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SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS Nov EM b ER 2017 www.securitysystemsnews.com Monitoring 23 One point that Allen highlighted a few times—something particularly relevant for the PERS industry—is that emergency calls are a notable exception, though, companies should be sure not to include any marketing or upselling during that call. Allen also advised honoring opt-outs here as a best practice. Allen covered new technologies in tele- marketing, such as ringless—where a voice- mail can be left without a call seeming to go through—and avatar—where a person, regardless of their natural speaking voice, can use small recordings of someone else to sound more natural. Henry Edmonds, president of The Edmonds Group, and Hugh Van der Veer, attorney at Buchanan Ingrersoll & Rooney, looked at "Best Practices for Buying and Selling a PERS Business," by each taking a different side; Edmonds presented the seller's perspective and Van der Veer presented the buyer's perspective. Edmonds opened the session with the seller's perspective. Companies should be able to outline their strategy as well as clearly articulate their strategy and tell the story of their business, he said. They should also be organized, and have good financial and operational reporting, he said. State and local taxes are an emerging issue, according to Edmonds, and companies that aren't paying tax in every state where they have customers are going to encounter problems. "Be proactive, because the buyer is not going to let your problem become the buyer's," Van der Veer added. "Two things that will kill a deal: speed—trying to rush—and surprises." Edmonds ended his portion of the presen- tation by covering relevant metrics—such as creation cost and attrition rate—as well as other value drivers—such as the company's reputation and the size of the transaction. Van der Veer began by looking at some of the traits that would make up the ideal buyer: a company already in the PERS space, well financed, one that is opportunistic but patient. While Edmonds discussed where a seller's reputation can come in, Van der Veer advised looking at the buyer's reputation. Selling own- ers likely want to protect their employees and their customers. Van der Veer outlined some key initial steps, including NDAs for the buyer and the seller, conducting due diligence and gaining exclusivity from the seller. Ahead of both the 2015 and the 2017 PERS Summit, attendees were given a survey about their experiences in the PERS industry. John Brady, owner of TRG associates, shared the results of this year's survey and how some of the responses differ from 2015's survey results. One question asked attendees for the number of subscribers they currently service, with answers ranging from less than 100 to more than 10,000. Some notable differences: the 5,000 to 10,000 category jumped from 7 percent in 2015 to 13.79 percent in 2017. The category of less than 100 accounts, was 21 percent of respondents in 2015 and now 17.24 percent in 2017. Another question asked how many PERS manufacturers attending companies support. Results showed 2.8 on average, slightly fewer, than in 2015. Attendees were also asked about the number of customers they expect to add in 2017? The average number of subscribers was 4579, with revenue ranging from $20,000 to $90,000. Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of the movie 127 Hours, delivered the 2017 PERS Summit's last session, its second keynote. Ralston was hiking in southern Utah when he came to a canyon where boulders were lodged. He described the experience of watch- ing a boulder come lose above him, ricochet between the canyon walls on the right and left side of him, and trap his right arm from his fingertips to his wrist. "And that's where I reach for the pendant I always wear around my neck," he joked. Metaphorically, everyone faces boulders in their lives, according to Ralston. "Whatever your boulders are, we get to make choices," he said. Later in the session, he pointed out that he had made some big choices that impacted him: going alone and not telling anyone where he was headed. Ralston was trapped under the boulder for more than five days, attempting various means of freeing himself—using ropes to move the boulder, chipping away at the area around his arm—before using a pocket knife to amputate his arm. "Boulders, obstacles—they can also be our stepping stones," Ralston said. While the experience was extreme, it brought him clar- ity of what was important to him: his family. "What we are capable of is a lot more than what we believe we're capable of. ... We're only able to find that out because of the boulders," Ralston said. ss N implementing the system through an app. Another technology Orlov examined was wearables. Wearables are relevant because older demographics have pets and have to walk their dog; one third of the 65+ population has a dog, she said. While some wearables appeal to a users interest in fitness, that will give way to their interest in safety, said Orlov. She listed Phillips wearable, Freeus belle+, Unaliwear, FallSafetyApp and Kytera among examples for wearable technologies. Wearables have changed, Orlov noted, becoming more mobile, accurate in terms of location services, and can be voice activated. One of the problems with safety wearables is that people forget to wear them, she said. Virtual reality technologies also have poten- tial among seniors because it can be used to show them different areas, outside of their facility, Orlov noted. Jason Hewlett, of Jason Hewlett Entertainment, the speaker that opened the conference's second day with the PERS Summit's first keynote presentation, gave lively impressions of various singers, includ- ing Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. He pointed out how recognizable he was by simply copying one or two signature pieces of their stage presence. Performers need to meet expectations by doing what their known for—their signature; MC Hammer had "Cant Touch This," Billy Joel had "Piano Man," Michael Jackson had his moonwalk. These are expectations—promises that each performer needs to fulfill when they take the stage, according to Hewlett. "Have you thought recently about the unspoken promises inside of you?" Hewlett asked at the beginning of the session. "Each of us are performers in our line of work," he said later. Hewlett went on to discuss how, as perform- ers, people have promises they need to fulfill in various aspects of their life, such as with customers or an audience, at work, at home and for themselves. Hewlett asked attendees whether they are consistent on and off the stage as performers. While work requires energy, so does home life, according to Hewlett; at the end of the day, he still needs energy to play with his kids. He asked attendees to think about promises they have for themselves. These are promises that people break a lot, he noted. Eric Allen, managing attorney with Allen, Mitchell & Allen based in Salt Lake City, presented "New regulations for Texting and Automated Calls," and started by saying that he wouldn't be focusing on state laws, but instead, talking more about federal. Allen explored why this matter is important. FTC fines are now over $40,654 per individ- ual violation, he said. TCPA—the Telephone Consumer Protection Act—plaintiffs can sue alone or in a class action for up to $1,500 per call. There are over 130,000 telephone num- bers identified as being owned by individuals who sue telemarketers, and career plaintiffs or "serial litigators" are on the rise. While that seems daunting, some basic principles can offer hope, Allen said. "One, don't auto dial or auto text cell phones without consent," he said. "For anything other than an emergency call, you need some level of consent to text." Allen added that, "you better know which numbers in your data base are cell phones." Don't send recorded messages without consent and be able to prove you had consent, he said—"have documentation." Justin Bailey, AvantGuard's president and COO, presented the first session of PERS Summit 2017. Continued from previous page DahuaSecurity.com/4KHDCVI PROVEN THE WORLD OVER. Multi-Dimensional. Multi-Sensor. 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