness and correct behavior of your guard cannot be determined by a GPS device. A GPS device can only tell you that your guard has reached so and so location at the said time. A surprise visit from a supervisor can solve this problem. Just the fear of a supervisor appearing on the field without notice can help maintain discipline and great behavior while your guards are representing your company.

You will have to employ some other software programs and devices to make sure that your promise of excellent service is fulfilled by your employees.

GPS alone cannot help you with monitoring

A GPS system alone may not be sufficient enough to properly monitor your security guards. You will have to support it with some other technology and also some in-person intervention. Let’s see how you can get better at monitoring your guards remotely.

First, we need a visual aid to give you a better idea of what is happening on the field. You can use security cameras. It will help you to verify the behavior of your employees visually.

You can ask your supervisors to make surprise visits on site. It is important that the visit is made without any prior notice. You can filter out the employees who are doing no good to your company. This way you can maintain the reputation of your brand.

Use a security guard management software or a guard tour system for security guard tracking along with GPS. Most of these software use GPS technology to help you with monitoring so you don’t have to invest in two different software programs. These technologies allow your employees to revert immediately. They can send incident reports easily. Some software programs allow users to send images, videos, and voice recordings. Incident reports with visual aid should help you to take accurate action.

Bottom line

Tracking and monitoring can be done without technologies like GPS, but the accuracy, convenience, and additional real-time information that the technology provides cannot be achieved manually. The debate of whether technology is a boon or a bane is never ending and can have multiple conclusions. However, in the security industry, technology is certainly a boon. If you support the GPS system with other technologies and some human intervention the outcomes that it can provide would certainly help you deliver an outstanding service.