Eighty-six percent of alarm system owners expect a response within half an hour, and 42 percent expect a police response within 10 minutes of an alarm. Source: Parks Associates 

A large majority (87 percent) of residential security owners say reliable and fast response to security events is important to their system purchase decision, according to Parks Associates.

In a whitepaper titled “Expectations vs. Reality: Enhancing Alarm Monitoring Response,” the Dallas-based market research firm states this expectation is not just about the quick and reliable arrival of police, fire, or medical teams, but also about the assurance of safety and security in the most critical moments.

At the same time, Parks Associates says, security providers face the challenge of demonstrating their worth against new competitors offering self-monitoring solutions deemed “safe enough” by many consumers. 

“Residential security players are supporting overwhelmed public resources with new standards — like The Monitoring Association’s AVS-01 alarm scoring standard — innovative verification technologies, and advanced monitoring and private guard services that help provide more context to alarms,” the white paper states. “All ecosystem players must innovate and experiment with new models to ensure priority alarms get quick response.”

This white paper highlights how security providers are actively adding revenues through new technology and response options, including private guard services, and ensuring fast response during security events, which differentiates their offerings from competitors. It underscores consumer expectations for professionally monitored security, including insights into the gap between reality and expectations for quick police response. The research also highlights consumer views on response times, including familiarity with and perception of fines, as well as the role of public resources for reliable safety and response.

From the SDM article, "Study Shows High Consumer Expectation for Rapid Security Event Response"