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But​ ​that​ ​cost​ ​is​ ​exorbitant,​ ​as​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​retail​ ​industry​ ​lost​ ​nearly​ ​$48.9​ ​billion​ ​in​ ​2016​ ​due​ ​to​ ​theft, with​ ​30%​ ​attributed​ ​to​ ​employee​ ​theft​.​ ​Worse,​ ​those​ ​figures​ ​are​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​climbing​ ​not because​ ​business​ ​owners​ ​have​ ​given​ ​up​ ​on​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​prevent​ ​it,​ ​but​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of human​ ​nature.

Studies​ ​suggest​ ​that​ ​when​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​stealing​ ​or​ ​otherwise​ ​cheating​ ​an​ ​employer,​ ​​as​ ​much​ ​as 60%​ ​of​ ​employees​ ​can​ ​an​ ​be​ ​influenced​ ​by​ ​the​ ​environment​ ​around​ ​them​.​ ​For​ ​business​ ​owners, that​ ​means​ ​that​ ​just​ ​a​ ​small​ ​number​ ​of​ ​disruptive​ ​employees​ ​can​ ​have​ ​a​ ​tremendous​ ​negative impact​ ​on​ ​a​ ​business​ ​by​ ​infecting​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​organization​ ​with​ ​malicious​ ​intent.

Theft​ ​isn’t​ ​an​ ​isolated​ ​event

Employee​ ​theft​ ​and​ ​fraud​ ​isn’t​ ​just​ ​a​ ​thing​ ​that​ ​“happens,”​ ​it’s​ ​a​ ​direct​ ​result​ ​of​ ​a​ ​business’s culture.​ ​To​ ​combat​ ​increased​ ​loss​ ​risk,​ ​business​ ​owners​ ​and​ ​operators​ ​can​ ​use​ ​video surveillance​ ​and​ ​analytics​ ​tools​ ​to​ ​change​ ​the​ ​narrative​ ​and​ ​create​ ​a​ ​culture​ ​of​ ​accountability and​ ​good​ ​behavior.

The​ ​clearest​ ​path​ ​toward​ ​this​ ​goal​ ​is​ ​to​ ​use​ ​video​ ​tools​ ​to​ ​weed​ ​out​ ​the​ ​mischievous​ ​employees before​ ​they​ ​do​ ​any​ ​real​ ​damage,​ ​identifying​ ​instances​ ​of​ ​theft​ ​or​ ​fraud​ ​and​ ​terminating​ ​(or prosecuting,​ ​if​ ​appropriate)​ ​the​ ​offending​ ​employee.​ ​But​ ​long-term​ ​loss​ ​prevention​ ​goes​ ​well beyond​ ​just​ ​reacting​ ​to​ ​loss​ ​incidents,​ ​it​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​proactive​ ​approach​ ​to​ ​creating​ ​an environment​ ​that​ ​encourages​ ​employees​ ​to​ ​take​ ​responsibility​ ​and​ ​makes​ ​them​ ​feel​ ​that​ ​their integrity​ ​and​ ​responsible​ ​behavior​ ​are​ ​appreciated.

Drive​ ​cultural​ ​change​ ​with​ ​SmartAudits™​ ​and​ ​POS​ ​data​ ​to​ ​reward​ ​outstanding​ ​performance

Video​ ​can​ ​get​ ​a​ ​bad​ ​rap,​ ​generally​ ​because​ ​employees​ ​think​ ​it’ll​ ​only​ ​be​ ​used​ ​as​ ​a​ ​“Big​ ​Brother” tool​ ​to​ ​point​ ​out​ ​what​ ​they’re​ ​doing​ ​wrong.​ ​But​ ​when​ ​used​ ​in​ ​conjunction​ ​with​ ​point-of-sale (POS)​ ​and​ ​exception​ ​reporting​ ​systems,​ ​video​ ​is​ ​an​ ​ideal​ ​solution​ ​for​ ​highlighting​ ​what employees​ ​are​ ​doing​ ​right,​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​reward​ ​system​ ​for​ ​top​ ​performers,​ ​and​ ​even​ ​monitoring performance​ ​over​ ​multiple​ ​stores​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​consistent,​ ​cohesive,​ ​and​ ​welcoming​ ​work environment​ ​across​ ​the​ ​organization.

Specifically,​ ​these​ ​tools​ ​give​ ​enterprising​ ​store​ ​leaders​ ​the​ ​information​ ​and​ ​examples​ ​they​ ​need to​ ​get​ ​creative​ ​with​ ​the​ ​way​ ​they​ ​promote​ ​their​ ​cultural​ ​shift,​ ​driving​ ​continuous​ ​change​ ​and buy-in​ ​from​ ​team​ ​members​ ​across​ ​the​ ​company.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​using​ ​SmartAudits™​ ​and​ ​POS data,​ ​they​ ​might:

