Name, title, and number of years at Aiphone?
My name is Joy Sweet and I’m the Senior Manager of our Technical and Customer Service Departments. I have been with the company for 33 years.
How would you describe a typical day on the job?
I oversee technical support, customer service, production, and repair, so I am checking in with my teams on a regular basis. This could be putting out fires first thing in the morning or checking backorder status for anything unusual that may need my attention. I communicate regularly with the managers of each area I represent, and if they need my help, they are never shy asking for it! I have a broad view across the company, so I am always looking to see “who needs to know what” and communicate important information to various groups. Most everything I do is product-related, so dealing with new products coming online or legacy products nearing end-of-life, or even supporting long-discontinued products. We look for solutions for customers that use our products and make sure they have what they need to be successful.
How did you come to work in the physical security industry?
Funny story how I started! I was unemployed for a short time and had three job offers for outside sales on the table, none of which I was all that excited about. I told them I would get back to them on Monday. On that Friday night I went ice skating with a group of friends and broke my ankle! On that following Monday morning, I got a call out of the blue from Aiphone, where I had applied a couple of months prior, but hadn’t heard a word. Since I now had a broken leg and couldn’t drive, I had to turn down the other three job offers. I told Aiphone that I would love to interview but I had a broken leg. They said, “No problem, we have an entrance in the back with no stairs.” I took the job with Aiphone a few weeks later and here I am today, 33 years later!
Aiphone was more in the sound business back in those days. In 1989 we came out with the first two-wire video entry system, which was revolutionary at the time. That meant any home or business could take out their standard doorbell and replace it with a video intercom system. That system, the MY Series, is what really propelled us into the security market. We’ve grown in our capabilities by leaps and bounds since then, and now we are a staple in the security industry.
How has the industry changed over the years?
Another funny story – I started travelling for Aiphone in the very early years of my career. All throughout the 90s, I travelled across the US, attending every major trade show and conducting almost all of the product training seminars and meetings. I remember being one of only a very few women, most noticeable when going into the restrooms at the large convention centers. I remember being in there all alone for many years, in these giant restrooms. As the years went on, more and more women started attending those shows, and I was no longer alone.
In physical security, network-based products have revolutionized the industry. We used to be limited to low voltage, hard-wired systems that had small capacities and small distance capabilities. CCTV cameras used to be wired with coaxial cable and had very poor video quality. The only “affordable” video security systems were in black and white. When color first came out, the cameras were very expensive. Video recorders used VHS tapes and could not hold much information.
Now with technology improvements, color cameras are the norm, storage, distance, and capacity are no longer issues for our product line. We can have a door station in New York calling a location in Los Angeles and have video and audio in real-time. That was unimaginable in my early career in the industry – the sky is the limit now!
Technology has grown by leaps and bounds – what are some of the major differences from when you first started at Aiphone?
Speaking about what it’s like to work at Aiphone now versus in the late 80s when I started…I had a typewriter on my desk on day one. We used to type envelopes and mail information to customers. Then the fax machine came around and that was a game-changer. We used to have a phrase, “a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” We were able to fax instructions or information to customers so they could get it right away instead of waiting to receive it in the mail. Then when email came around – that is when the revolution really started. We are able to communicate immediately, and hardly ever use “snail mail” or faxes anymore.
We also used to have customers call our toll line for technical support. This goes back when it was pretty expensive to call long distance and we were not going to foot that bill. Once the cost of calling went way down and we got an 800 number, then the barriers for customers to contact us went away. Even in recent years as everyone has a cell phone and minutes are not an issue anymore, we get a lot more calls and people don’t care how long they have to wait for information. (Well, they care … but you know what I mean.)
On the downside, I don’t think people plan ahead as much now as they used to. People just go to a jobsite and think, “Well if I need help, I’ll just call technical support.” Back in the day, they planned ahead better and prepared for the job they were about to do, since they knew they were on their own once they got to the job site.
What are some of the barriers to entry you see for women in the industry? How can the industry work to create more opportunities for women/raise awareness?
I really don’t see much of a barrier anymore. Granted, I don’t travel like I used to, but I see women in the industry on LinkedIn, talk to them on the phone, and see many more women thriving in the security industry. I don’t feel the gender bias that I used to feel in the early days. I used to get mistaken for the receptionist when I was a technical support rep, or even the technical support manager. I would quickly prove to the caller that I know what I am talking about, and there was never an issue after that. I’ve been here so long that I have a reputation and a following from years in the business and don’t experience any bias at all. As a matter of fact, customers are usually thrilled to be able to catch me on the phone or email answering their questions.
The industry could create more awareness about the opportunities in the security industry by highlighting successful careers of those of us that have blazed a trail. I worked a job in high school that only boys got to do, but I wanted to follow in my brother’s footsteps, so I worked for it and earned it. Security is a natural field for women since we are typically the “mama bear” types that want safe schools, safe workplaces, and safe homes. Selling security systems just goes hand-in-hand with that goal of securing the people you love and protecting property. The two fit together very well in my mind.
What is your favorite part/most rewarding aspect about your current role in the security industry?
Honestly, the thing I love most is providing opportunities for others to gain careers in this industry. I do a lot of hiring in my position, as we grow and expand our company. I am most proud of the people I work with that have been here 10, 15, 20 years and beyond, and have made Aiphone a career for themselves.
There are other people in the industry that originally worked at Aiphone but have left us to pursue interests in this industry and have grown in their careers. I can think of a few of them that wouldn’t have gotten to the position they are in now if they hadn’t had that foundation at Aiphone early in their career.
As I work toward retirement in the next five years or so, I look forward to continuing to mentor people and help them grow in areas that they are most interested and skilled in. I have people that started with zero experience in our industry, and now they are technical engineers, data analysts, web developers and programmers, managers, you name it. They have worked their way up, found a need, and found a way to fill that need. That’s what I am most proud of – to be giving opportunities, challenging people to grow, and letting their interests lead them in ways that benefit the company and give them great job satisfaction.
