have it. So you always have to remind your
customer of the value you bring in."
A lot of that value can be generated
through expanded capabilities and smart
home options. In addition to burglary
detection, a system can incorporate fire
detection, water detection, carbon mon-
oxide detection, elderly or infirm health
monitoring, temperature monitoring/
control — virtually any facet of home auto-
mation. While burglary detection is critical
when needed, hopefully that will be a rare
occurrence. The "wow factor" can be expe-
rienced far more frequently.
"At my house we've had some pretty
severe thunderstorms lately and they called
me on my cell phone to tell me that I'd lost
power in the house," said Larsen, who per-
sonally uses the service. "They are that good
at getting a hold of customers to let them
knows what's happening in their homes.
And every customer can set it up differ-
ently. What do you want to do when the
alarm goes off? Do you want us to call you
or the police? I have them call me first in
case I accidentally set it off, which has hap-
pened in the past."
One service MCS offers that has been
well received, and that fits well with its
customer base, is a life safety system. The
homeowner wears a small pendant around
the neck and can press a button and speak
with a dispatcher if there is an emergency.
Integrating the home comfort aspect
is obviously a natural, if not the natural,
integration.
"If somebody is an oil customer and a
security customer we tie the heating system
into the security system so that if the heat
ever goes off we know about it before the
house gets cold," Cohen said. "We can get
out there and fix it right away. We were
aware that a customer might question the
tie-in between an oil company and the
security service but by offering that tie-in
we made it a more rational in the consum-
er's mind."
While research suggests that middle and
upper class customers are the most recep-
tive, security needs cross all boundaries
(though the scale and complexity of the
system can vary significantly). Also, there
are opportunities to market beyond the
existing customer base.
"One thing that surprised me is that we
thought we were going to get all of our oil
accounts to switch over, but in fact we had
people come in who had other forms heat
but they wanted our security service," said
Roy Friedman, president of Standard Oil
of Connecticut. "We have a reputation in
the area that resonates with people, even
those who are not our customers. In the
security business people tend to have a
choice between huge companies like ADT,
or really small companies where you really
don't know who they are. So, we sort of
come in with the best of both worlds."
30 JULY 2014 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com
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