The American system integrator Stone Security uses Axis free online tools several times each day. Two of the major benefits are that they save huge amounts of time when producing quotes, and that it’s easy to find the right parts from the start.
Formed in 2006 by a former US Air Force pilot, a US Secret Service agent and IT professionals, Stone Security of Salt Lake City, Utah, has an impeccable pedigree when it comes to providing modern security solutions.
The company offers on video surveillance and access control, but also intrusion detection, and targets all kinds of businesses and organizations. It designs the security systems, but also does installations and performs service as well as upgrades of existing systems. The clients’ systems go from four to five cameras up in the thousands, with a typical system comprising 15 to 20 cameras.
Stone Security also has a strong background in IT, explains inside sales director Dave Maynes: “When we started growing in the commercial security industry, we wanted to get away from the old analog-based stuff. Axis was at the forefront of network-based video security and we really liked their products, so we became partners.”
Sending out 30 quotes each day
Dave and lead estimator, Patrick Kilbourn, work out of the office supporting the outside sales representatives with designs and estimates and sending quotes to customers.
“All the quotes that Stone Security produces, across Colorado and Utah as well as the rest of the US and globally, will pass Dave’s or my desk”, Patrick says. “We take pride in being a global security integration partner and that eight languages are spoken in our office.”
On average, Dave and Patrick send out some 30 quotes every day. They stress that they wouldn’t be able to do this without using Axis free online tools. "You get jobs quoted accurately from the get-go, which is a great benefit", Patrick says.
Literally saving days in the quotation phase
Dave points out that Axis tools really speed up the quotation process. With some of the competitors, the product information isn’t in their website and not easily accessible, so it can take a long time to hear back from their sales people.
It can be incredibly difficult to find the right parts and the right cameras. With Axis tools, we’re literally saving days. Finding the right part only takes minutes, sometimes seconds. We get the majority of our quotes out the same day, which is a great reason why Stone Security is so successful.
The online tools that Dave and Patrick use the most is the accessory selector. “I use that maybe 10 times every day”, Patrick says. “What’s nice about the Axis website, particularly the accessory tool, is that it’s very user-friendly and intuitive. It makes finding the right part super-easy. You get the right hardware from the start, so down the line, there are no change orders. It keeps the end-user happy.”
Solve complicated applications faster
One project where the accessory tool really helped out, was a large customer with camera surveillance in their warehouse. There’s a lot of machinery moving around, and the cameras must function even if they are hit by the machinery. Patrick says that, “The accessory selector made it simpler to decide how far the camera could be brought down from the ceiling, and what were the right mounts”.
Another prime example is one of the local religious sites. “It was very important for the customer that the cameras didn’t get in the way of the architecture or engineering design”, Dave says. “The cameras should be hidden, which was kind of tricky, but we used the accessory selector to find the right parts.”
The easy way to compare products
The product selector is another Stone Security favorite. “We use that for comparing cameras,” Dave says, “finding the difference between model A and model B. We can then send this as a PDF to the customer and it’s easy for them to compare.”
Being able to choose between lots of different product characteristics and functionality, including resolution, IR and audio, is something else that Dave and Patrick find makes the product selector so useful.
When they have the time, Dave and Patrick work on marketing activities, “getting the word out”, and putting together marketing or training events. “We have our own small Axis experience center in the office,” Patrick says. “There are different cameras all around the building for our customers to come in and play around with. We’ve got lots of cool stuff in here.
Tools also improve after-market services
There are Axis online tools to help out during all stages of a project, which at Stone Security includes the RMA – return material authorization – process. Customer relations is a top priority at the company and its support team has grown significantly to keep customers happy.
“When you try to maintain a good relationship, you’ve got to provide good support,” Dave says. “One of the big things that helps our support team, is the ease of working with Axis and using their website, because it really simplifies things such as replacing broken cameras. This is another reason why we like working with Axis.”