SimpliSafe’s Hooman Shahidi dishes on new SMB offering

BOSTON — SimpliSafe has launched SimpliSafe Business Security, a new suite of security solutions tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to Chief Product Officer Hooman Shahidi, the expansion was somewhat unexpected. 

“It’s got a little bit of serendipity built in,” he said. “We’ve been very clear and focused on home security for the vast majority of SimpliSafe’s life. In fact, we say in our mission statement, ‘Every home secure,’ and what we found as we’ve dug into our customer and subscriber base is that, despite the fact we’ve been so focused on the home, we have over 100,000 customers who designate themselves as business customers.” 

Understanding the SMB customer case 

SimpliSafe has spent the past six months doing a deep dive to understand what drove those business customers to choose their services and what other services they might also need, Shahidi said. What they found: 70% or so of those business customers often used SimpliSafe in their homes and found that it also served their business security needs very well. The attrition rates for these business customers are abnormally low, Shahidi said, pointing to a loyal customer base. 

Popular features and future innovation 

SimpliSafe also found that its video deterrent offerings, like Active Guard, are popular. These offerings have live agents who are able to converse with clients to cancel false alarms or warn away criminals and trespassers, serving as virtual security guards. Shahidi said he sees continued value and increasing synergy in SimpliSafe’s video offerings, as well as the AI services the company has in development. 

Targeting the right business segment 

Whether it’s the homeowner or business owner, Shahidi said SimpliSafe has a clear view of its target customer. 

“Remember, we’re not going after the 100,000-square-foot business,” he said. “What we’re looking at are businesses that are 5,000 to 7,000 square feet, less than three locations, 10-employees-or-less kinds of businesses. What we find is that the hardware is good, and we’ll continue to build out services for these customers, and we see an opportunity with the value that SimpliSafe provides. 

Home security remains core 

Despite the new business offerings, SimpliSafe remains committed to its original mission, Shahidi said. 

“This is not a pivot for SimpliSafe,” he said. “The home customer is still our bread and butter. We’ve got almost 2 million customers, and well over 100,000 of them are SMBs, so we see this as offering a high value service to customers who have an adjacent need.” 

More information about SimpliSafe Business Security can be found online at SimpliSafe.com.