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We live in a fast changing world and we have to change with it or be left behind, non-more so than the inspectorates. With the introduction of UKAS product accreditation, the forming of the Security Industry Authority and the looming threat of licensing, the whole industry has had to re-appraise its position and have a re-think.

It is quite possible that these thoughts were in the minds of the people who organised the changes in the structuring of the NSI in its initial formation from the ISI and NACOSS.

We all occasionally have to stop and re-think our aims and objectives, and perhaps have a re-think about the routes we have to take in the light of current situation, and the NSI is no different. Most companies as they grow have to tread this path and I think it is fair to say that those that don't have just sealed their fate as a going concern.

Sticking rigidly and doggedly to old tried and tested formulae is usually the recipe for stagnation and downfall. The smaller company has much to learn from the larger when it comes to forward thinking and self-appraisal.

Bad reputation gained
Many companies have started well and then just as they were opening the doors to expansion and growth they have fallen down because they have not stopped and re-assessed.

They have failed to see that they were gaining a bad reputation or losing work because they were too busy to attend to the details, or failed to see the new openings.

On the very same morning that this magazine is due to drop through your letterbox, the NSI is preparing to launch their latest change or metamorphosis at IFSEC 2003.

I know that for me it has been fascinating to watch and learn and it has been an eye-opener into the way that larger organisations are set up and how they think. Certainly, many small companies could learn from the way they went about it and put those same ideas to use for themselves.

One of the objects of the merging of NACOSS and ISI was the creation of the one-stop-shop with an inspectorate that could inspect all aspects of the security industry. The idea was to grow and expand the inspection service to wherever it was needed. This is a classic case of taking time out to look where the industry is going and then changing direction to make sure you get there with it ...good advice for all of us.

Since its formation the NSI has added the Fire inspection scheme to its list of services and has many more planned. But this diversity has brought its own problems; there are currently six different coloured logos and badges and, as the NSI boss Tom Mullarkey pointed out, when you put them all together it looks like a rainbow coloured tram smash.

The big problem with multi-identity is that it confuses the public and industry alike, so the answer is to bring all aspects together under one corporate image – but what image? Can you imagine the problems trying to find one good name that suits all – it's a nightmare. It is not a decision to be made without thought or prior information.

Startling result of survey
Any company faced with this problem needs information and opinion, internal and external, so where do you get it? There are many organisations doing market research that are prepared to sell you the results, and of course you ask your staff and customers.

One of the startling things that turned up out of market research is the fact that the word NACOSS had a higher profile in the public eye than any other security organisation – higher than ADT and Chubb, and for an organisation that is not allowed to advertise that is no mean feat.

The logic then is to call everyone NACOSS. But, NACOSS has become synonymous with the installing branch of security and the name means little to the guarding side, so, the idea of a NACOSS guarding company was a non-starter.

It was much the same with ISI, an excellent name. Inspectorate of the Security Industry ... it says it all really, but for the last ten years the ISI has become the best-known name in guarding so the concept of an ISI alarm installer is also out of the question.

So, a name or title was needed, the existing NSI title has the advantage that it is already well known and not specifically attached to any one sector of the industry. Nevertheless the door was thrown open to suggestions from all quarters.

The suggestions were many and varied but none were actually better than the existing, so NSI had to stay.

The point to bear in mind is that all avenues were considered and many people consulted before the logical answer surfaced, and that is what you need to do faced with a similar problem. Another surprising thing that came out of market research was that the NACOSS owl logo had a public profile of its own.

It was seen as "the wise old owl" on the one hand but yet seen as having claws and the ability to scare off pests on the other.

Who actually designed it is lost in the mists of time but one thing is certain – big business pays millions to come up with something as good and appropriate as that. (It is reputed that British Telecom paid in the region of £30million for the consultancy that led to the flying trumpeter logo that appeared on all their vans, and, I understand that the figure was considered to be "normal" for that sort of thing.)

