GCI Security, Inc.

GCI Security, Inc. Whether you’re looking to secure your business, neighborhood, or home, GCI Security has the experience and the knowledge to protect you and your assets.

Most property managers ask security guard companies the same basic questions.That is why the answers often sound identic...
09/10/2026

Most property managers ask security guard companies the same basic questions.

That is why the answers often sound identical.

“Yes, we have supervisors.”
“Yes, we provide reports.”
“Yes, we can cover the schedule.”

Those answers are easy.

The better questions make a company explain what is happening behind the scenes.

How many officers will actually work your property in a normal month?
How many accounts does your manager already handle?
If your regular officer quits tomorrow, who is already trained?

Those answers can expose a lot before you are stuck dealing with it later.

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Message us “GUIDE” for GCI Security’s 20 Question Security Buyer’s Guide for Property Managers.

These three words should make you nervous when a security guard company says them."We'll handle it."That sounds good.But...
09/09/2026

These three words should make you nervous when a security guard company says them.

"We'll handle it."

That sounds good.

But what does it actually mean?

An officer calls off.

> Who finds coverage?
> What happens if backup falls through?
> When do you hear about it?

An incident happens.

> Who reviews the report?
> Who decides whether somebody should call you?
> Who notices if the same problem keeps happening?

That is the part worth asking about before you sign.

Do not just ask: "Do you handle call-offs?"

Ask: "Walk me through exactly what happens after one."

Do not just ask: "Do you provide reports?"

Ask: "Who reads them, and what happens next?"

Specific questions get specific answers.

Save this for your next security meeting, or share it with another property manager comparing vendors.

A security guard company can impress you for weeks, then hand your account to someone you've never spoken to.That is whe...
09/08/2026

A security guard company can impress you for weeks, then hand your account to someone you've never spoken to.

That is where some buyers get blindsided.

The salesperson knew the property.

They knew the problems. They knew what you expected.

Then the contract gets signed and somebody else takes over.

Before that happens, ask:

> Who will actually manage my property?
> How long have they been doing this?
> How many other accounts do they handle?
> How responsive are they?
> What happens if they leave?
> Can I meet them before I sign?

Because if that person changes every six months, you may spend a lot of time explaining the same problems and expectations over and over again.

A good security program needs more than a strong sales pitch.

It needs stable management that knows the property and answers the phone.

Save this for your next security meeting, or share it with another property manager.

A lot of meetings with security guard companies become price conversations way too early.The buyer asks:"How much per ho...
09/08/2026

A lot of meetings with security guard companies become price conversations way too early.

The buyer asks:

"How much per hour?"

And now the whole discussion starts drifting toward rate.

But the first meeting is where you should be figuring out something harder:

Does this company actually understand what is wrong?

Maybe residents are complaining.

Maybe theft is up.

Maybe your current vendor is failing.

Maybe ownership wants answers after an incident.

So ask:

"What do you think our biggest security problem actually is?"

Then ask:

"If you started tomorrow, what would you change first?"

Those answers tell you whether they listened and whether they have an actual opinion.

You can compare pricing once the proposals come in.

First, compare how they think.

Save this for your next security meeting.

Most property managers already know to ask security guard companies about price, experience, supervision, and call-offs....
09/04/2026

Most property managers already know to ask security guard companies about price, experience, supervision, and call-offs.

Those are good questions.

But they are also questions every salesperson has answered a hundred times.

Try these instead:

- How many different officers should I expect to see here in a normal month?
- What percentage of your hours are being filled with overtime?
- How many accounts does my actual manager already oversee?
- If my regular officer quits tomorrow, who is already trained for this property?
- What should I NOT expect from your company?

That last one is interesting.

A company that says "we can do everything" would make me more nervous than one that can explain its limits.

Better questions usually get you better answers.

We are finishing GCI Security's 20 Question Security Buyer's Guide for Property Managers now.

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One security guard company is thousands of dollars cheaper than every other bid.Feels like a win.Maybe it is.But I would...
09/03/2026

One security guard company is thousands of dollars cheaper than every other bid.

Feels like a win.

