Alpha Shark Tags- 5 WC Blog 262
Wardrobing-5
Wardrobing Tags-3
Return Fraud-4
Are Ineffective Return Policies Leaving Your Store Vulnerable To Return Fraud? Alpha Shark Tags Are The Answer To Your Problem
I was shocked when I recently read an article online in marketwatch.com stating that, “Returns account for an estimated 4.4% of $14.5 trillion in global retail sales, IHL said.” (IHL/Order Dynamics, my notation). http://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumers-return-6426-billion-in-goods-each-year-2015-06-18 The article goes on to say that, “Clothing retailers see an average of 10% of their sales returned, the highest among retail segments” (“Consumers return $ 642.6 billion in goods each year”, June 18, 2015, by Andria Cheng). With 10% of clothing sales being returned each year, there is a lot of room for return fraud and especially fraud related to Wardrobing. According to statista.com, Clothing store sales in the U.S. in 2015 amounted to $183.01 billion. https://www.statista.com/topics/965/apparel-market-in-the-us/ this means in the U.S. alone, approximately $18.3 billion in clothing was returned by consumers. Another interesting point to note is that of retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation in 2015, “Fewer than half of retailers rated their return policies as “effective” in deterring fraud. (pg. 10, 2015 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry). Is there an answer to the problem of wardrobing if less than half the retailers believe they have effective return policies? There IS an effective answer to the problem of return fraud related to wardrobing and that answer is to use Alpha Shark Tags on clothing and softlines accessories.
Wardrobing is the act of purchasing clothing with the intent of wearing it once or twice and returning it for a full refund. While some may consider this a gray area rather than outright fraud because the consumer abides by the store return policies, they overlook the fact that the stores are not in the clothing rental business. Rental stores exist for this type of consumer, but that isn’t really what a person who is wardrobing desires. What they want is a free outfit to be seen in and returned without the expenditure of any money. Some people think this is just being smart and playing by the other guy’s rules. I would argue that though these customers may be playing a game of semantics, it still hurts the store owner who often has to take a markdown on the item or write it off. Frequently returns have something not right with them, ranging from slight mars to the material or more obvious odors from foods, smoking and deodorants or perfumes.
For stores that decide enough is enough, using the Alpha Shark Tag is a superb method of defeating this type of return fraud. Shark tags, or wardrobing tags as they are also known, are brightly colored tags that are pinned to garments and can only be removed by cutting them off. Once removed, the tags cannot be reattached like manufacturer tags and price tags can be after an item is worn. Wardrobing tags are placed in a location on a garment that cannot be covered up so the purchaser cannot wear the item somewhere without everyone knowing what they are trying to do. By eliminating the opportunity to wear the clothes, the culprits of this type of fraud will discontinue their practice at stores employing Alpha Shark Tags.
I pointed out earlier that fewer than half of retailers felt they had effective return policies. If these retailers would use wardrobing tags they would be able to require all clothing returns to have the tags attached in order to get a refund or exchange. Without the tag being in place a return would automatically be refused, regardless of whether or not the customer had a receipt. Is this being unfair or limiting the customer on their ability to try on an item at home or give it as a gift? The answer in both situations is “No”. Alpha Shark Tags do not interfere with trying on a piece of clothing or affect how it fits. For the gifted item, the recipient can try on an item, leaving the tags intact and if they don’t like it, return it with the gift receipt. As long as retailers make their return policies clear to their customers and enforce their policies they can nearly virtually eliminate return fraud due to worn clothing.
Don’t be taken advantage of any longer by those who wear and return clothes. Improve profits by using Alpha Shark Tags on all of your clothing merchandise!
