B Safe acquires two more

WILMINGTON, Del.—Regional security company B Safe, in acquisition mode, has increased its RMR some 15 percent to about $335,000 over the past year, and it's looking for 35 percent more growth in 2015, according to customer service manager Mary Cakir.

Its most recent purchases of SMARTIS Security Systems in Dover and American Protection in southern New Jersey brought in 1,500 accounts, of which about 60 percent are residential, Cakir told Security Systems News.

“We like to grow,” Cakir said.

The company, based here, now has a total of 12,000 accounts and 50 employees and offices in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The spate of acquisitions is part of the company's plan to grow by buying firms “that believe in customer service like we do,” Cakir said. “Our forte is customer service.”

Customers can always speak to a person when they call B Safe, she said, and the company promises a seamless transition from installation all the way through to customer service “especially when we're acquiring,” she said. “These are mom and pops and people are used to seeing the owner's face. My job is to make sure they know they're not just a number to us.”

B Safe has seen an increased interest about home automation and energy saving solutions and offers both. It views similar offerings from the telecoms and cablecos as “free advertising,” Cakir said.

When her customers ask why they shouldn't go with a bigger name for those services at a lower cost, she tells them to give one of those companies a call.

“I tell them to put me on hold, call that cable company, and call me back when they reach someone,” she said. “Their customer service is terrible.”

Excellent customer service always wins out, she said.