USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE SECURITY INDUSTRY
Dr. Robert Coop, TEAM Software by WorkWave, CALSAGA Network Partner
Artificial intelligence (AI) is seemingly everywhere. Across industry events, conferences, expos and meetings, AI is the topic that everyone wants to hear more about. But the reality is that AI adoption in security isn’t uniform – some areas are seeing rapid advancement while others are just beginning to transform.
The security industry’s embrace of AI reflects this mixed landscape. While technologies like computer vision have become sophisticated and widely adopted for surveillance and monitoring, other applications like back-office administration and customer support are still in their early stages. Business owners are eager to understand how these various AI technologies can be embedded into their daily workflows to make operations leaner, faster and more efficient.
Benefits for security companies
This early in development, the benefits of AI are endless. As a starting point, though, security companies can expect three initial benefits after implementation.
The first is improved efficiency, as AI automates routine tasks and optimizes resource allocation, saving time and reducing costs. Because AI reduces manual processes and human error behind the scenes, it will also be able to start improving efficiency in the field. For example, AI can now determine optimal guard tours and staff deployment patterns. This helps to ensure you’re staying ahead of contract needs and preserving resources (and pay) based on actual needs for contract fulfillment.
Secondly, security professionals can expect a better customer experience. Some of the resistance to AI comes with a fear that these people-centered services will begin to lose human connection. However, AI is a tool that enhances rather than replaces personal service, ultimately improving customer experiences and leading to greater customer retention rates. The emergence of generative AI has opened new possibilities for customer interaction, from intelligent 24/7 chatbots to automated yet personalized reporting systems. These tools can help solve customer issues faster and build long-term loyalty by providing consistent, round-the-clock support.
Third, contractors can expect more sophisticated data-driven decision making. Modern AI systems can analyze vast amounts of security data. This information can then be used to identify patterns, predict trends and provide data-driven steps for your company to strategize around and take action on. Especially as AI becomes an in-built element of workforce management software like TEAM Software offers, this type of information will be built around your own unique customers and prospects, offering in-platform insights for even greater value.
Support for guards
In any business, employee productivity and quality of work improves when people can act independently with their company’s support. AI serves as a force multiplier, giving your employees a hub of information that helps them better serve customers and make informed decisions from the field. By providing real-time data, insights, and contextual information, AI empowers frontline workers to resolve security incidents faster and more effectively.
AI can provide customer insights, summarize past interactions and suggest problem solutions in real time, enabling them to build rapport, explain issues clearly and provide exceptional service. Additionally, AI-powered knowledge management systems make it easy for your frontline staff to access expert advice, guidance and training materials in the field, allowing them to resolve security incidents faster.
AI also provides frontline workers with real-time data and insights, recommendations and contextual information, empowering them to make better-informed decisions and solve problems more effectively on the job.
Efficiency and customer satisfaction
By harnessing AI, companies will be able to streamline processes and build stronger relationships through more responsive and tailored service delivery. This improvement in operational efficiency directly translates to better customer responsiveness and satisfaction. AI will plan routes and optimize the schedules of front-line employees, reducing travel time and enabling faster service delivery, which improves both operational efficiency and customer responsiveness.
In terms of customer satisfaction, AI analyzes preferences, service history and feedback to tailor service recommendations and communication, delivering a more personalized experience that boosts satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, AI continuously analyzes service performance data to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies and improvement opportunities, allowing companies to optimize operations and elevate service quality over time.
AI-powered tools can process large volumes of technical manuals, prior support cases and other service bulletins and provide a conversational interface able to answer technical questions quickly. For security companies considering AI implementation, the path forward is clear: embrace the technology thoughtfully, prioritize practical applications that deliver immediate value and maintain a balance between automation and human touch. The only part of the equation that will remain unchanged by AI is the why behind what commercial security companies do: to help keep the world clean, safe and secure.
Dr. Robert Coop leads AI and machine learning initiatives, driving innovation in product development and operations through generative AI, ChatGPT and other advanced technologies. With over a decade of experience in data science and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering with a focus on Machine Learning from the University of Tennessee, Coop has developed and executed strategic roadmaps in a diverse set of scenarios including the manufacturing industry, healthcare industry and professional services.