Return Fraud is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I was shocked when I recently read an article online in marketwatch.com stating that, “Returns account for an estimated 4.4% of $14.5 trillion in global retail sales, IHL said.” (IHL/Order Dynamics, my notation). http://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumers-return-6426-billion-in-goods-each-year-2015-06-18 The article goes on to say that, “Clothing retailers see an average of 10% of their sales returned, the highest among retail segments” (“Consumers return $ 642.6 billion in goods each year”, June 18, 2015, by Andria Cheng). With 10% of clothing sales being returned each year, there is a lot of room for return fraud and especially fraud related to Wardrobing. According to statista.com, Clothing store sales in the U.S. in 2015 amounted to $183.01 billion. https://www.statista.com/topics/965/apparel-market-in-the-us/ this means in the U.S. alone, approximately $18.3 billion in clothing was returned by consumers. Another interesting point to note is that of retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation in 2015, “Fewer than half of retailers rated their return policies as “effective” in deterring fraud. (pg. 10, 2015 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry). Is there an answer to the problem of wardrobing if less than half the retailers believe they have effective return policies? There IS an effective answer to the problem of return fraud related to wardrobing and that answer is to use Alpha Shark Tags on clothing and softlines accessories.
Wardrobing is the act of purchasing clothing with the intent of wearing it once or twice and returning it for a full refund. While some may consider this a gray area rather than outright fraud because the consumer abides by the store return policies, they overlook the fact that the stores are not in the clothing rental business. Rental stores exist for this type of consumer, but that isn’t really what a person who is wardrobing desires. What they want is a free outfit to be seen in and returned without the expenditure of any money. Some people think this is just being smart and playing by the other guy’s rules. I would argue that though these customers may be playing a game of semantics, it still hurts the store owner who often has to take a markdown on the item or write it off. Frequently returns have something not right with them, ranging from slight mars to the material or more obvious odors from foods, smoking and deodorants or perfumes.
For stores that decide enough is enough, using the Alpha Shark Tag is a superb method of defeating this type of return fraud. Shark tags, or wardrobing tags as they are also known, are brightly colored tags that are pinned to garments and can only be removed by cutting them off. Once removed, the tags cannot be reattached like manufacturer tags and price tags can be after an item is worn. Wardrobing tags are placed in a location on a garment that cannot be covered up so the purchaser cannot wear the item somewhere without everyone knowing what they are trying to do. By eliminating the opportunity to wear the clothes, the culprits of this type of fraud will discontinue their practice at stores employing Alpha Shark Tags.
I pointed out earlier that fewer than half of retailers felt they had effective return policies. If these retailers would use wardrobing tags they would be able to require all clothing returns to have the tags attached in order to get a refund or exchange. Without the tag being in place a return would automatically be refused, regardless of whether or not the customer had a receipt. Is this being unfair or limiting the customer on their ability to try on an item at home or give it as a gift? The answer in both situations is “No”. Alpha Shark Tags do not interfere with trying on a piece of clothing or affect how it fits. For the gifted item, the recipient can try on an item, leaving the tags intact and if they don’t like it, return it with the gift receipt. As long as retailers make their return policies clear to their customers and enforce their policies they can nearly virtually eliminate return fraud due to worn clothing.
Don’t be taken advantage of any longer by those who wear and return clothes. Improve profits by using Alpha Shark Tags on all of your clothing merchandise!
Wardrobing is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Employee Theft Reduction Training-3 WC Blog 315
Training To Reduce Employee Theft-2
How Can You Make An Impact On 45% Of Your Store’s Shortage? Through Employee Theft Reduction Training For Your Managers
Manager and employee training are essential components of any well run business. Employees have to receive training on everything from the expectations of them as employees to how to operate equipment they are responsible for, such as cash registers, cameras, computers or any equipment involved in their job. Training also shouldn’t end with initial orientation or on-boarding. For example in my current retail job, I am regularly being tasked with a new training module I have to complete. It may be refresher training on workplace violence and or a new sales focus the company has rolled out. Ongoing training helps keep employees focused on issues that may be forgotten in the course of daily retail busy-ness. Employee theft reduction training is an area that all store managers should be receiving regularly.
