Ottawa’s Premier Smart Security Service

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The CSI Journal

Introducing the many
facets of Colonnade Security

by Colonnade Security

Meet service and installation technician John Waddell. Hard to believe it’s been eleven years today, moving forward, the future is bright as John answers your call.

It’s tough to put into words John’s importance. The reason I’m featuring him in CSI Journal is to highlight his accomplishments and showcase my appreciation for his daily efforts. Among the team, John has quite the reputation, people who know him and our clients.

Photo by Colonnade Security

What makes him unique is that, first of all, he is my son, and I couldn’t run Colonnade Security Inc. (CSI) without him!

John has worked hard to learn every aspect of this challenging and highly competitive business. Regularly taking courses to ensure his knowledge is current and not out of date. We are constantly learning the new equipment and the many possibilities available to our clients. It’s crazy when you think about it how much technology has changed:

  • From alarm panels to critical components;
  • From security cameras to video surveillance systems;
  • From access control systems to remote access.

 

Systems now are interactive, with apps so that customers can control things from their Smart devices. Cameras, too, the clarity of the video – outstanding, all in 4k, and again you can access your video system right from your Smart device. Even Access Control Systems have changed.

We sell and service the equipment and brands we recommend. DSC, Hik Vision and Kantech.
Nothing, however, is as beneficial as on-site customer installations when working with these products. I am sure he feels confident now in any installation or service issue presented to him in every day situations.

It comes down to character, patience, and the art of listening to a client’s needs. Often a client doesn’t know what they want. They see an advertisement on TV, in an online search, in a flyer, or on social media. The potential client assumes they need that type of alarm system – even if the promoted system offers very basic components that do not meet their needs—mass marketing by Telco Companies that want a piece of your monthly income.

John’s easygoing demeanour helps relax the person, taking the time to meet and understand every potential customer. If they have an issue that needs repairing, as opposed to replacing, or a particular design is required for an installation, he works with the customer to achieve it.

The team at Colonnade Security earned their experience and extensive knowledge over the past 40 years. We even work with other security companies when asked.


“They would not ask for John’s help if he could not do it.”


On many occasions, we have gone out to service customers from other companies to help them with their service and installation issues. One thing is for sure; they continue to call us for his assistance. In these cases we represent the other company, but he treats them all as if they were his customer and makes sure they receive attention to detail.


“Invariably, John goes the extra mile every day. Taking that extra step, the initiative, to make Colonnade Security look good.”

The other day, I had a customer with a smoke detector issue. These things always seem to happen; As someone is making toast, trying to go to sleep, in the middle of the night, or you get the idea. The customer contacted us, and we were able to get the system working again for them over the phone, with a follow-up service call the following day. John was there first thing, bright and early at 8:00 AM, to meet the customer. She was concerned as she wanted her smoke detectors working. He took the time to check out the smoke detectors and did some service work. He then checked all of the other smoke alarms she had and did a system test on each. He understood her concerns and wanted to assure her that all the smoke detectors in her home were working and functioning correctly before leaving. The customer called me later that day to tell me how much she appreciated him. He understood her fear of false alarms and took the time to explain what the issue was and what he had to do to repair it. He also verified her call list while he was there, and as it turned out, it needed to be updated. She was so happy with the detail of service he did for her that she just wanted me to know.

“These types of calls from customers are a weekly thing for us because of John! He loves his job and our customers, and it’s easy to see they appreciate him and his efforts at each call he does.”

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