'U.S. brands are losing approximately $41 billion each year due to poor customer service,' this was concluded in a NewVoiceMedia study that was released in 2014. As shocking as that statistic might seem, we've all been on the receiving end of poor customer service, and understand how it impacts the way we view a company. In the ever-connected social media world, people rarely keep their customer service experiences to themselves, thereby compounding the negative effect of poor customer service even more.

While there are many ways to improve customer service, retailers' budgets are tight. So considering using existing loss prevention solutions, such as video monitoring technology could be an economical option to enhance customer service.

Here are three clever ways companies can leverage their physical security investments to reduce losses associated with poor customer service:  

1. Alert Sales Personnel to Customers at Displays
   Adding sensors to high-value display cases, specialty demonstration rooms or specific items in your store can enable automated alerts to store managers or employees. This allows available personnel to 1- know that someone might need their assistance, and 2- be able to quickly respond to a customer, without even being nearby at the time that the alert is received.
2. Extend Monitoring to Customer Service Managers
   With an advanced video management system, retailers are in a position to securely offer video access to departments outside the loss prevention realm. For customer service managers, having video access could help them keep a tighter watch on employee performance or even facilitate ongoing training efforts. Granular user permissions ensure they only have access to cameras and video capabilities related to their job.
3. Integrate Retail Analytics into Existing Video Monitoring Platforms
   An integration between video monitoring systems and retail analytics systems provides valuable in-store data such as people-counting and shopping trends. Real-time store traffic reports can be generated by the Prism system to help store managers determine appropriate staffing requirements for various times of the day/week.

With $41 Billion a year on the line, it's worth looking at other options that retailers rely on to avoid these losses. While there are numerous tactics to improve customer service, considering existing investments in loss prevention technology could help ease the challenges.

This article originally appeared on Genetec.