Training to reduce employee theft is important for all of your management team. Employee theft is the overall biggest cause of merchandise shortage for retail stores. World-wide employee theft accounts for 39% of total shrink according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer (pg. 25). In North America employee theft was the cause of 45% of all shrinkage according to the same report (pg. 53). When managers are properly trained on how to identify and prevent associate theft losses can be significantly curtailed. My experience in retail has included nearly 20 years in retail loss prevention for large companies that could afford to have dedicated in store Loss Prevention Associates and Managers. Many small to medium size retail businesses cannot afford this and may resort to a district or regional LP team or in many cases it falls on the store management team to handle dishonest employees. But the question then becomes, if there is no Loss Prevention team to look to, who can conduct training to reduce employee theft? The answer is to look no further than Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has expert Loss Prevention professional speakers who can be booked to conduct employee theft reduction training for your management team. Whether one hour or a seminar of several days, your team can receive training designed to teach them how to recognize where merchandise shrink can occur, how employees can steal cash and merchandise and how to handle employee theft when it occurs. Did you know there are also legal aspects of employee theft that need to be considered, both civil and criminal? You and your managers can receive training on what you may and may not do when you have caught an employee stealing from the business. If you feel your team is too small or you are the sole manager of your business, you may also consider partnering with several other area businesses and holding a large group seminar for your managers.
Employee theft reduction training opportunities from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. don’t just stop there. Follow-up training and tips are also available. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has You Tube videos with tips, stories and information that can give you insights into how employees and shoplifters steal and how you can prevent such theft. Though not a replacement for the in-depth training that lays the groundwork for a knowledgeable management team, these short clips are a great resource as ongoing training material that won’t take up much of your team’s time. Want more information for your managers without being in a formal training session? Check out the blogs section of the website and frequently asked questions are answered by the company CEO, Bill Bregar.
The experts at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. recognize that merchandise shortage and theft reduction are not familiar topics to every store owner or manager but are crucial to operating a profitable business. Let them help you with training to reduce employee theft, shoplifting and even how you can improve stock shortage. You will be amazed at how much you can improve your bottom line.
Need information on employee theft reduction training, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Manager and employee training are essential components of any well run business. Employees have to receive training on everything from the expectations of them as employees to how to operate equipment they are responsible for, such as cash registers, cameras, computers or any equipment involved in their job. Training also shouldn’t end with initial orientation or on-boarding. For example in my current retail job, I am regularly being tasked with a new training module I have to complete. It may be refresher training on workplace violence and or a new sales focus the company has rolled out. Ongoing training helps keep employees focused on issues that may be forgotten in the course of daily retail busy-ness. Employee theft reduction training is an area that all store managers should be receiving regularly.
Training to reduce employee theft is important for all of your management team. Employee theft is the overall biggest cause of merchandise shortage for retail stores. World-wide employee theft accounts for 39% of total shrink according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer (pg. 25). In North America employee theft was the cause of 45% of all shrinkage according to the same report (pg. 53). When managers are properly trained on how to identify and prevent associate theft losses can be significantly curtailed. My experience in retail has included nearly 20 years in retail loss prevention for large companies that could afford to have dedicated in store Loss Prevention Associates and Managers. Many small to medium size retail businesses cannot afford this and may resort to a district or regional LP team or in many cases it falls on the store management team to handle dishonest employees. But the question then becomes, if there is no Loss Prevention team to look to, who can conduct training to reduce employee theft? The answer is to look no further than Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has expert Loss Prevention professional speakers who can be booked to conduct employee theft reduction training for your management team. Whether one hour or a seminar of several days, your team can receive training designed to teach them how to recognize where merchandise shrink can occur, how employees can steal cash and merchandise and how to handle employee theft when it occurs. Did you know there are also legal aspects of employee theft that need to be considered, both civil and criminal? You and your managers can receive training on what you may and may not do when you have caught an employee stealing from the business. If you feel your team is too small or you are the sole manager of your business, you may also consider partnering with several other area businesses and holding a large group seminar for your managers.
