Why are Key Monitoring Systems Crucial for Dealership Security?
Security in car dealerships is a serious matter. The assets that need protecting are both particularly valuable and highly vulnerable to both damage and theft, and as a result, it’s critical that dealership managers put the right security solutions in place from the very beginning.
In this article, we take a look at an aspect of dealership security that’s often overlooked – key management – to closely examine just why it’s so critical in these environments.
A weak link
You can have an otherwise highly advanced security system in place, with a perimeter fence, security guards and cameras, but if someone has a key to a car, they’ll still have a good chance of getting out of the compound.
Keys represent a weak link in most dealership security systems, and if a criminal can get their hands on one, they’ve passed the biggest hurdle. Understanding just how central keys are to the overall security system is an important first step to understanding why it’s so important to monitor them.
Highly volatile
While keys themselves are supposed to function as a security device (after all, the car won’t move without one), they are exceptionally volatile. They’re small, difficult to track, and in dealership contexts, will constantly be changing hands.
This makes it all the more important that dealerships implement some kind of key management solution from a provider like KEYper Systems. These kinds of solutions make it possible to control and track where any key is at any given moment, substantially reducing the likelihood that keys are lost or stolen as a result.
Improved operations
Key management systems don’t only have a positive impact on security – they also improve operations far more generally. By having a closely managed approach to key security, it also means that you’re far more likely to know where every single key is at any point in time.
That means that if a customer comes in for a test drive, or to pick up a car they’ve already bought, there won’t be any last-minute searches for lost keys. A quick search in the digitised system should be all that’s necessary, and then you’re good to go.
Increased accountability
This increased accountability has multiple knock-on effects as well. For example, when employees know that lost keys can easily be traced back to individuals, they’re much more likely to be more careful.
Similarly, if your insurance provider knows that you have an advanced key management system as part of your overall security approach, they’re more likely to consider you a lower-risk organisation compared to those which don’t employ such measures.
These kinds of solutions aren’t difficult to implement, but the impact that they can have on your overall security system is profound. Make sure that you look for advanced options that cater to as many of your specific operational needs as possible, and be careful to integrate them with existing measures. The sooner you implement such a solution, the sooner you can focus on other, more creative aspects of running your business.
