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“The stress level has gone from about 80 to 20… world of difference.”
About the Business
Gregory Bacciano is a Brooklyn-born security professional with 20 years of experience, starting in nightclubs before moving into more complex environments like retail, residential, and construction security.
Today, Gregory runs a growing security operation with a leadership team of five (including a co-owner and supervisors) overseeing a field team of around twenty guards deployed across the five boroughs of New York City.
Their client base spans multiple segments:
- construction companies and general contractors
- property managers
- large retail brands and chains
The Challenge
Security is a business where the phone is never “just the phone.” It’s sales, staffing, operations, and emergencies—often all at once.
Gregory’s day begins with structure: a morning Zoom to assign responsibilities, confirm coverage, and ensure operations run correctly across multiple sites.
But before Beside, inbound calls didn’t fit neatly into that plan. They tore through it.
“Handling the call was hectic, to say the least.”
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Too many calls, too many contexts
Gregory estimates the volume at 500 calls a week—and not all of them are revenue.
A large share of calls are job seekers. Others are actual prospects asking for security coverage, plus people shopping around for training or information.
So the phone becomes a constant filtering problem: what matters now, what can wait, and what is spam.
Personal numbers, fragmented tools, and lost business
Before Beside, incoming calls often went directly to Gregory’s personal phone. He tried different workarounds—using Google Voice, alternate numbers, and temporary fixes—to keep his main line from becoming overwhelming. None of them truly solved the problem.
When he wasn’t able to answer, the consequences were immediate. Missed calls frequently turned into lost deals, especially in a highly competitive category where prospects rarely wait. If someone doesn’t reach you quickly, they simply move on to the next security company.
“I’ve lost plenty of business because I wasn’t able to get to the call… you move on to the next person.”
The Switch
Gregory didn’t come across Beside by chance. He was actively searching for an AI-powered virtual assistant phone system and carefully comparing different options on the market.
The decision wasn’t just about price—it was driven by necessity. Missed calls were costing him real business and even impacting staffing, making it clear that something had to change. Many competing solutions either felt too expensive or not reliable enough to trust with inbound calls.
“I had to do something different because I was losing too much business—and employees—because I’m not getting to the call.”
The Transformation and Impact
The first “aha” moment happened in a high-stakes situation: Gregory was in the middle of closing a deal and couldn’t pick up an incoming call.
Beside answered, captured the details, and produced notes Gregory could act on immediately—turning what would have been a missed opportunity into a retained client.
“It got all the information I needed. I was able to go through the notes, call that person back, and pinpoint what they needed—and we’ve been with them since.”
That story reveals the real value: Beside doesn’t just “answer.” It preserves momentum.
A receptionist layer for the whole team
Gregory describes Beside as a receptionist team that supports the entire business, not just a single individual. Instead of handling calls in a fragmented, reactive way, the team now operates with structure and clarity.
Call summaries make the difference. Rather than juggling information across multiple places, Gregory can review what happened, prioritize follow-ups, and plan the next day with intention. The workflow becomes targeted and organized instead of scattered.
“The summary gives me a targeted approach. I’m setting up my next day based off of it.”
Spam control without losing real calls
The team still answers the phone when needed, but they increasingly rely on Beside to handle unknown numbers—especially as spam calls continue to rise—ensuring their attention stays focused on real opportunities.
How a week feels now
A security company’s phone isn’t one stream. It’s three:
- Employment inquiries
- Client requests for coverage
- Training/info shoppers
Beside helps Gregory and his team separate those streams without constantly breaking focus.
Instead of interrupting every meeting, Beside captures what matters and makes it reviewable—like an operational inbox.
Before, Gregory had to delegate mid-afternoon team meetings so he could run around answering calls. Now he can stay in the meeting and still keep the business responsive.
“Before, I would have to leave someone else in charge because I was running to answer the phone. Now, I can conduct the meeting, and it gives me all the information I need to follow up.”
What this changed
Since adopting Beside, Gregory loses far less business when he can’t answer instantly—prospects no longer bounce the moment a call goes unanswered. That shift alone has translated into more repeat customers, including three new repeat clients since he started using the app. The impact on stress is immediate as well; the difference, as he describes it, is “80 to 20.”
With every call summarized, follow-ups are no longer reactive or scattered. Gregory can plan next steps more deliberately, focusing only on conversations that matter. Spam and unknown numbers are handled automatically, without pulling a human into unnecessary interruptions. Altogether, the result is meaningful time back each day—roughly three hours returned to his workday—along with a calmer, more controlled operation.
“It’s giving me back about three hours of my life during the workday. The stress level has gone from about eighty to twenty.”
Working on the Business, and Being Present at Home
There’s a second impact Gregory emphasized: life outside the business.
He runs a home-based operation and has young children. The constant need to answer the phone used to drag him into “breakneck speed” mode. With Beside handling intake and summaries, he can be present when it matters.
“I can now be present with my young children — that means something when you have young kids.”
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This is the hidden benefit—not just improved operational efficiency, but the ability to breathe again and operate with a sense of calm and control.
How Gregory Personalized Beside for a Security Workflow
Gregory’s use case is different from a small shop. It’s multi-site, multi-operator, high volume—so he leans on features that make the system feel seamless:
- Company-wide receptionist coverage — so multiple leaders can rely on one intake layer
- Call summaries for next-day planning — structured review at end of day
- Spam handling for unknown numbers — reduce wasted time
- Calendar + email workflow — Gregory emphasized the value of appointments landing in his calendar and syncing with email
“It adds every appointment to my calendar… it works with my email… I couldn’t ask anything better.”
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In terms of perception, the AI greeting strengthened credibility, making the business feel more professional and adding a greater sense of legitimacy.
At a Glance
- Business: GAB Security LLC
- Location: Brooklyn, New York (operations across all five boroughs)
- Team: Leadership team of 5; supervising approximately 20 field guards
- Inbound volume: Around 500 calls per week
- Before Beside: Fragmented phone numbers and missed calls leading to lost deals
- Impact: Stress reduced (80 → 20), roughly 3 hours saved per day, three repeat customers gained, and more targeted follow-ups