Employee theft reduction training opportunities from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. don’t just stop there. Follow-up training and tips are also available. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has You Tube videos with tips, stories and information that can give you insights into how employees and shoplifters steal and how you can prevent such theft. Though not a replacement for the in-depth training that lays the groundwork for a knowledgeable management team, these short clips are a great resource as ongoing training material that won’t take up much of your team’s time. Want more information for your managers without being in a formal training session? Check out the blogs section of the website and frequently asked questions are answered by the company CEO, Bill Bregar.
The experts at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. recognize that merchandise shortage and theft reduction are not familiar topics to every store owner or manager but are crucial to operating a profitable business. Let them help you with training to reduce employee theft, shoplifting and even how you can improve stock shortage. You will be amazed at how much you can improve your bottom line.
Need information on employee theft reduction training, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Pre-employment Screening – 5 WC Blog 274
Background Check Company-4
Employee Background Checks-3
Job Performance, Employment Terminations And Dishonest Employee Interviews Can Be Dangerous; Pre-employment Screening Can Make It Safer – Part 2
How do you conduct your job performance discussions with your employees? I’m not talking about the discussion with the high performing employee getting ready to be promoted. I’m referring to the talk you have to have with the employee who is not meeting expectations. What about the meeting you have to conduct to terminate an employee’s job? One that can be particularly difficult is the interview with the dishonest employee who has been stealing from your store. Each of these discussions can be very difficult and in some instances there are managers and business owners who do all they can to avoid these talks. It is not a comfortable position to have to end another person’s employment or accuse them of engaging in dishonest activity. If it is performance related you are telling that worker they are inadequate. In my career as a retail manager and library supervisor I have had to conduct all three types of interactions and it is never comfortable. As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, a manager never knows how his/her employee will react in the situation. Pre-employment screening can help to minimize the chance that the employees you hire have violent backgrounds that you don’t want in your workplace in the first place. In this article I want to give some tips to help managers understand the importance of having these discussions and how to prepare for them before talking to the employee.
It is important to pause and review what a pre-employment screening is and how a background check company can help in your hiring process. A pre-employment screening is a review of an applicant’s record and verification against what they have entered on a job application. If an applicant indicates they have no felony convictions but in reality they have a prior assault conviction, a background check company can uncover this information. You may be hiring someone as a bookkeeper and they interview well but your conduct employee background checks and find out they have problems with debt and are behind on credit card payments. This would raise a red flag that this candidate could certainly be a concern for future employee theft. A background check company can verify if a person has lived where they said they have lived for the past 10 years. If they lied on the application and have moved frequently, what was the reason for the false information? Is the applicant avoiding legal issues or the police? The pre-employment screening process reduces the risk an employer takes when hiring a new worker.
My stated purpose of this article is to explain the purpose of having the tough discussions with employees even when it is uncomfortable and tips on how to conduct them. It is not unheard of for managers to avoid calling an employee into an office to discuss performance problems. The mindset is frequently that the employee may improve on their own or maybe they will see they aren’t working out and will quit. It may even be that there is the expectation that everyone else will pick up that employee’s slack. Avoidance does not help anyone, anytime and actually will hurt the morale of the good workers. Poor performance must be addressed and clear expectations established WITH deadlines and measurements for improvement. Ambiguous or general expectations are unfair to the employee and set them up for failure and will result in future uncomfortable conversations. Do NOT use an annual or semi-annual performance review as the time to address concerns. A review should never be a surprise to the employee. If a manager is talking with their workers during the year, and documenting conversations, that employee will already know what to expect. If you complete employee background checks, you will not be rid of all performance issues, but you may have eliminated worse situations and you may have still hired the worker who can improve through additional training.
