In my three years prior to doing marketing here at ASI, I was a sales representative. I spent my days driving to meet with prospective customers and designing solutions to address their needs. I've helped large commercial clients prevent loss, and I've helped families sleep soundly at night knowing that they are safe in their own home. But one group of clients that I've always been passionate about working with is senior citizens. If you've read my previous post Are Security Systems Hard to Use? then you know that seniors have a different set of needs when it comes to security solutions. Today I want to touch on another service we offer to seniors, Personal Medical Alert Systems. What is a medical alert system and who needs them?
Facts on Seniors
As the oldest baby boomers become senior citizens in 2012, the percentage of people 65 and over is projected to grow faster than any other age group.
Facts on Falling
Of the 35 million American's over 65, about 1 in 3 will fall in a given year. ...
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Story Time...
If you read this blog or subscribe to the ASI newsletter you know that I start a lot of my post that way. I love when I have a story to share with our readers. Especially a success story. An ASI success, a client success, or both. This post falls into the first category.
A little background information...
Part of a grant given to the city of New Castle was allocated to build new homes in low-income areas to provide affordable housing to low-income families. The new homes are currently being marketed by realtors. The homes have each been victim to multiple crimes. The most prevalent being HVAC copper theft. Criminals were taking the copper out of the Air Conditioners to sell for scrap. When the city sought out a solution, they turned to ASI. We secure multiple locations for the city and county currently. We installed security systems, including HVAC monitors, at all of the locations.
I guess he didn't see the sign...
The new ASI sign in the yard didn't deter a cr ...
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Home Invasion Burglaries - An Unfortunate Truth
Home invasion is generally defined as an unauthorized and forceful entry into a dwelling. A recent home invasion in Spiceland, Indiana has sparked a lot of discussion among our clients and friends. What exactly is a home invasion? Am I at risk? What can I do to prevent this from happening to me? Read on...
A knock at the door...
Believe it or not, that's how most home invasions begin. Deception. A seemingly innocent visitor offers to shovel your drive way or use your phone. Once they gain entry, their real motives become apparent. They overpower and restrain victims. Then use terror, force, and violence to steal cash, jewelry, PIN numbers, etc.
How To Prevent a Home Invasion
Preparation is the best way to prevent a home invasion. Staying safe often requires changing your habits. None of the following prevention methods will work if you aren't diligent.
Keep your doors, windows, and garage locked at all times when you are home an ...
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Exciting News!
We have been spending a lot of time preparing for today. We are ready to unveil our new Premium Video Surveillance Solutions. We have been offering these services in limited form for a while, but we are now ready to completely launch them. We have three new surveillance solutions that businesses of all sizes will be able to benefit from. Learn a little bit about them below or check out the full services here.
Camera With a Purpose
Let ASI watch your business when you're not there. Our 24 hour monitoring station will notify you and authorities of an emergency. No alarm panel required.
Alarm Video Verification
Reduce false alarms by integrating your cameras with your security system. When we receive an alarm we will use our remote view technology to verify that there is an emergency before we notify the authorities. This can save you time and help reduce false alarm fines.
Remote Video Storage
Store your video off-site in the cloud, and eliminate the need ...
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The Extra Mile.
We recently started a new internal and external customer service culture here at ASI. I could write a whole blog about this (maybe I will soon). In nutshell, we do nice things for each other and our customers to say thank you and build lasting relationships.
As many of you know we send out a paper newsletter every month to our clients. Sound corny? Maybe. But it's been a great way to keep in contact with our clients. This month we began a new newsletter feature as part of our Extra Mile customer service program. We interview one of our clients and share some fun information about them with our readers. Martha Shore graciously agreed to be our first "famous client". The July newsletter mailed out last week. Our customer service representative, Kellie Thurman, and I went to visit Martha this morning and give her a small gift and a framed copy of the newsletter to thank her for participating. Check out Martha's interview and the picture of her gifts below.
