OfficeWatch Immediately Notifies Security of Bank Robbery

Online, December 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A Tuesday in late November was an unsettling day for clerks at a bank just outside of Washington, DC as an armed robber threatened the staff and demanded money. Once the incident was over, luckily with no one harmed, 911 was dialed and police, security staff, and bank managers were immediately notified of the event with a single call thanks to OfficeWatch Telemanagment.

The Challenge:

Between April and June of 2011 over 1,000 robberies took place in the United States with over $7.8 million stolen, according to the FBI's Bank Crime Reports. Metropolitan areas are 30% more likely to be robbed due to a higher density of bank locations and easier transportation access for escape. Though banks and authorities have implemented many security tactics to thwart criminals, all methods rely on immediate response and a prompt investigation.

Unfortunately, prompt was something this bank location previously lacked when it came to their phone records. As a routine part of the investigative process, police detectives look for a series of suspicious calls taking place prior to a robbery, since thieves often call multiple branches to gather facts before the heist. The bank CEO had to make several requests and eventual subpoena the phone service provider before they delivered the phone data almost two months later.

The Solution:

After choosing a new Avaya phone system to be installed in all of their branch locations, the CEO requested a call accounting program to be installed to allow bank officials to immediately pull their own phone records whenever they needed. The call accounting system was the last phase of their phone upgrade project, and was installed only days prior to the theft. After the robbery, the bank directly pulled the phone records using OfficeWatch's on-demand reporting, and handed them over to investigators.

Additionally, response time for managers and security staff was improved, since OfficeWatch's triple alert system notifies users when an emergency call has been placed through screen pop-ups, SMS text messages, and email. When the teller called to alert authorities of the incident, her bank's security staff and managers were instantly notified so they too were able to immediately take action.