Performance management discussions tend to be the least confrontational of my “Big 3” employee talks. Employment termination and dishonest activity/employee theft interviews are the hardest and in part 3, I will talk about how they are different and how to prepare for and conduct these talks. As I close this segment I want to reiterate the importance of conducting employee background checks using a background check company before a new person is hired to the team. Any of these discussions can be hard, if a person has a violent history it can be dangerous. Improve your chances of a smooth meeting by doing pre-employment screening.
Pre-employment screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
How do you conduct your job performance discussions with your employees? I’m not talking about the discussion with the high performing employee getting ready to be promoted. I’m referring to the talk you have to have with the employee who is not meeting expectations. What about the meeting you have to conduct to terminate an employee’s job? One that can be particularly difficult is the interview with the dishonest employee who has been stealing from your store. Each of these discussions can be very difficult and in some instances there are managers and business owners who do all they can to avoid these talks. It is not a comfortable position to have to end another person’s employment or accuse them of engaging in dishonest activity. If it is performance related you are telling that worker they are inadequate. In my career as a retail manager and library supervisor I have had to conduct all three types of interactions and it is never comfortable. As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, a manager never knows how his/her employee will react in the situation. Pre-employment screening can help to minimize the chance that the employees you hire have violent backgrounds that you don’t want in your workplace in the first place. In this article I want to give some tips to help managers understand the importance of having these discussions and how to prepare for them before talking to the employee.
It is important to pause and review what a pre-employment screening is and how a background check company can help in your hiring process. A pre-employment screening is a review of an applicant’s record and verification against what they have entered on a job application. If an applicant indicates they have no felony convictions but in reality they have a prior assault conviction, a background check company can uncover this information. You may be hiring someone as a bookkeeper and they interview well but your conduct employee background checks and find out they have problems with debt and are behind on credit card payments. This would raise a red flag that this candidate could certainly be a concern for future employee theft. A background check company can verify if a person has lived where they said they have lived for the past 10 years. If they lied on the application and have moved frequently, what was the reason for the false information? Is the applicant avoiding legal issues or the police? The pre-employment screening process reduces the risk an employer takes when hiring a new worker.
My stated purpose of this article is to explain the purpose of having the tough discussions with employees even when it is uncomfortable and tips on how to conduct them. It is not unheard of for managers to avoid calling an employee into an office to discuss performance problems. The mindset is frequently that the employee may improve on their own or maybe they will see they aren’t working out and will quit. It may even be that there is the expectation that everyone else will pick up that employee’s slack. Avoidance does not help anyone, anytime and actually will hurt the morale of the good workers. Poor performance must be addressed and clear expectations established WITH deadlines and measurements for improvement. Ambiguous or general expectations are unfair to the employee and set them up for failure and will result in future uncomfortable conversations. Do NOT use an annual or semi-annual performance review as the time to address concerns. A review should never be a surprise to the employee. If a manager is talking with their workers during the year, and documenting conversations, that employee will already know what to expect. If you complete employee background checks, you will not be rid of all performance issues, but you may have eliminated worse situations and you may have still hired the worker who can improve through additional training.
Performance management discussions tend to be the least confrontational of my “Big 3” employee talks. Employment termination and dishonest activity/employee theft interviews are the hardest and in part 3, I will talk about how they are different and how to prepare for and conduct these talks. As I close this segment I want to reiterate the importance of conducting employee background checks using a background check company before a new person is hired to the team. Any of these discussions can be hard, if a person has a violent history it can be dangerous. Improve your chances of a smooth meeting by doing pre-employment screening.
