It is bad enough that workplace distractions cost employees an average of 60 work hours a month. Those distractions can cost a business even more in terms of lost revenue from missed opportunities for sales and merchandise that gets swiped.

Interrupting the workplace daze and getting employees to pay attention can be crucial to keeping an office afloat. Whether it comes in the form of a bell, a buzzer, or anything in between a door sensor chime helps fight this problem.

Chimes have come a long way from the classic bell above the shop door. Modern door chimes can activate a whole set of integrated technologies that add to a business security and bottom line.

To learn more about what door chimes do and how you can leverage them to your benefit keep reading.

Door Sensor Chime Breakdown

The principal purpose of a door sensor chime is to alert employees when someone enters a sensor-enabled door. This can be done to give the staff a heads-up that a customer has entered. It can also alert security that a non-public door has been accessed.

The alert doesn’t necessarily have to go to a person, though. Computers connected to the sensor can activate any number of useful security devices.

In all of these cases, the door chime draws the attention of a thinking agent. How this attention gets directed is up to you. So let’s walk through some of the more common uses of entrance alert technology.

Uses

As a simple alert for staff, an entrance alert door chime aids in productivity. This gives smaller groups of employees the ability to cover multiple tasks at once. A clerk doesn’t have to sit and waste time watching a door in case someone comes in. They can stock, tidy, or inventory and listen for the chime.

Customers like to hear audible chimes when they enter because it gives them assurances that they have been noticed. They know they will not have to flag down staff if they have questions or aim to make a transaction.

For non-customer entrances, a sensor chime can aid a business in noticing deliveries. Chimes are especially good for business which take deliveries in multiple locations, such as a dock for coolers and another for dry goods.

Businesses with dedicated reception areas can benefit from door chimes as well. Consider using a chime sensor arranged at the division between the reception area and the back area. This can give bank agents, doctors, or other such professionals an indication of incoming appointments.

Security Alerts

Security concerns are on the rise in many businesses as incidents of violence tick upwards. Take the previous example of a reception to a professional area. Instead of a sensor chime to alert of an incoming appointment, it can be used to alert when unauthorized access has occurred.

A quick alert to security personnel that a non-customer door has been accessed can prompt a glance at the security cameras. More advanced sensor interfaces can even alert automatic cameras to record or take pictures as people pass through the sensor zone.

This gives the business a record of comings and goings and can aid in establishing suspects for police to follow up in case of robbery or worse. Not to mention you get to feel a bit like an amateur spy.

Additional Features

We’ve touched on a few of the different expanded technologies that can add functionality to a chime for business purposes. Here we will explain more about each option. Any of these can be added to a sensor to produce extra results.

Because of the customization options, it is better to plan carefully and get exactly what you need. Don’t pay for features you will not use.

A list of features for sensor chimes:

• Night Vision
• Speakers
• Cameras
• Phone Access
• Fob Verification
• Counters
• Alarms

So you see, a lot of different functions can be incorporated.

Let’s talk more about some of these. Phone or remote computer access can alert you about entries and be activated, or deactivated from afar. This gives you control to check and change settings in the system at will.

Alarms can be silent and/or audible with the output going to your phone or related device. Calls can be placed automatically to a security company or police.

Fob verification makes tracking access to employee areas quick and easy. No cards or code punching needed. The sensor reads the wireless signal from the fob and doesn’t trigger. This type of access is especially important if using a door sensor chime in a reception area/professional area set up.

Counters can be used for security purposes and also collecting data on customers. Reviewing snapshots or video from a camera enables you to glean demographic information. It is also handy to tell how many customers enter per sale.

Types

Now that you have an idea of the many things a chime can do, let’s talk a bit more about how they can be activated. The following types of chimes represent the most common on the market.

• Contact
• Motion
• Infrared

All of these are available at online retailers such as Reliable Chimes.

Contact chimes require an accompanying sensor and work by sending a signal when the contact is broken, such as a door being opened. Contact works best for security purposes. In customer-facing areas, it can lead to false positives to elements like wind.

Motion-based sensors do well for monitoring employee specific areas or secondary access points. They also work well for customer entrances that need to gauge when people are near the door, not just entering or exiting.

Infrared sensors trigger when a beam is interrupted. These have a narrow range and can be missed, depending on placement. Close to the floor can be stepped over and higher up may miss children.

Keep It Interesting

Now you have all the information you need to make an informed decision on which door sensor chime to purchase. The security features can give you confidence that your business is safe.

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