Why You Should Have 24/7 Professional Alarm Monitoring for Your Business
By Ring on September 1, 2023
Whether you’re considering a security system for your business or already have one, you might be wondering if you should enroll in professional monitoring, too. While you don’t need it to use your system, it’s a worthwhile investment for the peace of mind it brings.
How Does Professional Alarm Monitoring Work?
When you invest in a self-installed security system for your business, you typically have two monitoring options. You can check for alarm notifications yourself and reach out for emergency assistance when needed, which doesn’t cost any extra but requires a significant time investment for you and your employees. Or, you can pay a monthly fee to have a team of offsite professionals do it for you.
With professional monitoring, a trained agent will get real-time alerts when your contact sensors, motion detectors, or other sensors trigger the alarm system. You’ll get a call right away, allowing you to request assistance. If you can’t answer, the agent will dispatch authorities to ensure no potential emergency gets missed.
Benefits of Professional Monitoring for Businesses
When you’re focused on growing your business, you don’t have time to pull double duty as an owner and a security expert. Professional monitoring is an affordable investment that doesn’t just save you time — it comes with several benefits for you and your employees:
Around-the-Clock Protection
After a long day at work, all you want to do is enjoy some quality time with your family and get a good night’s sleep. But when you self-monitor your alarm system, you also have to keep an eye on your phone — and if you miss a notification at four in the morning, you may not be able to request the assistance you need in a timely manner.
Support When You’re Away
If you choose to self-monitor your alarm, you’ll get alerts when you’re out of town with a cellular connection — but you might not be able to respond to them. Calling 911 will connect you with local dispatchers who can only send emergency services in their area. Plus, if you go to a location with spotty cellular service, you may not get notifications at all. That’s why 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring1 is especially handy for business owners who travel frequently.
On-Demand Support During Emergencies
Professional monitoring isn’t just helpful when you arm your system and leave for the day. If you need help while inside the business and can’t get to the phone to call authorities, you can request real-time assistance from the professional monitoring center.
With Ring Alarm and a Ring Protect Pro subscription (sold separately), there are three ways to request assistance from the professional monitoring company.2 1 Anyone who is a Shared User on the Ring App can press the SOS button and select an emergency, fire, or medical response. Employees who aren’t Shared Users or can’t access their phones can use the Keypad or Panic Button.
You can buy several Panic Buttons, sold separately and use the Ring App to customize the type of response requested, so your employees can get the right help. Your team can request assistance quickly and discreetly from behind the register, receptionist desk, or anywhere else you choose to place a Panic Button. And if someone needs to request support as they leave the building, they can press a button on the Keypad on their way out.
Quick Response Time
Unless you’re glued to your phone and check the screen every time it buzzes, you’re bound to miss a notification — whether it’s a call from a customer or an alert from your security system. While you may be able to call your customer back at a different time, you only have a short window to request emergency support when your alarm gets triggered. But with professional monitoring, you don’t have to scramble when you notice a notification several minutes after it arrives. An agent would have already called you and other emergency contacts to confirm that assistance was needed and dispatched authorities if no one canceled the request.
Time is of the essence during emergencies, and even if you call the authorities immediately, it may take several minutes to describe the situation and get the help you need. Professional monitoring companies can often expedite the process since they have experience requesting help and know what information is required. Those few minutes saved can make a significant difference during an unexpected situation.
Get 24/7 Peace of Mind With Ring Alarm Professional Monitoring
Growing your business is a never-ending job — and so is keeping it safe. With Ring Alarm and a Ring Protect Pro subscription, sold separately, you can continue pouring your time and energy into your company’s future while trained agents monitor your Alarm notifications around the clock.1 2 For only $20 a month or $200 a year, you get:
If you use Ring security cameras along with Ring Alarm to help protect your business and alert you when people are around, you can also enroll in Virtual Security Guard, sold separately.4 If an agent notices an alert from your cameras, they can check in on Live View to assess the situation, use Two-Way Talk to try and ward off intruders, and dispatch the authorities. You’ll be kept in the loop with live text updates and phone calls.
Ready to experience all the benefits of professional monitoring for your business? Learn how to enroll in 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring with a Ring Protect Pro subscription or add on Virtual Security Guard for an extra layer of protection.1 2 4
1 A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.
2 Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for in-app features and digital notifications, including digital arming / disarming and integration with other Ring, Echo, Alexa, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.
3 Your Ring videos in the cloud are stored temporarily, up to 180 days. Changing your video storage time will only affect videos that are recorded after you adjust your storage time setting. Check Ring Protect Subscription Plans for more information.
4 Virtual Security Guard is an add-on service that requires the following (each sold separately): subscription fee per enrolled location plus a compatible Ring Protect plan, Ring Alarm system, enrollment in Ring Alarm professional monitoring, and an eligible device. Rapid Response is the seller and provides the service and agents monitoring person detected motion events. Learn more.
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