Atlanta Home Security Systems Atlanta, GA

Alarm company's rapid responses help Atlanta sleep soundly

Alarm Monitoring Service of Atlanta Inc.
Glenn Barham, president
Atlanta
only1295.com

Founded in 1995, Alarm Monitoring Service of Atlanta Inc. earned the Super Service Award in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Barham says the average response time for AMSA is 60 seconds, with many calls being received in the first 30 to 40 seconds.

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By Nick McLain

After 18 years working in the alarm security industry for other companies, owner Glenn Barham started Alarm Monitoring Service of Atlanta Inc. in 1995. At first, it was tough sledding.

"Even with perfect credit and my history in the business, I was repeatedly turned down for loans," he says. "So I sold everything I had of significant value and financed the start-up myself."

From those humble beginnings, AMSA has grown to service more than 8,800 clients. And although his 20-person company charges $12.95 a month, compared to $20 to $30 for many competitors, Barham believes AMSA has a higher lever of service.

"I've tried to keep the company relatively small for that reason," he says. "I've seen companies become so large they lose sight of what got them there, and their customer service suffers as a result."

Member Denise Tognarelli, a first-time homeowner, turned to AMSA in securing her house. An accidental alarm trip showed her the promptness of their service. "I set the alarm off by accident when I transposed the numbers, and within 30 seconds I received a call from their monitoring system asking if I was OK," she says. "That's great service."

Barham believes the Internet and mobile devices have allowed for the most noteworthy advances in the field. "We now can send you incident reports by text or e-mail, and video from a wireless camera inside your home," he says. "If you want to see a picture of your child coming home from school, now you can."

The technological strides in the field have helped increase the safety of his clients, Barham believes. Ensuring their safety is the reason he remains passionate about his line of work. "People are relying on us every day to protect what is most precious to them," he says. "How can you not stay excited about that? I'm more passionate than ever about what I do."

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