In the past, daily activity reports (DARs) relied on guards remembering what happened during the day as they filled out paperwork upon paperwork. more often than not, events were misunderstood, incidents filed inappropriately, and fed-up supervisors hunted for information that guards failed to complete.
Coming out of the DARk “dark ages,” technology, that is, the digitalization of reporting — whether that be via a spreadsheet or a more intuitive security daily activity report software — has vastly improved the way security companies have been able to manage their guard’s daily activity reporting.
How Can You Know Which DAR Solution Is Best For Your Security Company?
With an online platform dedicated to DARs, there can be much confusion out there, especially when solutions include the ability to create reporting templates, incident reports, and reporting dashboards in real-time.
Here are 2 key items that you must know.
- daily activity reports can’t be a one-off solution. it must be part of a larger whole.
- reports must be user friendly for guards, supervisors, and stakeholders.
Part Of A Larger Whole: Daily Activity Reports and Workforce Management
Daily activity reports are the bread and butter of reporting; they’re what keep well-ordered operations running day-to-day and aid in preventing larger incidents from occurring.
Reporting and KPIs
As part of a proactive approach to risk management, DARs bring back value in the form of KPIs. KPIs ensure your supervisors are measuring the right guard activities and help to inform better processes with actionable insights and overall situational awareness across managed sites.
DAR and Risk Management
DARs are ultimately part of a larger whole and support comprehensive risk management. A key component of comprehensive risk management is knowing where the daily information your guards gather on the ground go. This is where DARs connect to what’s known as real-time dashboards.
Ebook: Don’t Overlook These 10 Must Have Features When Selecting Workforce Management Software
When searching for the right DAR solution, know that all reporting, regardless if it’s for incidents, or other, but especially reporting for daily use, must give back value: KPIs and risk management.
Usability Experience: Reporting That Makes It Easy (And Dare We Say Fun?) To Use
What good is a digital report if it’s not intuitive or easy to use? not all digital reporting systems are alike. and while it’s tempting to use a digital version of a literal paper-based DAR, you’ll soon realize that there is much more to having a comprehensive reporting experience.
Configurable DARs
For instance, your DARs can be configured to help standardize processes, like guard responses, sops, and any regulatory functions that require the issuance of a report.
In brief, configurable reporting templates allow for supervisors to adapt form fields and form requirements to fit sops, contract requirements, and state regulations. When dars are configured, it’ll help supervisors run standardized processes across all sites. with just one report, you can have guards answering the right questions in the right way — even when using the same standard reporting fields and requirements.
Integrating with a System
With an easy DAR experience, your guards on the field won’t have a steep learning curve. That’s because when DARs are connected to a workforce management system, you’ll have access to training modules that can help ensure your guards are trained on all reporting procedures. this includes knowing if:
- Guards are interacting with the public
- They’re trained on reporting critical incidents
- They’re trained on communication and listening skills to gain appropriate information
- They will be prepared to uphold new covid-19 guidelines and any related reporting
An extra benefit to having usable DARs is knowing that you’ll be able to provide your clients with accurate information and transparency in the form of automated reports.
Goals: What Can You Expect From Your DARs?
From new opportunities to gain stronger contracts in emerging industries to knowing if technological shifts toward automation and remote capabilities have improved overall operations, the security industry at large will benefit from improving the biggest factor in day-to-day activities: the DAR.
So what can security guard companies expect from their DARs? With hindsight, DARs can become a critical tool for proactive risk management and can ultimately improve visibility and control over your operations.