To this day I cannot see the connection between the flying trumpeter and a telephone – unless you think in slang where the expression "I'll get on the trumpet and order one" as used by Regan and Carter of the Sweeney!

No, the NACOSS owl is seen as watchful, nocturnal and scaring off the unwanted, and the NSI already owned it. So the owl stays, but can the actual drawing be improved upon?

Once again many new drawings were tried, real owls, symbolic owls, owls on the wing, owls from every angle except looking up the exhaust!

A good logo is worth its weight in gold ... you need something that is simple but effective

Watchful owl
The NSI staff have seen more owls than Harry Potter, but not one could match the original, it is simplistic, looks wise and watchful yet is fiercely authoritive.

You only have to look at bell boxes on the street corner to see how to get it wrong ... everyone thinks they can design their own and many look amateurish. Have a look for yourself:

How many are written from top to bottom? – Hard to read.

How many companies just use their initials? – Odd letters that mean nothing to the public.

How many can you spot that were designed with a felt tip pen on the top of the office desk? – You know the ones ... they have lots of small print that cannot be read from the bottom of the ladder.

A good logo is worth its weight in gold to the public image of your company. You need a company name that is simple and effective, a name that means something to the public, and it has to be presented in the most effective way. What you have to remember is that the public instinctively know what appeals and what doesn't but they don't always know why.

So far the NSI had the name and the logo – but there are now a whole new raft of smaller non-ISO 9000 installers in the ICON scheme, these companies are looking for recognition up to the level of their capabilities, and they have seen the benefits of being part of the NSI team.

The NSI has to find a way of distinguishing between the larger QA and the smaller non-QA companies yet they have to be seen as part of the team.

Making it easy for the public
It is just a matter of finding a suitable grading scheme that is meaningful to the company and obviously logical to the police and the insurers. The customer must be able to find the right company easily and quickly without hassle, and without having to get their heads round half a dozen different names.

Once again skilled brains were put to use: A constructive grading scheme had to be found that was simple for the buyer and specifier, and yet created a loyalty and a desire to be part of the team. The loyalty, in particular, is of prime importance, the NSI needs to attract companies that are pleased and proud of being even a small part of the team.

Installers have the same problem; they need a logo or a public image that encourages the customer to be proud of their association with them. Believe you me – that is a tall order.

The NSI has two grades of installer, larger QA companies and smaller non-QA companies.

The ISI side has three grades of guarding company: QA, non-QA and a third level of newcomers who are given two years to get their act together, (a very knotty problem when you are dealing with large bodies of men coming and going at all hours of the day and night).

The answer then has to be a three level grading scheme where a company can step on board as a very small company and by hard work and achievement can climb the ladder to the top and become a big national.

The harder you have to work to achieve something the more proud you are of it, and it shows.

I have seen companies that on a first inspection have had very little idea of what is expected, they have shaken their heads in wonder at the things that have to be done to gain recognition. Some have thrown up their hands and walked away from it, unable to comprehend the complexities of running a successful company.

Others have rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into some hard graft.

The companies that get going then begin to build a good sound business and they become fiercely proud of what they have achieved. That pride shows in their now more confident approach to customers and they start to win more jobs.

They now have the confidence to put their prices up and find that they are still winning more jobs, they have finally heaved themselves out of the cheapo market and it shows ... better vehicles, better tools and equipment and more cash in the pocket.

No one wants to go back
When meeting these companies again some years later I have asked the question: "Would you go back to the old days with no management structure and no organisation" and the answer is always a resounding NO.

The new NSI structure then is based on achievement; any company that can prove its worth will be rewarded but how – I cannot say. The privilege of showing you the prize goes to Tom Mullarkey who will reveal it to the public on May 19th at the IFSEC dinner.

The installer in the smaller company can learn a lot from the process I have witnessed. It was an eye-opener to me to see how things are done, how targets are set and how they are achieved, and above all how to get your company to look and be professional.