Carefully Watch Over Certain Areas of Your Business

There are times when it is necessary to keep careful watch over certain areas of your business.

This can include anywhere from a parking lot to a walk-in cooler to a backdoor; and, the use of cameras is a great way to monitor these areas of interest.

Knowing where to place cameras to acquire the best value is one of the most important elements to consider. This document will provide you with information on where and when to position a camera in order to realize the maximum return.

Throughout history, an eyeball symbol has often been used to symbolize that someone is watching. We see it on the U.S. dollar bill, great seal, and many other places. With that in mind, let’s think of a camera as an eye, watching at all times. A camera collects data that helps guide an owner/operator.

Loss doesn’t always come in the form of money, assets or stolen goods. Loss also occurs when, for example, employees abuse their privileges and spend work hours on their cell phones instead of tending to the store or customers. Not only does this impact labor costs but it could also affect the customer experience and result in unhappy customers who may be less inclined to return. Loss cannot be avoided but it can certainly be lessened, and a surveillance system is the first step in helping to mitigate loss.

Camera Placement

When it comes to camera placement, protecting your assets is imperative. Having a camera point at one’s safe, for example, is necessary. Like refrigerated or dry inventory, this is an area where assets are stored and need to be watched at all times. Cash and product must be monitored as they significantly impact a store’s operation from a financial standpoint. Equipment is another valuable asset that must be monitored. Equipment tends to be costly and the owner/ operator must ensure that it’s being maintained and utilized properly. The same goes for maintaining your landscaping and building exterior. Furthermore, when placing cameras, we want to eliminate any “blind spots” and also focus on covering areas that will provide value (i.e. high foot traffic versus bare walls). Following is a proposed list of locations where cameras are required, in order of importance.

Restaurant Environment

• Front Door – Placing a camera at the front door allows you to see people entering and exiting the location, and any activity taking place around your door. In the case of heavy or moving doors, this area could create a liability because of potential harm. This is also a great place to capture a clear photo of a suspicious person.

• POS Registers – Placing a camera over POS systems is imperative. The video footage combined with POS overlay provides a thorough depiction of all POS transactions to monitor for transactional integrity and cash handling.

• Safe – Keeping a watchful eye on the safe is mandatory. Monitor cash drops and all activity that takes place in and around the safe.

• Multi-Shot – This includes coverage of multiple areas of interest. An example is the backdoor and storage area all-in-one. It typically provides a larger view of a particular area.

• Backdoor – The backdoor creates prime real estate for carrying out goods as well as suspicious activity. Placing a camera here helps oversee deliveries and plays a significant role in both employee and guest safety. If backdoors are not to be opened during specific timeframes, a trigger can be implemented to notify you of any after hour activity and the camera can show you what is going on.

• Walk-in Cooler/Freezer – Valuable product is stored in a cooler or freezer; it’s important to properly maintain those goods, monitor inventory, ensure proper storage, temperature control, etc. A temperature sensor can be installed to alert the operator of fluctuations in temperature.

• Cashier – Just like the POS camera, having a camera on the front counter keeps people honest and also provides insight into employee-guest interaction, customer service, and upselling.

• Production – If a store has an area where goods are produced, it’s important to monitor for SOP and safety

C-Store Environment

• Front Door – Having a camera at the front door is critical and allows you to see people entering and exiting the location. In the event of a robbery or any suspicious activity, for example, footage from this camera may help identify a suspicious person.

• POS Registers – The ability to view cashiers as they handle cash and greet customers is very important. Plus, with POS overlay operators can scrutinize transactions and ensure accuracy.

• Parking Lot – This camera enables operators to monitor activity outside the location. With a camera visibly installed, operators can potentially mitigate vandalism, theft, and other illegal activity on the premises and prevent risk associated with injuries and property damage.

• Walk-In Cooler/Freezer – Valuable product is stored in a cooler or freezer; it’s important to properly maintain those goods, monitor inventory, ensure proper storage, temperature control, etc. A temperature sensor can be installed to alert the operator of fluctuations in temperature.

• Back Door – The backdoor creates prime real estate for carrying out goods as well as suspicious activity. Placing a camera here helps oversee deliveries and plays a significant role in both employee and guest safety. If backdoors are not to be opened during specific timeframes, a trigger can be implemented to notify you of any after hour activity and the camera can show you what is going on.

Retail Environment

• Front Door (Inside) – Having a camera at the front door is critical and allows you to see people entering and exiting the location. In the event of a robbery or any suspicious activity, for example, footage from this camera may help identify a suspicious person.

• Display Cases – It’s important to ensure that customer facing displays are well-kept, clean, inviting and displayed according to company standards.

• Lobby/Aisles – This allows operators to monitor the store’s appearance and guest behavior while preventing theft and shrinkage.

• Back Door – The backdoor creates prime real estate for carrying out goods as well as suspicious activity. Placing a camera here helps oversee deliveries and plays a significant role in both employee and guest safety. If backdoors are not to be opened during specific timeframes, a trigger can be implemented to notify you of any after hour activity and the camera can show you what is going on.

• POS Registers – The ability to view cashiers as they handle cash and greet customers is very important. Plus, with POS overlay operators can scrutinize transactions and ensure accuracy and inventory control.

• Stock Room – Keep an eye on employee behavior and ensure all items are stocked and accounted for. This also allows for validation of deliveries, managing potential worker’s compensation challenges and verifying any contributory negligence.

The above is merely a suggested list. It is by no means comprehensive but suggests areas at a location that we believe require camera coverage. When considering placement, think of the things that are most important to you and your business. Then make sure that you can monitor them at any time. Focusing your attention on camera placement early on will help you to make the most of your system overall and achieve the highest possible ROI.