Business North November 2021

| 85 “Electronic surveillance is another service we offer and we have a 24/7 National Operations Centre, which gives our clients surety of coverage for emergencies.” Protecting people first T Richard Loader FIRST Security has evolved from a national security provider to a partner. SECURITY FIRST Security T hrough a philosophy of protecting people first and fostering genuine client relationships FIRST Security has evolved from a national security provider to a partner. Building customer relationships through integrity and transparency has been a key priority for CEO Tim Covic. “If you are going to make a real customer impact you have to build a relationship and if you want to do that you have to build trust. That means you have to be open on every level and you have to build a service that actually delivers the right customer outcome, which might not be the right outcome for FIRST Security. “We might make less money, but the reality is that you’re trying to build a long-term relationship with the customer and things are evolving. If you can’t get in and build that trust you can’t actually work with the customer.” FIRST Security operates under four strong values embodied by each of the 2200-strong staff. The first value is that the customer comes first, and that embraces internal custom- ers — the team — just as much as external customers. The second value is integrity. An accountant by trade, Tim says this value is critical to him. “If I fail you will know; I will tell you. It’s around doing what we say we are going to do. “The third value is innovation. We’re ever evolving and changing and always trying to be ahead of the game by looking at international trends and developments in security and how we can offer those to our customers. “Last but not least is the value that everyone in the team is responsible. “Everyone is a leader. Everyone has to take responsibility to do the right thing and deliver for our customers.” Founded in Auckland just before the new millennium, where FIRST Security’s Head Office remains, the company has just opened its 28th branch and now has a network of branches operating 24/7, 365 days a year, and with 200 patrol cars on the road nationwide. “We are always looking for opportunities to open new branches and have a real focus on being local and being a valued supplier in the community,” explains Tim. “We have a number of blue-chip customers and the reason they come to us is that they want a consistent service whether it’s the top or bottom of New Zealand. Customers can enjoy the confidence of a service that’s backed by the industry leader, providing critical services at the highest level and delivering exceptional value.” With expertise across virtually every key sector, combined with human resources and state-of-the-art systems and equipment, FIRST Security provides protection for businesses over multiple levels. FIRST Security’s full suite of security services also includes a high-end concierge service where a commercial customer requires more than just manned security. “If you go into the SPARK building in Auck- land, although wearing SPARK uniforms, the security staff are FIRST’s. “They provide security along with customer advocacy and pointing people in the right direction. In other businesses FIRST Security staff will be in suits; not necessarily obvious that they are security guards. “It’s a different level of service. FIRST also provide uniformed guards to many of the banks throughout the country.” As well as manned security across New Zealand, FIRST Security covers Event security and last weekend had the pleasure of seeing the All Blacks claim first blood at Eden Park in the Bledisloe Cup series, whilst ensuring the attendees were safe at the event as well as travelling to and from with FIRST Security’s partner, Auckland Transport. “Electronic surveillance is another service we offer and we have a 24/7 National Opera- tions Centre, which gives our clients surety of coverage for emergencies and surge “We do a lot of bespoke work for the Gov- ernment as well as providing security services to Corrections and more recently we have been involved in security for the Managed Isolation Quarantine (MIQ) facilities. “We’re very proud to support New Zealand in guarding our borders.” FIRST Security is a market leader in security and provide services to all industries and company sizes with varying business challenges. We have extensive coverage throughout New Zealand, and our commitment to customer service is proven. It’s the reason thousands of customers trust us to protect their people and assets every day. We can help your business with: Officers & Guards Concierge & Customer Service Mobile Patrols Event Security FIRST SECURITY KEEPING PEOPLE & PROPERTY SAFER