1. What is your favorite book? ...
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It's That Time Of Year Again...
The door knockers are out in full force! Not familiar with the phenomena of summer time door-knocking security sales people? Read on to learn more...
An important message about fraud
I'd like to preface this by saying that not all door knockers are unethical. We even knock on a door or two here and there (mostly neighbors of new customers), but the past few years this situation has gotten out of hand.
Here at ASI we value the trust you've placed in us as security industry experts. Because of this, I feel like it's important to alert you to the fraudulent and misleading sales tactics that some security companies use in the summer months.
Here's the scoop...
Out of state security companies hire college students to go door to door in different neighborhoods selling security systems. These swindlers are often nicely dressed, well spoken, and friendly. They have a whole list of tricks they'll use to get you to sign a long term contract with them. Even if you al ...
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Carbon Monoxide - What you should know.
Carbon Monoxide is often referred to as the silent killer. (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. It is a byproduct of most combustible fuels, including oil, gas, coal, wood, pellets and kerosene. It combines with hemoglobin in the body to produce carboxyhemoglobin, which is ineffective for delivering oxygen to bodily tissues. This can result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Low levels of carbon monoxide exposure can cause symptoms similar to the flu or food poisoning. If left unattended this can cause long term health risk.
Low Level Symptoms:
Mild Headaches
Mild Nausea
Shortness of Breathe
Moderate levels of CO exposure for a long period of time can cause death.
Dizziness
Headaches
Nausea
Light-Headedness
High levels of CO exposure, even for a short period of time, can cause death.
What to do when someone you know is experiencing symptoms.
...
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Time For Another Story...
Once upon a time (about two years ago) I met with an elderly woman named Harriet. Harriet had recently been burglarized in broad daylight. She was gardening and a man drove up to her house, walked in the front door, took her purse from the counter, waved to her and left. Yes, really. I have been in many homes shortly after the residents have been burglarized. Typically, they call us to help them get their peace of mind and sense of security back. Their number one concern is keeping something like that from happening again. Harriet was concerned about the same thing, but she was even more concerned about something else. Harriet's number one concern was purchasing a system that was easy to use. I knew that we had a solution that would be perfect for her.
Why was she concerned?
Eye sight - Harriet has trouble seeing small text. She wanted a solution that wouldn't require her to strain her eyes to read.
Mobility - Harriet is almost 90. She gets around great for her ...
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Verizon Wireless Home Phone Connect Is Not Compatible With Alarm Systems...
As most of you know, home security systems typically communicate over a phone line. We have recently had some customers asking us about a new service from Verizon Wireless called Home Phone Connect. Home Phone Connect connects all of your existing home phones to a modem that communicates over Verizon's cellular network. We have done some research, and have determined that Verizon Wireless Home Phone Connect is NOT COMPATIBLE with home alarm systems.
According to the Verizon Wireless Website, Verizon Home Phone Connect is not compatible with the following:
Home Security Systems
Fax Machines
DSL or Dial Up Internet
DVR Services
Medical Alert Services
Credit Card Machines
If you are an ASI customer that has switched or is considering switching to Verizon Home Phone Connect, please contact us immediately. We do have other monitoring options available including cellular monitoring (many of you h ...
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Oops... I made a mistake...
Weird way to start a post, I know. Just the title of a book I read to my daughter. I want to start this off by telling you about a social media mistake I made. I represent ASI on twitter and facebook. We post tips on safety and make conversation with our clients and fans/followers. A few days after Christmas I was scheduling some post to go out to our facebook fans. I was reading what other people were talking about, and I noticed a running theme. Every one was discussing what they got for Christmas. I decided to join in the fun. I posted a simple question on our facebook page trying to get some interaction. "What did you get for Christmas?" Good idea, right? Wrong. Shortly after the post was up a loyal client commented. He said that he expected better from a security company. That we were asking people to advertise their valuables online. I immediately knew that what I had done was a mistake. I apologized for the post, and removed the original question before a ...
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