Pre-employment screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
AA Blog 34
Customer counting systems: 5
People counting systems: 4
Help Manage Your Retail Needs By Adding A Customer Counting System Today
I don’t know about you, but I am very happy to have made it through the holiday shopping season without any major problems. This time of year is very hectic for those of us in retail, with all of the increased inventory, scheduling and security issues, associated with the holidays. There is always a huge build up to the holiday shopping season, which involves a lot of planning and preparation, but I know the post-holiday struggles are not much better. Now that the holidays are over and we have had a chance to start looking at our current inventory, shrinkage, and profit margins, our job is certainly not over, it’s really just beginning. I know every year following the holidays I have a hard time trying to determine our strengths and weaknesses and how we can improve upon our processes the following year, to make things more efficient, decrease overhead and increase profits. Some of the areas I have tried to improve include: manpower, marketing, security, and sales. These are not easy to evaluate as there are so many factors involved in their success that it is difficult to evaluate and measure. One thing I have done to try and improve my ability to measure these particular areas of my business is by adding a customer counting systems in my stores.
If you are not familiar with customer counting systems, let me tell you how amazing they are, and how they have helped improve my success in the industry. People counting systems are installed at points of entry/exit and can be either incorporated into your current EAS system or be used as a stand-alone device. They provide a cost-efficient means to count and track all of the people entering and exiting your store. The software provides reporting of customer information on an hourly configuration, to allow you to identify shopping trends. I use this information to determine my peak shopping times so I can evaluate my manpower and security needs. People counting systems provide me with the ability to look at historical data that can help me plan for major events such as the holidays, or other peak shopping times, throughout the year. My customer counting systems are integrated into my EAS system, which also allows me to track issues within the system, as well as evaluate shoplifting trends. This information is invaluable to planning and coordinating resources, which reduces my overhead. I also use the data to evaluate marketing approaches and determine success and failures to help improve my sales. I have used the information to add marketing events during times when we have low customer counts, and have noticed a large increase in profits and sales, due to the changes. People counting systems can also improve inventory deficiencies and help reduce shrinkage. Having historical data improves my ability to ensure I have the proper inventory and to track my shrinkage, based on customer rates, and increase security during peak shoplifting timeframes.
Improving your ability to understand your market and your customer shopping trends is an imperative part of managing your resources, inventory and security needs. My customer counting systems have played a huge role in me managing my overhead and improving my profit margin. This helps me manage my overtime rates and ensure I have the proper inventory I need to improve my customer satisfaction. These devices provide a cost-efficient means to evaluate past and future marketing initiatives to improve sales. If you are struggling to determine shortfalls and inventory issues post-holiday I suggest you get a people counting system, so next year you can be properly prepared for the holiday mayhem.
Customer Counting Systems are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I don’t know about you, but I am very happy to have made it through the holiday shopping season without any major problems. This time of year is very hectic for those of us in retail, with all of the increased inventory, scheduling and security issues, associated with the holidays. There is always a huge build up to the holiday shopping season, which involves a lot of planning and preparation, but I know the post-holiday struggles are not much better. Now that the holidays are over and we have had a chance to start looking at our current inventory, shrinkage, and profit margins, our job is certainly not over, it’s really just beginning. I know every year following the holidays I have a hard time trying to determine our strengths and weaknesses and how we can improve upon our processes the following year, to make things more efficient, decrease overhead and increase profits. Some of the areas I have tried to improve include: manpower, marketing, security, and sales. These are not easy to evaluate as there are so many factors involved in their success that it is difficult to evaluate and measure. One thing I have done to try and improve my ability to measure these particular areas of my business is by adding a customer counting systems in my stores.
If you are not familiar with customer counting systems, let me tell you how amazing they are, and how they have helped improve my success in the industry. People counting systems are installed at points of entry/exit and can be either incorporated into your current EAS system or be used as a stand-alone device. They provide a cost-efficient means to count and track all of the people entering and exiting your store. The software provides reporting of customer information on an hourly configuration, to allow you to identify shopping trends. I use this information to determine my peak shopping times so I can evaluate my manpower and security needs. People counting systems provide me with the ability to look at historical data that can help me plan for major events such as the holidays, or other peak shopping times, throughout the year. My customer counting systems are integrated into my EAS system, which also allows me to track issues within the system, as well as evaluate shoplifting trends. This information is invaluable to planning and coordinating resources, which reduces my overhead. I also use the data to evaluate marketing approaches and determine success and failures to help improve my sales. I have used the information to add marketing events during times when we have low customer counts, and have noticed a large increase in profits and sales, due to the changes. People counting systems can also improve inventory deficiencies and help reduce shrinkage. Having historical data improves my ability to ensure I have the proper inventory and to track my shrinkage, based on customer rates, and increase security during peak shoplifting timeframes.
