The channel community is slowly realizing the potential of retail business and is investing considerably in building showrooms.
This spent indicates the awareness of partners on the need for moving along with current trends and their spirit to keep themselves ahead in the race. This is why they have started marketing their brands and promoting their retail outlets on various platforms.
While these activities attract more customers, they also catch the attention of some burglars on the prowl to make a quick buck by breaking into stores and taking flight with some high-end products.
Recently, Ludhiana experienced such a nuisance with as many as six thefts taking place within one month, including two at IT retail outlets.
Such incidents are a wakeup call for other retailers to take precautionary measures and implement robust safeguards before they fall prey to any such cases. It signifies that though technology has grown leaps and bounds, its use in securing an office needs careful reconsideration.
Doing enough?
The recent spate of thefts, in one case by a trusted employee of the company, as well as a fire in Nehru Place, have also raised the question as to whether partners are doing enough to secure their offices.
Thefts, especially, are of prime concern as such attacks can happen to anyone. And how should partners prevent unauthorized access to their premises is an important issue. After the recent theft incident at Ludhiana-based Secant Technologies, Paramjit Singh Juneja, CEO of the store has immediately installed electronic hooter system and also appointed a guard to avoid such cases in future.
This measures have rang an alarm bell for other dealers in the town, who are vulnerable to burglary. Most dealers have, thereafter, installed CCTV cameras in their stores and have directed night guards to be more vigilant.
Others are thinking of other ways by which to secure their offices and shops.
Lesson from past
Kishore Makhija, CEO of Raipur-based Priyanka Computer Services said that he got the act together after a theft attempt was made on his shop. Immediately after that incident, he beefed up the security by all possible means.
“I installed Zicom security tools in my office only after an attempt of theft was made in the office. Before that I was not concerned more about investing on this aspect,” he said.
Ajaya Kumar of Park Electronics has been another target of burglars few months back when his retail outlet in Noida was raided. After the incident, he too installed CCTV cameras in his store.
However, it is noted that many channel partners are yet to safeguard their premises despite reports of numerous thefts. They are too involved in their daily business and ignore chances of robberies or natural calamities.
Expenditure on the security upgradation in a store depends on the choice of products and technology and the dealer’s budget. They could pick technology according to their budget and it could vary between Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000, or more.
Technically empowered
The level of security installation in a store depends on the size of business. Partners who have bigger stores or have multi-retail outlets take the matter quite seriously, while those with smaller size or single outlets feel they will be spared the ordeal.
Chandigarh-based Sandeep Vig said that he takes security measures in his office depending on the availability of stock. If the stock is of high value he makes sure to assign his few trusted employees to stay in the office for 24 hours and keep vigil.
“I take extra care when the stock is large. Otherwise I always keep certain measure in routine so that any cases of thefts do not occur. For instance I never assign the responsibility of handling keys of the store to one person. I keep rotating it among the employees so that there is no tendency of misusing it,” he said.
Besides the self-implemented safeguard methods, technology is now helps make surveillance and security easier.
There is CCTV, burglar alarm and even lockdown systems where the entire premise is sealed in case of a theft.
One such adopter of physical security technology is Ravi Nandi of Indore’s Business Automation. He installed IP cameras in his store through which he could keep an eye on all the activities of the office.
“Security is an important aspect and I have taken the right measure to safeguard my office and store. Through the IP cameras, I can keep a watch on the happenings in my office on my laptop, even when I am physically not present there,” said Nandi.
He also highlighted that though there are many options available in the market that could tighten the security in the office channel partners don’t take the matter with utmost concern and there is lack of awareness among them to spend some time and money towards this.
Channel’s woe
Taking the issue of theft and burglary with serious concern and getting oneself updated with the anti-theft technology is not the only solution to protect channel partners. There are other issues beyond the dealer control.
Such areas include the support of police and sensitization of judiciary towards theft cases. There were many instances of the police going slow on filing the first information report. Further, when the case is forwarded, there is a delay in courts taking it up. This means that the dealer might have to wait for several years to get the judgment and in the interim make several rounds of the court.
“It is not only about getting ourselves technologically strengthened against theft or burglary. Even though we have all the proof and recording of culprit through CCTV cameras, after the incident has occurred, it all depends on the co-operation of police and judiciary, which are unfortunately lacking in our system,” said Kumar from Park Computers.
In such a scenario, many opine that local associations can play an important role to get the case registered and even pursue it.
