My Alarm Center Aquires SCAN, Expands Service
My Alarm Center recently completed negotiations to acquire popular Hamptons institution, Security Communications Audio Network Corporation (SCAN) in order to further expand in the Northeast region.
By catering to SCAN’s existing Hamptons clientele, My Alarm Center will be able to provide service to a client-base of high-end consumers while affording those clients cutting edge technology. Brandon Savage, senior vice president of customer experience and operations, chatted about what My Alarm Center plans to offer those in the Hamptons, as well as what’s popular in home security systems.
“My Alarm Center was started around 2000 and initially grew through acquisitions and developed a leading program where we partner with mom and pop companies across the nation,” Savage says. “Over the last few years, we’ve been looking to expand into higher-end companies that are capable of providing a high level of customer experience. Especially companies that offer brand-name recognition in a given market.”
SCAN certainly has that, in spades. Savage admitted that this high attention to customer service and brand awareness is what drew My Alarm Center to inquire about acquiring SCAN over the summer. “We’re rated as one of the top security companies in the nation, and by acquiring SCAN, we can continue that tradition,” Savage says.
“SCAN has a focus on strong clientele and more importantly for us, customers expect a higher level of service, a local presence, having a branch right there in the Hamptons,” Savage says. “Having technicians and sales reps in the area who have been in the region for a long time and have roots in the area was important. You can’t put a premium on 15 or 20 years of experience. Our goal is to keep everything the same, keep the support, finance, payroll and team at the local level. We want everything to continue to grow our customer base and provide that important customer experience through the SCAN brand.”
Curious about what kind of innovations in home security are popular these days, we talked about automation and the ability to control everything from an iOS or Android device. “Over the last three or four years, we’ve seen a real revolution in the industry in terms of interactive and automation technology,” Savage explains. “A panel in your home serves as a hub that enables myriad services, combined with access through your smartphone or through the internet. Controlling a thermostat from your phone is great, but beyond that, the systems have the ability to know when you’re home and put together a heating or cooling scheduled based on your behavior at home. For instance, if you’re not home on a Tuesday afternoon, your central hub system will realize that and adjust the thermostat accordingly, saving you money.”
“You can see everything from your computer screen, your motion sensors, thermostat, etc. It’s really amazing,” Savage says. “Smart locks that can be controlled over the internet from your phone. I can, on the fly, create a code for a person swinging by my house or control the doors remotely, as needed.”
The amount of technology provided by My Alarm Center through SCAN is unbelievable. Saving money with one’s thermostat is pretty fascinating, but the ability to control the camera feed from your smartphone, recording or rewinding, is also pretty amazing. Being able to turn various electronic devices on or off is also a great feature. “If my wife tells the kids to turn the Xbox off and I hear that, they know they need to save their game because I can just press a button on my phone and kill the electricity to that particular device,” Savage remarks, with a laugh.
“The important thing is that we treat all of our customers as if we’re the local company, because, really, in the end, we are,” Savage says.
My Alarm Center/Scan Security, 2036 County Road 39, Southampton, 631-537-7600, scansecurity.net toll free 1-800-660-2527