Defencify Online Training Helps Global Provider of Protective Services
Overcome Hiring Challenges While Reducing Instructor Salaries by 70 Percent.

The Security Challenge

The client is an international provider of on-site, mobile, and remote security guard services with additional business units focusing on electronic security, fire and safety, and corporate risk management. Worldwide, the company has over 355,000 employees across 53 countries. That means adhering to ever-changing rules implemented by local jurisdictions.

California Rules Impact In-Person Training

The Company’s California footprint includes 33 area and branch offices with over 150 local administrators responsible for hiring, training, and licensing approximately 12,000 security officers per year. California requires that all individuals working as a security officer complete 8 hours of pre-license training and 32 hours of continuing education to obtain a state-issued Guard Card. These in-person training sessions are traditionally facilitated by dedicated trainers at each location, are costly to run, and often an inconvenience to workers with multiple jobs.

In March 2020 California banned in-person gatherings. This forced the area and branch offices to close, threatening hiring pools and training pipelines needed to deliver a steady stream of qualified personnel for on-site guarding services. The company needed a remote training solution that offered a high-quality learning experience, supported self-paced use on a wide variety of personal devices, and could be deployed quickly over a gigantic footprint (statewide). The chosen program had to comply with California’s strict training mandates, be cost effective, and be easy for employees to use with a simple interface. A tall order.

Executives launched a search for a state-approved remote training provider. They had reviewed several off-the-shelf commercially available online training programs, but quality and content fell short of expectations. Until they came across Defencify.

***Please note: This case study predates the implementation of new legislation in California, which mandates that the Appropriate Use of Force must now be taught under instructor supervision.

The Defencify Training Solution

Defencify is a training content company whose main focus is to create high-quality online training specifically for front-line security staff that is customized to reflect the laws and compliance standards of each state.

Upon reviewing Defencify’s training content, confirming compliance with California guard licensing authorities, and realizing how much could be saved over in-person training classes, the Company moved ahead. Defencify launched the Company’s dedicated training site within 48 hours.

Remote administrators were trained in less than two weeks through a series of 15-minute live video sessions on how to add users, automatically assign courses, and track student progress. Automated notifications make it easy for administrators to know when courses are completed, to direct students to the next course in the sequence, or when guards are overdue.

State-compliant training certificates are auto-generated and stored in the cloud for maximum accessibility and easy retrieval to prove completion. When students or administrators have issues or questions, the Defencify customer service team is available to quickly resolve any problem. Defencify’s online portal provides the data needed to maintain compliance records, improve and fine-tune internal processes, and ultimately reduce days to hire.

Business Outcomes

The effectiveness and simplicity of Defencify’s remote, self-paced security training platform has allowed the Company to continue hiring and training qualified guards during and after the lifting of California’s restrictions. Going forward, the Company plans to implement a hybrid method using Defencify courseware to educate candidates who are not available for in-person Guard Card training. Benefits cited by the client include:

Instant, around-the-clock access to training allows employees to start any training module at their convenience, rather than wait for the next instructor-led class to begin. This reduced time to completion by up to 55% and sped the on-boarding process by up to 5 days per candidate.
The self-paced nature of the program enabled the company to expand their hiring pool by offering an online remote training option to obtain licensure. The company reported a 20% increase in job applicants whose personal constraints would not have allowed them to commit to a multi-day in-person program.
The Company realized a 70% savings in instructor salaries alone.
Reduced administration expenses through automated tracking of employee licensing hours, status, and records for compliance in the event of an incident.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, course completion rates were 94%, with 40,500 course starts and 38,100 completions, ensuring a well-staffed and compliant workforce.

At Defencify, we understand getting new employees licensed and into the field ASAP is a top priority for security guard companies. To learn more about Defencify’s remote, self-paced training platform and how we can help you grow your security business at minimal expense, contact our CEO Russ Willmon at russ@defencifytraining.com or call us at 800-795-6650.