Paul Haynes, B2B Sales Lead, Europe, Ring reflects on the one year anniversary of the Ring Professional Programme.
In recent years, the smart home industry has become increasingly mainstream, with more and more customers using smart devices at home.
We’re now seeing that consumers are more willing than ever before to adopt smart technology. This transition is, in part, due to consumers experiencing the convenience and simplicity that these devices bring to their lives. For example, video doorbells offer benefits that go beyond security and assist in every day moments, like parcel deliveries.
Ring’s mission is to make neighbourhoods safer, so we’re committed to making home security convenient, simple and accessible for everyone. Our video doorbells, security cameras and alarm system come in at a range of price points to suit every type of home. No matter your property type or your budget, we all deserve to feel safe in our home and community.
Ring Professional Programme
While a lot of customers are familiar with smart home devices, many just feel more comfortable having a professional handle the setup of their security system to ensure everything is installed in the most efficient way for them. That’s why we launched Ring Professional Programme early last year as an option for installers who want to provide their customers with simple whole home security that’s tailored to their needs.
Ring Professional Programme is specially designed as a free resource to help professionals install Ring’s products, including understanding customer benefits. When an installer joins Ring Professional Programme, they’ll receive a welcome pack with all the information about Ring and the programme.
They will also receive exclusive updates, training materials, plus 24/7 access to the Ring team for informed advice on installing and configuring Ring products for their customers. Programme members receive a 40% discount, Ring merchandise and a certification when they complete the training. We’ve seen thousands of installers sign up to Ring Professional Programme over the past year and we’re looking forward to working with even more installers over the next year.
We’re also always looking at ways we can better support tradespeople. For example, we understand the impact that theft can have on an installer’s business and livelihood, which is why we recently launched an initiative to boost awareness of van and tool theft. Along with giving helpful security advice to tradespeople like security marking your tools or parking your van with the rear or side van doors against a wall, the campaign also provides exclusive product offers to help installers protect their van and tools from theft.
Our aim is to help protect against and deter such thefts through education and the use of home security devices and services. The initiative has been a real success, with hundreds of tradespeople getting in touch to learn more about how they can help protect what matters most.
Innovation in motion detection
Protecting what matters most is important for our customers. When it comes to keeping their home safe, customers are now expecting a simpler, more customisable experience. In 2022, our home security devices will have the potential to become even smarter, in large part due to advanced sensor and computer vision technology.
For example, we’ll see how advancements in motion detection technology, such as radar, will give customers the ability to further personalise their device settings and ensure they only receive relevant notifications, minimising the need for intervention.
Ring pioneered radar technology for home security which has long relied on PIR sensors to detect motion. This technology can be used in cameras or video doorbells to give customers greater control of their motion alerts. Our Video Doorbell Pro 2 and Floodlight Cam Wired Pro both use this technology to offer advanced features including 3D Motion Detection and Bird’s Eye View.
With 3D Motion Detection, a radar sensor determines when an object crosses your selected distance threshold, so you receive the most precise motion alerts. 3D Motion Detection also powers our Bird’s Eye View feature, which gives you an aerial map view from above your home of your motion events and clearly shows the path a visitor took while on your property.
In addition, fields of artificial intelligence, like computer vision, can help devices to interpret information from videos and images for more contextual alerts. At Ring, we’ve taken advantage of these best-in-class technologies to enhance our motion detection experience. For example, our Package Alerts feature tells customers when packages are delivered within their specified zones, while Custom Event Alerts allows their camera to differentiate between two object states, like a garage door being open or closed, alerting customers when a change is detected.
The rise of digital privacy and security
In addition to expecting a simpler, more customisable experience, consumer demand for digital privacy and security will continue to grow as our homes and valuables become more digitalised. In response to this demand and as part of a larger societal effort, technology providers are beginning to create devices with privacy and security front of mind.
At Ring, innovating for our customers doesn’t always necessarily mean launching new products. Privacy and security are foundational to everything we do and we’re committed to putting our customers in control by offering them options to tailor their security systems to their individual needs and preferences.
We were delighted to be one of the first major home security providers to offer video end-to-end encryption to our customers around the world. While Ring already encrypts all customer videos by default both in transit and at rest, video end-to-end encryption gives customers an added layer of security that only allows their videos to be viewed on their chosen, enrolled mobile devices.
What’s more, we also introduced two-step verification for added security. This means that device users must enter a second unique code sent via SMS or authenticator app when logging into their account. And, in the Ring app, CAPTCHA acts as another safeguard to help prevent automated login attempts from bad actors.
What’s next on the horizon?
It has been an exciting year of innovation for us at Ring. Moving forward, we’ll continue to make product and feature decisions that empower our customers with a simple, customisable and affordable way to secure their homes. We’re always appreciative of customer and installer feedback and it goes a long way to guiding our decisions on future products and features.
We’re also looking forward to working with more installers across the UK this year, to further advise them on Ring’s wide range of whole home security devices and help them to offer trusted, informed support to their customers.
For more information, visit: en-uk.ring.com