Business model of Allied Universal

Customer Segments

Allied Universal provides security and facilities services to private companies, government bodies, and other institutions. The company has more than 30,000 clients across North America. According to its website, the company serves customers in the following industries:

• Chemical/Petrochemical/Utilities – comprising owners and operators of various industrial facilities, chemical plants, and utilities infrastructure sites;
• Commercial Real Estate – comprising owners and operators of commercial real estate development and projects;
• Defense and Aerospace – comprising government bodies and private companies engaged in defense and aerospace projects;
• Financial Institutions – comprising banking groups and other financial service providers;
• Government Institutions – comprising government bodies and public enterprises;
• Aviation – comprising aviation companies, airports, airfields, and other organizations active in the aviation business;
• Ports – comprising port operators and port facilities;
• Healthcare – comprising operators of public and private medical facilities, including hospitals, clinics, medical research facilities, and biopharmaceutical testing facilities;
• Higher Education – comprising universities and colleges;
• Manufacturing and Industrial – comprising the owners and operators of factories and other industrial or construction sites;
• Public Transportation – comprising public transport operators, stations, and mass transit systems;
• Residential – comprising owners of residential property; and
• Retail – comprising various retail outlets and stores.

Allied Universal’s core market is North America. The company does not appear to serves customers outside of this region.

Value Propositions

Allied Universal provides value to its clients in the following ways:

• Experienced and Well-Trained Personnel – Allied Universal employs highly-trained staff across all of its divisions, notably employing former service members as part of its security team, ensuring that its staff are prepared for a variety of circumstances and jobs;
• National Reach and Local Presence – Allied Universal has a presence across all 50 US states – as well as US territories Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – as well as in Canada, ensuring that the company can provide customers with services locally, quickly and efficiently;
• Broad Portfolio of Services – Allied Universal provides a full range of facilities and securities services – including janitorial, staffing, and security services – streamlining the outsourcing process for its clients and increasing efficiency and communication between departments; and
• Name Recognition and Reputation – Allied Universal is the largest security services provider in North America, commanding a positive reputation within the market for providing reliable and efficient solutions.

Channels

Allied Universal primarily provides its services to customers through its network of offices, its sales and relationship management employees dealing directly with the relevant personnel at its client companies and organizations.  Allied Universal operates network of 162 offices across the US and its territories – including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – as well as a further six offices across Canada. Allied Universal employs specialist security, maintenance, and facilities management personnel who work closely with clients, providing services on-site and on a regular basis.

Customer Relationships

Allied Universal does not provide services on a self-service basis. The nature of the company’s solutions requires that its sales and relationship management employees works closely with clients to ensure that the individual needs and requirements of each customer are met.  In this way, and through the provision of reliable and efficient services, Allied Universal seeks to establish longstanding relationships with its clients.

In the provision of its security services, Allied Universal employees are required to be present at institutions and facilities belonging to customers, coordinating closely with client staff members on a daily basis. Client relationships are also managed through the company’s network of offices by a team of dedicated client management personnel.

Allied Universal operates a website at www.aus.com, through which customers are able to access information regarding the company’s services, products, and locations on a self-service basis. The company also provides contact details for its various departments, including separate phone numbers for its security, staffing, and complementary services, enabling existing and potential clients to reach the relevant members of staff easily.

Allied Universal is also able to communicate information to its clients through its social media accounts – including with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter – and publishes company updates through its website’s blog and news sections.

Key Activities

Allied Universal is a security and facilities management company. Its principal focus is the provision of security services, including the design, installation, and maintenance of security systems. It also provides other maintenance services, staffing services, and janitorial services. The company operates exclusively in North America, principally the US, as well as in Canada.

Key Partners

Allied Universal works closely with a range of partner companies and organizations to ensure that its provides its clients with effective and efficient services. Its partners include:

• Supplier and Vendor Partners, comprising providers of equipment and services that ensure that the company’s is able to provide high-quality solutions to its clients;
• Technology Partners, including designers and manufacturers of security devices and technologies – notably including cutting edge security systems – as well as robotics companies, that help to differentiate the company’s solutions from those of its competitors; and
• Strategic Partners, including a range of organizations and companies with which the company works of various community, marketing, and business development projects across the US.

Allied Universal has launched a number of partnerships in recent years. This notably includes a 2017 partnership with On the Move Systems, a subsidiary of Robotic Assistance Devices, with which it is developing robotic security solutions, as well as 2017 partnerships with several community-based organizations to develop career opportunities and support local initiatives.

Key Resources

Allied Universal’s key resources are its personnel, its technologies, its equipment and devices, its personnel, its IT and communications infrastructure, and its partnerships. The company’s reputation is dependant in particular on the quality of the security solutions provided by its dedicated security personnel, making the reliability of these employees key to the company’s business.

Allied Universal also relies on the reach provided by its office network to ensure its ability to service a broad range of clients. The company owns and or leases more than 160 offices across North America.

Cost Structure

Allied Universal incurs costs through the payment of salaries and benefits to its personnel, the acquisition of equipment and technologies, the procurement of services, and the payment of property and general utility costs – including water and electricity. The company also incurs costs through the management of its partnerships and the maintenance of its IT and communications systems.

Revenue Streams

Allied Universal generates revenue through the provision of security and facilities services. Its core security solutions account for the bulk of its revenue. The company agrees individual service contracts with its clients depending on the nature, extent, and timeframe of the services provided. Clients pay the company directly.