One way to show value to local healthcare organizations is working with them on their security audits and compliance issues. Hospitals take industry rules and measures very seriously, spending a fair amount of time analyzing and reviewing their own policies and procedures to assure they are aligned with these regulations. You can be a ‘fresh set of eyes’ that brings a new perspective to your customer’s audits and that, in turn, can provide opportunities for you as a locksmith to provide the solutions to any issues you find.
Security audits assess the organization’s compliance with the standards that they are required to meet or have agreed to abide by. For instance, if a policy or procedure has been written around emergency lockdown, an audit determines if the organization is doing what it has said it will do such as practicing the lockdown procedures twice a year. And, if they are following the policy, are they documenting the exercise, analyzing the results and planning for improvements?
Build Rapport with IT Professionals
As in many other industries, more and more healthcare security system decisions are being made with input from the IT department. Thus, another partnership that may also prove valuable is with IT systems integrators. Healthcare providers are already working with this segment of integration experts in their implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and other technologies. Just as you are an expert in physical security and have strong relationships with your customers, building relationships with IT systems integrators could broaden both companies’ customer bases and build your combined reputations as innovative service providers.
Get Involved in Local Healthcare Industry Associations
A good way to meet prospective customers and to learn what they will need is to join the regional chapters of the two organizations to which the leading healthcare security professionals in your locality belong. They are the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE – www.ashe.org) and the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS – www.iahss.org). Both groups hold national and regional conferences and meetings throughout the country, are very active with social media and make it easy to get involved.
Participating in their knowledge give-and-take is good policy for locksmiths. First of all, your organization will be recognized as a locksmith that puts time and effort into healthcare security. Secondly, you will be interacting with prospective clients, many of them the most influential in your state. Lastly, you will be at the forefront of learning what is high on their needed lists and how their budgets are looking for the following year. These organizations will provide you with a valuable opportunity to build enhanced, lasting and profitable relationships.
Healthcare customers bring a set of very unique challenges and requirements for every project. They are searching for partners that understand their specific needs and are able to bring true value to the relationship. Broadening your scope and expertise will show healthcare organizations that you are different than many of your competitors and are worth the investment it takes to form a mutually beneficial partnership.
Cindy English Mitchell is director, marketing services, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