• Print​ ​and​ ​post​ ​in​ ​public​ ​areas​ ​(and​ ​on​ ​a​ ​company​ ​intranet)​ ​POS​ ​reports​ ​showing individual​ ​employees​ ​or​ ​a​ ​store​ ​shattering​ ​a​ ​daily,​ ​weekly,​ ​or​ ​monthly​ ​sales​ ​goal
• Track​ ​and​ ​reward​ ​with​ ​cash​ ​prizes,​ ​merchandise,​ ​and​ ​public​ ​recognition​ ​employees​ ​or stores​ ​that​ ​achieve​ ​zero​ ​voided​ ​sales​ ​or​ ​the​ ​highest​ ​number​ ​of​ ​successful​ ​upsells​ ​in​ ​a given​ ​time​ ​period
• Highlight​ ​and​ ​share​ ​with​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​company​ ​high-def​ ​videos​ ​of​ ​exceptional​ ​customer service​ ​and​ ​interactions,​ ​using​ ​the​ ​video​ ​to​ ​publicly​ ​acknowledge​ ​the​ ​employee​ ​and​ ​use it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​teachable​ ​moment​ ​for​ ​other​ ​staff​ ​members
• Post​ ​customer​ ​reviews​ ​on​ ​the​ ​website​ ​or​ ​social​ ​media​ ​feeds​ ​that​ ​recognize​ ​individual employees​ ​or​ ​store​ ​managers​ ​who​ ​went​ ​above​ ​and​ ​beyond​ ​to​ ​deliver​ ​outstanding customer​ ​service

360iQ Dashboard​​ ​is​ ​an​ ​integrated​ ​platform​ ​that​ ​combines​ ​video,​ ​audio,​ ​and POS​ ​data​ ​to​ ​give​ ​business​ ​owners,​ ​operators,​ ​and​ ​managers​ ​complete​ ​visibility​ ​across​ ​every aspect​ ​of​ ​their​ ​business,​ ​using​ ​actionable​ ​data​ ​to​ ​easily​ ​pinpoint​ ​areas​ ​that​ ​need​ ​improvement and​ ​discover​ ​what’s​ ​working,​ ​without​ ​having​ ​to​ ​sort​ ​through​ ​hours​ ​of​ ​video​ ​footage.

With​ ​point​ ​tools​ ​like​ ​​DTiQ​ ​SmartAudit™​,​ ​store​ ​operators​ ​can​ ​review​ ​transactions​ ​and​ ​compare them​ ​with​ ​video​ ​and​ ​audio​ ​of​ ​customer​ ​interactions,​ ​cash​ ​handling​ ​activities,​ ​and​ ​other​ ​store operations​ ​to​ ​identify​ ​areas​ ​of​ ​potential​ ​risk​ ​and​ ​use​ ​them​ ​as​ ​coaching​ ​opportunities​ ​when appropriate,​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​defaulting​ ​to​ ​disciplinary​ ​actions.

Managers​ ​can​ ​review​ ​footage​ ​directly​ ​and​ ​privately​ ​with​ ​employees​ ​side-by-side​ ​or​ ​through online​ ​collaboration​ ​tools​ ​to​ ​review​ ​policies​ ​and​ ​best​ ​practices,​ ​while​ ​emphasizing​ ​the​ ​good aspects​ ​of​ ​the​ ​employee’s​ ​performance.​ ​Investing​ ​the​ ​time​ ​and​ ​personal​ ​attention​ ​toward individual​ ​employees​ ​away​ ​from​ ​the​ ​prying​ ​eyes​ ​of​ ​their​ ​coworkers​ ​can​ ​have​ ​a​ ​significant​ ​impact on​ ​how​ ​positively​ ​they​ ​view​ ​their​ ​job​ ​and​ ​the​ ​company​ ​as​ ​a​ ​whole.

Be​ ​everywhere​ ​without​ ​being​ ​there

Store​ ​managers​ ​can​ ​also​ ​benefit​ ​from​ ​additional​ ​visibility​ ​and​ ​transparency​ ​to​ ​establish​ ​a​ ​reward system​ ​that​ ​promotes​ ​teamwork,​ ​accountability,​ ​and​ ​greater​ ​productivity.​ ​Live​ ​and​ ​recorded video​ ​combined​ ​with​ ​high-fidelity​ ​audio​ ​helps​ ​store​ ​leaders​ ​highlight​ ​specific​ ​positive​ ​examples of​ ​good​ ​behavior​ ​and​ ​reward​ ​it​ ​through​ ​public​ ​and​ ​peer​ ​recognition,​ ​promotions,​ ​or​ ​other incentive​ ​that​ ​reinforces​ ​the​ ​good​ ​behavior​ ​and​ ​leads​ ​to​ ​higher​ ​employee​ ​and​ ​customer satisfaction.

At​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time,​ ​many​ ​business​ ​owners​ ​find​ ​it’s​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​be​ ​everywhere​ ​at​ ​once​ ​when​ ​a business​ ​has​ ​multiple​ ​locations.​ ​Integrated​ ​video​ ​solutions​ ​are​ ​ideally​ ​suited​ ​to​ ​establishing baseline​ ​performance​ ​expectations​ ​or​ ​goals​ ​for​ ​the​ ​organization,​ ​give​ ​live​ ​look-ins​ ​to​ ​monitor how​ ​both​ ​managers​ ​and​ ​store​ ​employees​ ​are​ ​measuring​ ​up​ ​to​ ​those​ ​expectations,​ ​and​ ​make​ ​it easier​ ​to​ ​communicate​ ​the​ ​results.

For​ ​most​ ​restaurants,​ ​retail​ ​and​ ​convenience​ ​stores,​ ​employee​ ​theft​ ​can​ ​be​ ​a​ ​big​ ​problem​ ​that quickly​ ​eats​ ​into​ ​profits​ ​and​ ​reduces​ ​employee​ ​morale.​ ​Comprehensive​ ​video​ ​solutions​ ​are indispensable​ ​components​ ​to​ ​an​ ​effective​ ​loss​ ​prevention​ ​strategy​ ​based​ ​on​ ​transforming company​ ​culture.