In a busy Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), small teams often face the daunting challenge of juggling multiple tasks while striving to maintain exceptional performance.
The constant need to be vigilant and responsive can be overwhelming, tiring staff out towards the end of their shifts, increasing their propensity for errors.
Enter GeminiSense – the UK’s leading alarm monitoring software that serves as the ultimate colleague, bestowing small teams with the power and efficiency of large teams through automation.
The Alarm Monitoring Workload
Alarm monitoring demands continuous attention in order to respond on time and avoid costly outcomes. For small teams with limited resources, this challenge can seem insurmountable at times for the reasons below.
Resource Constraints
With limited personnel, small teams struggle to handle the influx of incoming alarms, especially during peak hours or unexpected surges. This lack of resources can result in delayed responses, errors, and an increased risk of overlooking critical issues.
The workload increases further when there is no mechanism in place to filter urgent alerts from non-urgent and false alarms. Failure to prioritize appropriately can lead to grave consequences and significant financial losses.
Time Sensitivity
Due to the high workload, it may not be possible for operators to respond as fast as necessary. Again, the stakes are high and to not equip small teams with the tools they need is a risk not worth taking.
Resource Allocation
Determining the most efficient allocation of resources, such as personnel and equipment, can be challenging with limited staff and budget. With fewer team members, there may also be a lack of backup personnel to cover for holidays or unexpected absences, leaving the centre vulnerable during such times.
Competing with Larger Centres
Smaller centres may face stiff competition from larger, more established monitoring centres, making it important to streamline their processes in order to compete and offer reliable, cost-effective services to their customers.
Cost Management
For small ARCs, achieving a delicate balance between cost-effectiveness and providing top-quality services is an ongoing challenge. Striving to optimise efficiency and resources while ensuring the highest level of service delivery requires a continuous and vigilant approach, and centres must carefully manage their financial constraints while upholding the standards that meet customer expectations.
GeminiSense to the Rescue
GeminiSense is the ultimate solution for any team that needs a more streamlined approach to alarm monitoring and incident management.
Through automation, the software helps operators to efficiency handle alarm workflows, without reducing the accuracy of their responses. With a reduced workload, operators then have more time and mental energy to focus on response.
In addition, we provide a range of training programmes to help your staff get the most from the system so the centre’s capacity may improve.
Filtering False Alarms
The largest proportion of incidents that fire and rescue services in England attended between 2000-2018 were false fire alarms. These false alarms make up a staggering 40% of the incidents attended.
Think of all the resources directed towards fighting a fire that doesn’t exist – resources that the emergency services desperately need these days.
What if there was an efficient way to ensure that only genuine alarms were acted upon?
There is – our software filters out duplicate and false alarms, reducing the number of alerts sent to operators, keeping their workload manageable.
Speechbot
GeminiSense does not only filter false alarm events – it’s more proactive than that. Among GeminiSense’s repertoire is its Speechbot functionality, a cutting-edge tool that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyse and prioritise incoming calls. By interpreting the urgency and context of the call, Speechbot intelligently filters out non-urgent incidents.
With the burden of mundane and low-priority alarms lifted, small teams can dedicate their undivided attention to addressing urgent issues promptly. This improved response time is invaluable in mitigating risks and preventing potential disasters.
GS-Net IP Network Alarm Signalling
Every second counts in alarm monitoring, especially for small teams whose resources are strained. That’s where our IP Network Alarm Signalling module comes in, exceeding the efficiency of PTSN lines and giving ARCs back the seconds that make all the difference.
There’s no need to rely on slow, analogue signalling any longer. Sending data using this module vastly increases line capacity and you don’t have to worry about issues caused by VOIP and New Generation Networks either. In addition, high frequency test signals can be sent at no extra cost.
Data-Driven Insights
The software provides real-time reports, offering small teams valuable insights into their alarm handling performance. This supports continuous improvement, ensuring optimised response strategies and operational efficiency.
How Does GeminiSense Alarm Monitoring Software Automate Workflows?
As well as the critical features mentioned above, our central station monitoring software has many other ways to automate your processes, eliminating unnecessary manual interventions and making life easier for small teams.
The Task Scheduler Module
In control rooms, numerous tasks must be carried out on a regular basis, creating a significant administrative burden that isn’t directly related to the core mission and function of the control room.
Our Task Scheduler module was developed in order to address this challenge. It uses a calendar-based system to ensure that all recurring or ad hoc activities are conducted when needed and not left by the wayside due to the high workload that operators face in handling security alarms.
The calendar features pop-up reminders and provides a customisable timeline view that can be easily navigated using a slider. The module allows for detailed scheduling, with intervals as short as 15 minutes, and tasks can be configured to appear in the alarm queue.
The Remote Reset Module
Remote reset eliminates the need for any personnel to visit any sites, saving the associated costs. It also makes it easier to manage multiple sites simultaneously from a central location, improving overall monitoring capacity and providing higher levels of service to customers.
Remote reset is particularly advantageous for remote or hard-to-access sites, where on-site visits could be time-consuming and challenging. It also minimises exposure to potential hazards or adverse conditions that may be present at the physical alarm sites.
A Colleague Like No Other
Our alarms monitoring software proves to be the ideal colleague for small teams, levelling the playing field by giving them the power and efficiency of their larger counterparts. The automation-driven approach, bolstered by the Speechbot functionality, ensures that every alarm is handled with precision.
With our innovative, cloud based SaaS platform, small teams can focus on their core objectives without being bogged down by duplicate and false alarms, and non-urgent calls. An array of efficiency-driving features such as the Task Scheduler module, further streamlines operations and our robust technical support is available day and night.
As an indispensable ally, GeminiSense empowers small teams to navigate incident management with ease, making them resilient and prepared to face any challenge that comes their way. To book a demo and see it in-action, contact us today.