Seris Security: Empowering Field Agents with Digital Communication

Seris Security, a leader in professional security, has succeeded in reconnecting its field operatives thanks to Sociabble. A single digital platform now centralizes day-to-day tools and communication, boosting employee commitment. In the regions, branch efficiency has been improved thanks to the efficient management of administrative requests integrated into Sociabble.

Seris Security is the leading French group in the professional security market. For over 60 years, it has been offering tailor-made solutions to meet the unique needs of its customers. Seris Security offers a comprehensive package that combines high-quality human services with advanced technological solutions.

Thanks to its 40,000 employees, Seris Security is able to serve thousands of customers worldwide. In France, Seris Security has 7,000 employees, 50 branches, and 4 training centers, enabling it to securely protect over 3,000 customers.

The safety and security professions are often little-known, even though they are essential to guaranteeing the safety of people and property. These professions are subject to strict regulations and intense vetting.

Safety and security guards are generally assigned to sites over an extended period of time, which creates a strong bond with the customers they protect. As a result, they are sometimes more attached to their customer than to their employer.

The distance between field agents and the brand

For years, within the Seris Security group, there was a significant gap between the brand and its employees, due to rare and outdated communication.

Anne-Sophie Colin, Communications Manager for France, remembers:

On the one hand, we offered an intranet that was only accessible to internal employees, and on the other, a printed welcome booklet, which was therefore difficult to update.

Apart from the occasional message sent with the pay slip or via the electronic safe, communication with field staff was limited.

The result was a lack of awareness of Seris Security among its employees, and a feeling of remoteness perceptible to both agents and management. In the absence of data on agent consultation or commitment to communication, it was impossible to know whether they were really in tune with the Group’s vision and objectives.

Digital communications at the heart of corporate strategy

Seris Security also needed to make progress on other dimensions of its digitalization, and of its proposition to employees. In addition to inadequate communication, day-to-day digital services were also virtually non-existent.

This is why, in 2022, the Management Committee made communication one of the three strategic projects for Seris Security’s digital transformation.

Support from Sociabble partner Arctus

To carry out its transformation, the Seris Security group benefited from the support of the consulting firm Arctus, specialists in internal digital transformation, who were able to guide the organization in its strategic and technological choices. As a Sociabble partner, Arctus helped Seris Security project a winning vision of the new digital workplace, for both management and staff.

Seris Security chooses Sociabble

Seris Security chose Sociabble after carrying out extensive research into the various suppliers of digital communication solutions. Above all, Seris Security was attracted by Sociabble’s ability to respond to a wide range of communication situations. “We were initially convinced by the solution’s flexibility,” explains Anne-Sophie Colin. “But we had high expectations in many other areas, and Sociabble clearly stood out.

These criteria include:

• Mobile first

Sociabble is an application designed natively for mobile, available on iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS. This availability guarantees easy, unrestricted access for all Seris Security agents in the field, whatever the device.

• Management of administrative requests

Sociabble’s Service Desk module enables decentralized management of administrative requests made by agents from their cell phones (e.g. verification of information, change of address or family status, etc.).

• Security

Sociabble is hosted on a Microsoft Azure infrastructure that meets ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 standards. It is also secured by an SSO authentication module.

• Acknowledgement of receipt

Sociabble’s Read & Sign module ensures that the user has received an important message or document, and keeps track of consultation data.

• Document management

Sociabble Media Drive offers structured hosting of corporate media, with precise management of access rights.

• Targeted communication

Sociabble’s audience features enable administrators to send specific communication elements (messages, surveys, campaigns, quizzes, live videos, etc.) to selected groups of users.

Specific support tailored to Seris Security’s needs

After just a few weeks of preparation with the Sociabble consulting team (CSM), the digital communication platform, called Open’Up, was deployed to all Seris Security employees.

Anne-Sophie Colin recalls:

The presence and expertise of the CSMs brought me real added value, by sharing feedback from other Sociabble customers, and giving me visibility over the different stages of the project.

I even had the opportunity to speak directly to one of Sociabble’s most important customers, which was very reassuring.

To accompany the launch, Anne-Sophie Colin chose to create an original, hybrid communication campaign, combining a promotional video, teasing elements, posters, QR codes, and targeted emails. This campaign, combined with the simplicity of the Open’Up registration process, greatly contributed to the success of the launch.

Indeed, thanks to the numerous onboarding possibilities offered by Sociabble, the registration experience was fluid and quick for all employees, whether they work at the head office, in agencies, or in the field. This enabled immediate user integration and engagement from day one.

A single, flexible, and relevant communications platform

Seris Security ensured the success of its new digital environment with another innovative choice. With a single tab on Open’Up, employees now have access to many of their day-to-day tools (HR and administrative queries) without having to log in again. What’s more, they benefit from the Group’s realtime communications from this single interface.

