Congratulations on having the first certified installers in accordance with the SSF 1112 standard. There were many like me who had no idea that Länsförsäkringar was active in this area. Tell us a bit more.
– Thanks! Älvsborgs Larmcentral has actually been around since 2008 and was created on the initiative of Länsförsäkringar Älvsborg. The operation was intended for customers of Länsförsäkringar and who lived in the catchment area. The intention was, and remains, to work to prevent losses in order to reduce costs which are associated with, for example, a fire.
We started the operation when we had no technicians of our own, but retained subcontractors who installed the alarms which, in turn, were connected to the certified alarm receiving center in Borås. In keeping with the growth of the operation, a decision has been taken centrally to take an overall approach to home alarm systems.
Now you also have your own technicians?
– Yes. What we did at the beginning of 2023 was to form a subsidiary within Länsförsäkringar Älvsborg which took over sales and installation of alarm systems. We grew quickly from one to seven technicians, and two of them are now certified according to the SSF 1112 standard. The other five will be certified in short order.
What is your approach to training – is it internal?
– Everyone has received SSF’s training in the new standard in addition to the internal training we have provided. In certain cases, technicians come from competitors and, in others, from different industries, so training needs can differ slightly.
Christian explains that he also participated in SSF’s training in the standard and was positively surprised.
– I did the training even though I wasn’t going to get certified and normally don’t like digital courses – but this was actually really good. I got a lot of really useful information.
You are not going to get certified, but have you heard anything from someone who has taken the test?
– Yes, and it was clearly not that easy. A number of participants need to read up again and retake the test. This is really good, suggesting that the new standard is really needed.
Christian emphasizes that he hopes that the new standard has a positive effect on the industry as a whole.
– We really want to believe that this will have an effect. If one company leads the way, we hope that others will join which, in turn, can raise confidence in the entire industry. For our part, the use of certified products and installers goes without saying, and it’s in everyone’s interest that the technicians are well-trained and know exactly what they’re doing.
Why did you choose SBSC?
– We have had good experiences with SBSC in the past, so it seemed like an obvious choice. Given the fact that SBSC and SSF work closely together, everything has worked extremely well because the cooperation is really seamless and smooth.
Text: Lisa Heino