Improving your ability to understand your market and your customer shopping trends is an imperative part of managing your resources, inventory and security needs. My customer counting systems have played a huge role in me managing my overhead and improving my profit margin. This helps me manage my overtime rates and ensure I have the proper inventory I need to improve my customer satisfaction. These devices provide a cost-efficient means to evaluate past and future marketing initiatives to improve sales. If you are struggling to determine shortfalls and inventory issues post-holiday I suggest you get a people counting system, so next year you can be properly prepared for the holiday mayhem.
Customer Counting Systems are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Bug Tag -4 WC Blog 303
Classic N10 -4
Tablet Theft -3
i-pad theft -3
Examining The Ability Of The Bug Tag To Protect Mobile Devices Used For Autopsies
The use of computer tablets and i-pads in healthcare has been growing rapidly. They have been used for entertaining children and alleviating their fear of being in an exam room. They are used by experts to meet with veterans who may be dealing with PTSD and don’t want to go into a hospital setting. They are being used to view x-rays and CT scans with patients. One use for i-pads and computer tablets I recently learned of is for conducting autopsies. As with any medical facility there still needs to be concern for the protection of patient information and privacy. Any patient information stored on a device is going to be potentially vulnerable to hacking and theft and could be used for fraudulent purposes. It is imperative that medical facilities take appropriate steps to prevent i-pad theft and tablet theft to protect patient privacy. The Alpha Bug Tag 2 and Classic N10 electronic article surveillance (EAS) tower are powerful tools to keep mobile medical devices safe from theft and potential patient information compromise.
How do the Bug Tag and Classic N10 tower work together to prevent theft? They operate as a radio frequency transmitter and receiver. The tag has a built in coil that is designed to send a signal out on a specific frequency. The tower is designed to pick up this radio frequency wave when the tag is carried into the receiver detection field. When a tag is detected alarms in the tower are activated and a loud, constant beeping noise sounds. LED lights in the antenna also flash and together they warn the employees of a facility that a tagged item is about to be carried out of the building. Staff then responds to the alarm and stop the person trying to walk out and prevent the tablet theft or i-pad theft from taking place. If a doctor or nurse has placed the device in a lab coat pocket and forgotten they have it as they are ready to leave, the alert reminds them to return it.
The next question you may be asking yourself is, “Couldn’t a thief simply remove the Bug Tag from the unit and then walk through the Classic N10 pedestal?” The tags can only be removed from a device with a special removal tool only available from Alpha Security. Any tampering or forced removal of a tag causes an internal alarm in the tag to be set off. The alert is loud enough to scare a thief and cause him/her to panic and leave the device.
So, how are mobile devices being used in autopsies? According to one website, they posted an article, “Sheffield Opens UK’s First Digital Autopsy Facility”, “Digital autopsy involves a scan of the body using a GE CT scanner, before iGene’s revolutionary, proprietary, software ‘INFOPSY®’ creates a 3D image of the body, enabling the pathologist to conduct a full, non-invasive digital post mortem using a large, touchscreen tablet computer.” http://digitalautopsy.co.uk/sheffield-opens-uks-first-digital-autopsy-facility/
The article goes on to list some of the benefits of the digital autopsy as, almost immediate results, less stress on the family since it is non-invasive, faster investigation so the body can be released for final disposition more quickly, and accuracy of results since traditional methods may miss some things during the procedure.