Anne-Sophie Colin emphasizes: “We are aware that the mere availability of a communication platform is not always enough to interest employees. That’s why we’ve coupled corporate communication with the provision of operational tools.”

As a result, Seris Security agents can consult their work schedule and receive, at the same time, important messages that the company wishes to communicate to them, wherever they may be. However, not all employees expect the same information from Seris Security.

This is where Sociabble’s targeting capabilities come into their own. For example, to pass on specific messages to agents in the airport division, Seris Security was able to draw on a dedicated audience in Open’Up.

We are aware that the mere availability of a communication platform is not always enough to interest employees. That’s why we’ve coupled corporate communication with the provision of operational tools.Anne-Sophie Colin Communications Manager Seris Security France

The “Service Desk” for efficient management of administrative workloads

Another new feature introduced by Sociabble has become indispensable: the management of administrative requests, known as the “Service Desk.”

Using Sociabble’s Service Desk has literally transformed agents’ relationship with their branch. As Anne-Sophie Colin explains: “It’s a minor revolution at Seris Security! It has enabled us to develop a closer, more privileged relationship between the agent and his agency, and to improve the management of administrative workloads.”

Indeed, Seris Security agents now benefit from a much more efficient service thanks to Service Desk. Instead of contacting (by e-mail or telephone) someone in the branch who may not be present or available, employees benefit from an easy-to-use digital tool.

Simple templates are provided, and everyone can track the progress of their request. If the person responsible for processing the request is absent, a replacement with the necessary authorizations can take over.

Created in-house by Seris Security teams, the forms are easy to use. What’s more, with just a few clicks, it is possible to structure additional information, which will be useful for a posteriori analysis, directly on the platform. This information includes, for example, geographical location, branch office, in-house company and business lines.

Thanks to the Service Desk, branch managers have a very practical management tool at their disposal. It is possible to monitor the workload and performance of requests in order to speed up the process and improve branch efficiency.

“Employees and managers particularly appreciate the Service Desk feature, because it speeds up processing on the one hand, and improves branch performance on the other” notes Anne-Sophie Colin.

Here again, Sociabble’s CSM team was instrumental in helping Seris Security become familiar with the Service Desk. “Within the first few weeks, we trained around a hundred managers together, and quickly created support materials for a tool that was particularly simple and intuitive to use” explains Anne-Sophie Colin.

The benefits: increased modernization and commitment

Every day, from the various sites for which they are responsible, Seris Security agents are informed and engaged by the content offered on Open’Up. With Group news, HR updates and key data, Open’Up keeps them constantly up to date.

Office workers, meanwhile, consult and engage with posts created by their colleagues (UGC) in a dedicated channel: business news, training, or local events. Sociabble also enabled Seris Security to set up a highly successful CSR tree-planting program. In concrete terms, employees earn points as a reward for their commitment, which they can convert into trees to be planted in the “Seris Security forest.”

This commitment mechanism, based on the Sociabble Trees feature, has been a hit since its launch and continues to attract more and more employees.

The Service Desk is a small revolution at Seris Security! It has enabled us to develop a closer, more privileged relationship between the agent and their branch, and to improve the management of administrative workloads.Anne-Sophie Colin Communication Manager Seris Security France.

Accurate, reliable information for agents

Today, during her visits to the field, Anne-Sophie Colin can see the benefits of Open’Up by Sociabble. “Agents are delighted, because the platform offers them accurate and reliable information at all times. No more booklets that become obsolete shortly after printing. Open’Up creates a bond of trust with the company.”

New employees who join Seris Security are also impressed and reassured, which contributes greatly to the employer’s image. Seris Security’s choice to deploy a digital platform to strengthen the link with employees has also become an element of commercial reassurance. “Our customers are very sensitive to the services and information we offer to the agents who protect them. This is also why we value Open’Up in our invitations for RFP’s,” says Anne-Sophie Colin.

New uses on the horizon

While Open’Up has become part of employee habits, Anne-Sophie Colin is thinking about new uses that could soon be developed thanks to the functions natively available in Sociabble. “With a company directory in AzureAD, we’ll soon have much finer targeting possibilities, with content proposals for specific populations: sales aids for sales reps or QHSE documentation for branch managers. I’d also like to see a much more local content offering, and thus give more visibility to good news, for ever more positive and encouraging local communication.”

In conclusion

Seris Security has created an innovative and engaging digital environment for its employees. Thanks to Open’Up, agents in the field have a single interface for accessing tools, information, and updates from their cell phones.

This has helped to strengthen their attachment to the company and facilitate communication between them and the agencies handling their requests. The digitalization of communication is clearly a key factor in the success of the company’s overall digital transformation efforts.