Maybe it is.

But I would want to know one thing before getting too excited:

**Where did the savings come from?**

Start asking.

> What are the officers going to earn?
> How much supervision is included?
> What happens when somebody calls off?
> Who manages the account?
> Who reviews the work?
> Are there charges that are not included in the hourly rate?

If the company has good answers, great.

You may have found a better deal.

But if the answer is basically:

"We're just more competitive."

Keep asking.

Security is mostly people.

There are only so many places to cut costs before the client starts feeling it.

A cheap bid is not a red flag by itself.

A cheap bid nobody can explain?

That is different.

A security guard company can save you money on the hourly rate by paying the officer at your property less.That sounds o...
09/02/2026

A security guard company can save you money on the hourly rate by paying the officer at your property less.

That sounds obvious. But most buyers never ask about it.

You see the bill rate.

You do not usually see the wage behind it.

And that wage can affect a lot more than people think.

> How long officers stay.
> How often they call off.
> How hard it is to recruit replacements.
> How much experience the company can attract.
> How often you are introducing another new officer to the property.

So if one security bid is much cheaper than the others, ask:

"What do you expect to pay the officer working this site?"

There may be a perfectly reasonable answer.

But if you expect a reliable, professional officer with good judgment, the compensation has to make sense too.

Security is still a people business.

The numbers eventually show up in the people you get.

A security guard company can hand you a clean quote, a fair price, and still leave you guessing about the part that caus...
09/02/2026

A security guard company can hand you a clean quote, a fair price, and still leave you guessing about the part that causes the most headaches later.

How is this account actually going to run?

That is what I would want to know.

> Who owns it?
> Who handles the 10 PM call-off?
> How much backup staffing do they really have?
> Who checks the officers?
> Who reads the incident reports?
> What happens when the same problem shows up three weeks in a row?
> Who has to fix it?

That is the stuff buyers tend to care about after the contract starts.

And it is exactly the kind of detail serious security RFPs ask vendors to explain.

A price tells you the cost.

It does not tell you whether the company has enough staffing depth, management control, or follow-up to keep the account from becoming your problem.

Compare the quote.

But compare the operating plan too.

Security guard companies know exactly which number buyers are going to look at first.The hourly rate. And why wouldn't y...
08/31/2026

Security guard companies know exactly which number buyers are going to look at first.

The hourly rate. And why wouldn't you?

It is sitting right there.

One company is $32.

One is $34.

One is $36.

The $32 bid feels like the obvious place to start.

But here is the part that gets missed.

Those three companies may be buying very different levels of officer quality, supervision, backup staffing, reporting, and account management with that money.

The quote does not always make that obvious.

So if one security guard company comes in noticeably cheaper, ask a simple question:

Why?

> What are the officers being paid?
> How are call-offs covered?
> How much supervision is included?
> Who reviews the work?
> Who owns the account?

Saving a few dollars an hour is great.

Finding out later what was missing from the cheaper bid is not.

The security guard company that worries me most is not always the one with the obvious red flags.It is the one where eve...
08/27/2026

The security guard company that worries me most is not always the one with the obvious red flags.

It is the one where every answer sounds perfect.

"We can cover it."
"We have supervisors."
"We're available 24/7."
"We have great technology."

Fine.

Now keep asking questions.

Here are 7 red flags worth listening for:

1. Nobody can clearly tell you who manages your account after the sale.
2. Their call-off plan amounts to "we'll find somebody."
3. They promise supervision but cannot tell you how often your property will actually be checked.
4. They spend more time showing you reporting software than explaining who reads the reports.
5. They have no clear process for replacing an officer who is not a good fit.
6. They start recommending a security plan before really understanding your property.
7. They cannot give you a straight answer about what happens when things go wrong.

That last one is big.

Security is a people business.

People call off. People quit. Officers sometimes struggle. Clients have concerns.

You are not looking for a security guard company that claims none of that happens.

You are looking for one that knows exactly what to do when it does.

Address

One Campbell Plaza, Ste. 1A South
St. Louis, MO
63139

Telephone

+13145311500

Website

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