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One of the main goals for any dealer or central station monitoring center is to reduce false alarm dispatches. The closer we get that number to zero the more efficient our services will be, our customers will be happier (along with our EMS), RMR goes up and attrition goes down. But as a dealer, what can you do to help reduce false alarms? Enter AG Chat.
AG Chat is AvantGuard’s exclusive messaging system that sends out a link to a group of listed contacts whenever an alarm is triggered. The contacts use the link to join a secure chat group and discuss whether the alarm needs dispatch or can be disregarded.
Here’s a video to help explain exactly how AG Chat works:
One of the problems with operators calling subscribers when an alarm is activated is that people don’t often answer their phones. In fact, you can find statistics virtually everywhere stating the overwhelming preference of texting vs talking on the phone. By encouraging a group to join a text message thread, instead of receiving a call from an operator, subscribers are far more likely to respond.
Since its release, AvantGuard is seeing roughly 38% of alarms being disregarded because of AG Chat. That is a big step in the right direction in reducing false alarms.
AvantGuard is continually working to improve our technology. We’ve recently added a countdown timer to indicate how much time is remaining before an operator takes action. If the time expires, an operator will start calling contacts.
Users can extend the time if more is needed to confirm or disregard an alarm. Users can extend the time up for 30 seconds, twice. For example, if Tom from the chat group presses the button to extend the timer, then Sally presses it to extend it another 30 seconds, the button will then disappear for all members in the chat. This provides users extra time to confirm an alarm, but also allows for an operator to handle the alarm in a timely manner.
We noticed that some users tend to type the words “disregard” or “dispatch” into the chat instead of pressing the buttons. This prompted no action and operators were still calling on what should have been disregarded signals. To address that, we added keyword recognition so when words like “disregard,” “cancel,” or “dispatch” are sent through the chat, the users will be prompted to press the corresponding button.
For you, AG Chat is totally free. That’s right, at no additional cost, you can easily implement this feature and start lowering false alarm rates. For your subscribers, the text feature allows them to quickly respond to alarm signals without having to answer the phone. If subscribers are busy or in a meeting, then can still quickly confirm or disregard alarm signals without being disturbed.
Getting your subscribers on AG Chat is a no-brainer, and a quick way to reduce false alarms which makes for happier customers.
Reach out to our Dealer Care team to get started with AG Chat today:
Dealer Care
Phone: (866) 880–9591
Email: dealercare@agmonitoring.com
