The Verkada Agent Talk Down feature is a capability offered with Verkada Alarms that allows remote monitoring agents to perform live Talk Down through the BZ11 Horn Speaker when an alarm is raised.
How this feature works
The Agent Talk Down feature gives the agent the ability to talk down through the BZ11 horn speaker configured at your site in an attempt to deter intruders after raising an alarm and before initiating dispatch.
Example flow
Here's an example flow to understand how Agent Talk Down would typically proceed when it is enabled and configured properly:
A Video Verification event is triggered from a camera at your Verkada Alarm site.
The agent raises an alarm based on the provided video.
Once an alarm is raised, the agent gains live access to Emergency Dispatch Context Cameras (via the Alarm Responses setting) and the camera that triggered the verification.
If one (or more) of the cameras received by the agent have an associated BZ11 speaker, the agent talk downs to deter the intruder.
After a reasonable talk down attempt, the agent calls through the contact list, describes the results, and requests the next steps from the contact.
If an agent is unable to reach the contact list, they call dispatch and describe the result.
Key points to consider
The agent talks down between the steps when the agent raises an alarm based on the provided video and before initiating dispatch.
The agent is only able to talk down through cameras that were sent as emergency context cameras (and nearby cameras in case of panics/duress code entry).
The agent receives the ability to access the camera, and consequently talks down after an alarm is raised.
At least 1 of the cameras (received by the agent as an emergency dispatch context camera) must have a speaker associated with it. This is how the agent attempts to talk down.
The agent attempts to use the best possible camera to talk down through and can change cameras as the intruder moves through your site. However, we recommend that you use caution before sending too many emergency dispatch cameras to the agent, as that could hamper the agent's ability to attempt to talk down efficiently.
The agent initiates a dispatch, regardless of the outcome of talk down.
During the call, the agent describes the result and requests next steps from the customer.
At this point, you can choose to contact dispatch, resolve alarm, or disarm your site for up to 12 hours.
Exceptions to the example flow
Situation 1
If an alarm is raised due to a panic signal (from the panic button, console panic, and/or web panic), and the Agent Talk Down feature is enabled with Immediate Dispatch on Panic, the agent still calls dispatch directly before initiating Talk Down. The agent still attempts to perform Talk Down in this scenario and the rest of the flow proceeds, as noted previously.
Situation 2
If an alarm is raised due to a silent panic signal (from the silent panic button, console duress code entry, or agent duress signal), and the Agent Talk Down feature is enabled with Immediate Dispatch on Panic, the agent does not perform Talk Down. A silent panic overrides all settings for Agent Talk Down for your site and the agent directly calls dispatch while no alarm output triggers at your site.
What does the agent say?
The Talk Down script contains:
Description of person (within reason)
Description of activity (within reason)
Description of agent action if person does not cease described activity
Agents also give a reasonable amount of time for intruders to cease activity before calling through the contact list. A sample script may look like this:
Person with dark clothing and covering face with a mask attempting to peek inside building, you are on monitored private property. Cease all activity immediately otherwise police will be dispatched.
The agent may repeat the script until it is reasonably clear that the person has either left the property entirely or refuses to leave the property
Enable Agent Talk Down for your site
Failure to complete any of the below requirements may mean that Agent Talk Down is not properly configured for your site and subsequently can not work as expected. Learn more about how to Set Up the BZ11 Horn Speaker.
Required. To enable Agent Talk Down for your site, you must:
Have an active alarms license for the physical location that your site is in.
Have a BZ11 Horn Speaker with an active hardware license configured for your site.
Have paired the BZ11 Horn Speaker with cameras at your alarm site.
Set up the paired camera(s) as triggers for our video verification service or send paired cameras as emergency dispatch context cameras for your site.
Enable the Agent Talk Down toggle in your site settings.
Related resources
Need more help? Contact Verkada Support