Automated Doors Boost Security in Newfoundland
As a business owner or administrator, you likely wonder whether you should invest in automatic doors. You might assume you will pay a lot for them since they use technology not found in manual doors. Even if you are not concerned about the upfront costs, you might worry that automatic doors will raise your utility costs or be expensive to maintain. You might even think automatic doors are not necessary for your type of business.
While all those reasons for sticking with manual doors seem valid, they do not acknowledge the whole picture. For example, it's true that automatic doors need energy to open and close, but they may save you energy costs elsewhere. Because they only open as needed, automatic doors help maintain a temperature-controlled environment. You may spend less heating and cooling your business if patrons or employees cannot leave the door open longer than needed.
Aside from their energy-savings benefits, automatic doors may give customers a better perception of your business. A survey conducted by the American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers revealed that 98% of customers prefer automatic doors. And more than half of survey respondents placed a high importance on finding automatic doors at the following locations:
Hospitals
Airports
Hotels or motels
Shopping mall entrances
Retail stores
Government buildings
Office buildings
If you are still unsure about automatic doors, you need to consider their benefits in one more area: safety and security. Below you will find four ways automated doors boost security at commercial and service-oriented buildings.
Control Access
When you think of automatic doors, you probably assume that the doors open for anyone, no matter who's approaching them. That's true in many cases, and it's probably what you want if you run a grocery store, a hotel, or a medical office.
But what if your business or workplace wants to grant access only to select individuals? Automatic doors can actually help you achieve that goal. Many automated door systems give security personnel remote control over whether the door opens or not. That gives them control over who enters and what areas they access. This security feature can be helpful in scientific labs, apartment buildings, banks, and other commercial buildings.
If you don't have a dedicated security guard, automatic doors may still help you keep unauthorized eyes and ears out of restricted areas. Some automated entry systems connect to keyless entry systems. That means only people with activated key cards or knowledge of a passcode can make the door open.
Project an Image of Security
The layout and design of your business says a lot about how serious you are about security. They make a first impression on anyone who patronizes your store or visits your office. For example, neat racks of clothing or aesthetic visual displays don't just help customers find what they want; they also indicate that you take care of your building and what's inside it.
You can give off that image of control and a business-like attitude from the moment people come in if you have automatic entrance doors. People will know you are willing to invest in high-tech security solutions as soon as those doors slide or swing open. They should logically assume that you're willing to make the same investments in advanced security elsewhere. New and existing customers will see you as a business they can trust; potential thieves will see you as a business they shouldn't take lightly.
Protect People and Property from Fire and Smoke Damage
Fires represent a security threat every commercial building must prepare for. Automatic doors offer several benefits in case of a fire. Automatic entrance doors allow people to exit the building quickly in large numbers, which matters immensely when a fire breaks out. People will not have to fumble with manual doors amid the tense and rushed atmosphere.
In addition, many automatic doors in interior hallways are set to close whenever fire alarms go off. These doors are fireproof, so they block the fire from entering other areas of the building. Fire-safe automatic doors like these are always installed so that people in all parts of the building will have escape routes.
Increase Customer Safety
Automatic doors are important for many reasons, not the least of which is safety. In the survey referenced above, respondents rated "Safety/Security" as the second most important quality of automatic doors. Only accessibility ranked higher.
Are you ready to install or upgrade your business's automatic doors? Consult with a security specialist about the benefits of door automation today. Call BABB SECURITY in Newfoundland today.