How Security Service Agreements Can Save Your Business Money

Ensuring the security of your facility is of the utmost importance. But once you have the new access control, fire and life safety, intrusion or video surveillance system installed, it’s easy to say the job is done and check the items off your list.

But what happens when something goes wrong and you need a service call?

Sure, you could call someone to come out and take a look at the issue. But one-time service calls can be costly.

That’s where a service agreement can save the budget and your peace of mind.

How Service Agreements Save You Money

What’s a service agreement? It’s a contract with a vendor guaranteeing you service at a fixed price for a fixed amount of time. In other words, you pay a monthly fee to get as many service calls as you need during the year. (There are other variations of service agreements, but this is the most basic concept).

This approach can save you money if you routinely need service technicians to come to your facility a few times a year.

Here’s how the math works:

Most security companies will charge around $200 just to send a service technician to your site for an hour. And that doesn’t take into account visits that take longer than that or any parts you might need. That means a service visit could easily run you a few hundred dollars or more.

Monthly service agreements will cost a lot less. Our service agreements, for example, start at roughly $160 per month. This covers whatever amount of time and parts that are needed to repair the issues you might have with your system.

Even if you only have us out to your building 5-6 times a year, you will mostly likely be saving money on service calls.

Plus, having a set monthly expense makes the finance office happy. You avoid having unpredictable, larger expenses when something breaks.

Life Without a Contract

Ever heard the saying, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?”

Buying an expensive security system, but not adding on a service agreement is a lot like that. Trying to save money without  paying for a service plan may end up costing you in the long run.

Here’s why––if you don’t have a service agreement and something breaks (which it will at some point), you may not have the money in your budget to fix the issue. Or, you might only have the budget to patch the problem instead of solving the issue for the long-term.

Or what if you don’t have any budgetary funds available for even the most basic of fixes?

Leaving a system vulnerable for more than a few hours or few days is dangerous and leaves you and your facility at risk.

Lastly, the lack of a service agreement means that easy fixes, software updates or less expensive repairs may be missed. As your system ages, it becomes more expensive to operate, repair and replace any parts you may need.

In the first year when everything is humming along you may not see the wisdom in a service agreement, but by year three or five, it will certainly be worth it.

Benefits to security system service agreements

So, how does a service agreement help your business?

The biggest benefit to having a service agreement for your systems is knowing what your budget will be for a set period of time––whether that’s a year or three years or more. You don’t have to worry about costly one-time service calls or parts. You can plan for maintenance and service as part of your annual budget.

And to get the biggest bang for your buck, we recommend combining a service agreement with a preventative maintenance inspection. That way, any work needed from your annual inspection would be covered by your service agreement.

Another benefit to a service agreement is regular installation of software enhancements or new programs as they become necessary. When businesses don’t keep up with software updates, you run the risk of not being able to update the software without purchasing it or forcing you to upgrade your system. Keeping your software updated ensures that your system will function properly and helps you avoid unnecessary expenditures.

Security Service Agreements for Nashville Businesses

At ACT, we want our customers to feel the peace of mind that comes with a service agreement. We offer budget stability and the peace of mind that if something breaks, it will be fixed. We are constantly evaluating and updating the benefits of our agreements and love working with customers to develop the perfect agreement to fit your needs.

Even if we didn’t install your systems, we may be able to set you up on a service agreement to make sure you always get the maintenance and support you need for your security systems.  Contact us to learn more.