Shiver Security revving up resi plans

MASON, Ohio—Shiver Security, a commercially focused security company based here, is revving up its resi plans for 2016 following a successful first year of marketing and growing the business.

“On the residential side we're up 23.4 percent for 2016 compared to the same time in 2015, based on units sold,” Alison Shiver, Shiver Security Systems' residential sales & marketing manager told Security Systems News. “Everybody knows us as a Sonitrol franchise for commercial. … We have worked hard this past year to let all of our commercial customers know that we are in the residential security and home automation markets now.”

The venture into resi has translated into more overall revenue and RMR.

Shiver Security has 6,000 total customers, 2,000 of those residential, with 65 employees, up from 55 at the same time last year.

“Last year we brought in an extra $1,200 a month that we wouldn't have had if we hadn't gotten into the residential market,” she explained. “We are an authorized Honeywell dealer and we have been able to reach Platinum status, but I would like to build on our success and up our sales on the residential side this year.”

Shiver said the goal is to increase the number and quality of residential units sold each month, which is currently between 30 and 35, by leveraging the new smart home technology now available through Honeywell.

“We are starting to market Honewell's new Lyric product and Total Connect, and we put packages together with that whole home-automation piece in mind,” she explained. “So we are doing more smart home packages, and adding more options to them, so the units and the packages are at a higher price point per installation as well.”

Shiver noted that as the only Honeywell Lyric dealer in the area, “We are now able to sell some of the smart home stuff that is in high demand, such as the Skybell doorbell, the thermostat, the locks—all of which you can control from your phone.”

To better connect with tech-savvy customers, Shiver Security launched a new customer service department in March and also revamped its website last month.

“The revamped and refreshed website is geared to millennials and much easier to navigate with more videos, blogs, testimonials,” she said. “I feel with the millennial generation, we are hearing how they prefer to research and buy things straight from the website and their phone, so shiversecurity.com is only focused on the residential market and it really features the smart home and home automation.”

Shiver's new customer service department includes three team members who visit top customers, update call lists, and renew contracts and warranties.

“Adding a customer service department is the best thing that we have done this year, as it not only helps with retention, but has allowed us to reconnect with our customers and make them aware of what we can now do on the residential side,” said Shiver.

Marketing through social media is another important tool for Shiver.

“I live in a big neighborhood, and the first thing I did was install the Skybell, and the new Lyric, and took pictures and posted all over my Facebook page and the Facebook page for my neighborhood, so I get quite a bit of business from that,” said Shiver.