In addition to the digital autopsy, there are a number of coroner apps that are now available for mobile devices. Some of these apps are an ‘Autopsy Checklist’, ‘Autopsy Consent and Authorization Form’, and ‘Elder Care When Someone Dies Checklist’. The list of apps goes on, but the point is the apps exist and if they are in a digital format, private patient information is being stored that should be protected from possible breach.
Mobile devices and innovative, new applications can improve many aspects of the medical field. As the use of these personal handheld computers are used more it is imperative that steps are taken to prevent i-pad theft, tablet theft and the loss of patient data. The bug tag and Classic N10 pedestal are the protections you need to maintain that security.
The Bug Tag is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
The use of computer tablets and i-pads in healthcare has been growing rapidly. They have been used for entertaining children and alleviating their fear of being in an exam room. They are used by experts to meet with veterans who may be dealing with PTSD and don’t want to go into a hospital setting. They are being used to view x-rays and CT scans with patients. One use for i-pads and computer tablets I recently learned of is for conducting autopsies. As with any medical facility there still needs to be concern for the protection of patient information and privacy. Any patient information stored on a device is going to be potentially vulnerable to hacking and theft and could be used for fraudulent purposes. It is imperative that medical facilities take appropriate steps to prevent i-pad theft and tablet theft to protect patient privacy. The Alpha Bug Tag 2 and Classic N10 electronic article surveillance (EAS) tower are powerful tools to keep mobile medical devices safe from theft and potential patient information compromise.
How do the Bug Tag and Classic N10 tower work together to prevent theft? They operate as a radio frequency transmitter and receiver. The tag has a built in coil that is designed to send a signal out on a specific frequency. The tower is designed to pick up this radio frequency wave when the tag is carried into the receiver detection field. When a tag is detected alarms in the tower are activated and a loud, constant beeping noise sounds. LED lights in the antenna also flash and together they warn the employees of a facility that a tagged item is about to be carried out of the building. Staff then responds to the alarm and stop the person trying to walk out and prevent the tablet theft or i-pad theft from taking place. If a doctor or nurse has placed the device in a lab coat pocket and forgotten they have it as they are ready to leave, the alert reminds them to return it.
The next question you may be asking yourself is, “Couldn’t a thief simply remove the Bug Tag from the unit and then walk through the Classic N10 pedestal?” The tags can only be removed from a device with a special removal tool only available from Alpha Security. Any tampering or forced removal of a tag causes an internal alarm in the tag to be set off. The alert is loud enough to scare a thief and cause him/her to panic and leave the device.
So, how are mobile devices being used in autopsies? According to one website, they posted an article, “Sheffield Opens UK’s First Digital Autopsy Facility”, “Digital autopsy involves a scan of the body using a GE CT scanner, before iGene’s revolutionary, proprietary, software ‘INFOPSY®’ creates a 3D image of the body, enabling the pathologist to conduct a full, non-invasive digital post mortem using a large, touchscreen tablet computer.” http://digitalautopsy.co.uk/sheffield-opens-uks-first-digital-autopsy-facility/
The article goes on to list some of the benefits of the digital autopsy as, almost immediate results, less stress on the family since it is non-invasive, faster investigation so the body can be released for final disposition more quickly, and accuracy of results since traditional methods may miss some things during the procedure.
In addition to the digital autopsy, there are a number of coroner apps that are now available for mobile devices. Some of these apps are an ‘Autopsy Checklist’, ‘Autopsy Consent and Authorization Form’, and ‘Elder Care When Someone Dies Checklist’. The list of apps goes on, but the point is the apps exist and if they are in a digital format, private patient information is being stored that should be protected from possible breach.
Mobile devices and innovative, new applications can improve many aspects of the medical field. As the use of these personal handheld computers are used more it is imperative that steps are taken to prevent i-pad theft, tablet theft and the loss of patient data. The bug tag and Classic N10 pedestal are the protections you need to maintain that security.
The Bug Tag is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
