Directors and staff at Octaga Security Services are celebrating after being awarded their highest ever score by the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) which puts them in the top 7% of UK security companies.
During their five year ACS review, Octaga has received its highest score at 96 points – officially placing them in the top 10% of performers in the industry in terms of Best Practice, Client Care & Service, Staff Development & Welfare and British Standards. Moreover, representatives of the ‘pacesetters’ group of top ACS performers have advised management that they are performing at a top 7% score!
The auditor was extremely impressed with the high level of service provided, customer focus and duty of care to staff, and out of 670 companies achieving ACS accreditation, Octaga is now a member of the top 50!
Octaga, known in Hereford for its generous sponsorship of charities including the Army Benevolent Fund and Cancer Research UK, and whose Managing Director is chairman of the BSIA Close Protection section, is an example of corporate resilience and success; having managed to not just survive but grow with quality through the economic crisis and recession.
Examination of the auditor’s report reveals high levels of customer satisfaction from Octaga’s clients and a very high approval rating for management in its internal surveys of staff. “We are a service industry company,” say Director, Tracey Allison, “and our relationships with clients and staff are crucial. Our engineers and security officers are Octaga, and good client relations, a quality service and high staff morale are what we value.”
During a difficult last two years for many, the company has actually increased turnover and employs nearly twice the number of full time staff it did five years ago. “It’s not been easy,” says Octaga’s Managing Director, Dave Allison, “but by giving a quality, reliable service and being attuned to opportunity, we have come out of this stronger than before. And to now have national accreditations for both Security Guards and Electronic Security puts us right up there with industry leaders.”
On the subject of ‘Pacesetters’ and the SIA, Mr Allison says, “I think various sectors, and much of the public have had about enough of the ‘Target Culture’ of late. The ACS logo can be worn by anyone getting more than 0 pts though, and Pacesetters is a great idea. It’s a shame the SIA don’t name the top 10% of performers too – something I have contacted them about.”
Octaga was formed in 2001 and today employs 150 staff nationally including having created 14 jobs in their home city of Hereford. For ten years they have moved from strength to strength providing security for among others, Pinewood Studios. Thanking all staff for their commitment to quality, Director Tracey Allison says, “Octaga is ten years old this month and this has been a great ‘birthday present’ for us and a real boost to staff morale.”