It takes a different mindset to work with subcontractors. The first thing you need is a clear scope of work.

Subcontract labor is a vital component to the industry that allows integrators to expand and contract based upon their work load. Here are three things to remember when hiring your next sub.

December 18, 2015 By Tim Albright

During my time as director of operations at Innovad I was able to see a different view of the AV industry, that of a subcontractor. We provided programming services to integrators for a variety of projects.

Since leaving there I have had several conversations with others in similar businesses about the viability of such a company. The question I am often asked is, “Does the AV industry have a need for subcontract labor and programming?”

As a technology manager I wasn’t really aware of this aspect of the industry. We really didn’t use subs. We either would bid out the entire job and the integrator would do it or we would design, install and program the jobs ourselves, getting the components from local integrators. Crestron’s CAIP and AMX’s VIP program were there and I knew some of these folks, but we didn’t really interact with them.

It wasn’t until I stepped into the world of integration that the role of the sub came full front.

A subcontractor is a component, a tool. They are a piece of your operations just like the boxes you sell. That is not to diminish what they do, it is to recognize that from a business standpoint they give you a product and service for a set price. You will then take that price and markup a bit and pass along that price to your clients.

Related: 4 Contracting Lessons from My Home Addition

It takes a different mindset to be a sub. You are not selling to end users, you are selling to other AV professionals. These are people who know as much, or more, than you do about the industry, the technology, and the systems. You go into a relationship with task of satisfying two sets of people; the end user and the integrator. This is sometimes easier said than done.

There are a few things to remember to keep you and your projects working successfully.

1. A clear scope of work. This may seem simplistic but you would be surprised how many subcontractors enter into a job without a clear idea of what success looks like.
2. Constantly updated drawings. This matters whether you are programming or installing the equipment. Things change. They always do. If you are not kept up to date on the latest revision success will not be achievable.
3. An agreed upon pay schedule. This is up to you and your business model. We would typically ask for 40 percent down and the rest at completion, but these can be negotiated.

To answer the question, yes, subcontract labor and programming are important to the industry. They are a vital component that allows integrators to expand and contract based upon their work load. What would you do if you suddenly landed the biggest job of your company’s lifetime? Hire ten more programmers or techs? Good luck with that.

Call a sub, have a conversation. Get a quote. If you don’t like the quote, get another from a different sub. They are in business to help you be successful and create the best exceptional experience AV has to offer.

It’s 5:30 p.m. and the executive assistant to the VP of sales is getting ready to head home. He checks tomorrow’s calendar and notices an early-morning video conference call. Trying to be proactive, he heads into the meeting room and runs a quick test only to find out that the conferencing system isn’t functioning properly. Uh-oh!

He knows it’s late in the day, but he hustles to his desk, picks up the phone, and calls the AV service provider. He gets voicemail. Darn! He knows this isn’t good; tomorrow morning’s meeting is going to come fast, and he has no idea how to reach someone for help. Will someone respond to an email after hours? Perhaps a tweet for help can take place? Is there an emergency pager or number he can call for help?

We’re seeing new levels of customer experiences being sought out—and they’re being met by some brave companies. More than 67% of people expect same-day response to a digital complaint, companies are seeing the importance of and the value in finding new ways for customers to connect.

Business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. simply aren’t good enough. We need to provide more “lanes,” and more ways for customers to reach us—and then we need to listen and respond.

More hours and more responsiveness costs money, but the savings in time may be far outweighed by customer attrition. Here are a few things I recommend if you want to offer a better customer experience without breaking the bank.

1. Open new lanes of communication and listen. Your customers are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp and many other social and consumer sites. Having a social presence not only makes you look good, but also makes you up-to-date; however, merely having a presence isn’t enough.

You need to be sure to listen and respond. People may be more despondent about a company that has a social presence and doesn’t respond than a company that doesn’t have a presence at all.

2. Have tech support on call 24/7. Manning a help desk may not be possible, but having a short response method of returning emergency calls is something that can be done and doesn’t have to break the bank. There is a good chance that a fix may be simple: A reset or a control system reroute may do the trick. But if there is no one to call and no help to be had, then the issue won’t be resolved and the customer will be putting a black mark next to your name.

3. Think on demand. Some simple fixes, as well as tips and tricks for using systems, can easily be captured and recorded, and then placed on YouTube. This costs almost nothing, but a handful of these videos may give clients ideas for fixing the problem themselves.

If the video conferencing system isn’t firing up, for example, are there two or three things the client can try on their own first to get things working? Demonstration videos like these may save the day, and they take only a few minutes to create and upload.

4. Build a response strategy and empower your team. Once you have these “lanes” set up and are listening, you need to have a response plan. What will you do when someone reaches out on Twitter at 8 p.m.? Just like with on-call technical support, there are methods for on-demand and overnight support of social and digital accounts.

Even if the person responding can only guide them to FAQs or escalate them to the on-call technician, a quick response will go a long way toward earning a vote of confidence from the customer.

Lousy service and slow response times simply won’t cut the mustard. There are many ways for clients to reach customers; when they have an emergency (even at their own fault), the integrators that have the best systems in place to keep customers up and running are going to be the ones that keep their customers and earn that coveted word-of-mouth.

By Stuart Bryan

“You’re dead to me.” This is the signature snub Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary spouts when an entrepreneur turns down his offer. But just as the unfortunate few who hear that phrase stick to their guns and walk away, so must you also.

Not every customer is a good one. The customer really isn’t always right, and it might be time to let some of your existing customers follow through on their threats to leave.

Here are my remaining three tips to help you through the transition. If you missed the first three, click here to read Part 1.

1. Build the business that you want to own.

Fix what’s wrong. You don’t want to scale the wrong model. It gets tougher to turn a larger ship.

I heard on a Robin Robins CD a while back that if you are lying in bed thinking about someone, whether client or employee, and you’re not in a relationship with them, you should fire them. Trust me, you’ll sleep better.

Bad clients can be those who don’t pay their bills on time, pester your tech staff for insignificant problems constantly, skip QBRs, constantly price shop you and so on.

However, some of these can be easily fixed by:

• Moving to auto-payment methods like CC or ACH. Prepayment for hardware, etc.
• Leveraging an RMM with auto-remediation and client training for those level-one problems.
• Add value to your QBRs with budgeting, lifecycle management and business discussions about relevant issues in their industry segment. Get to know their business really well.

2. Let bad clients fire you.

What? No, I’m serious. Sometimes we hang on to bad relationships. They know it’s bad and so do you, but no one wants to admit it. If I had to guess (and speaking from personal experience), I would say that they probably don’t regularly attend business reviews—either through your lack of diligence in scheduling them or in bringing value to them.

But don’t speculate. If you can, try to arrange an exit interview to learn if, where, and why you failed to meet and exceed their expectations. If you screwed up, admit it. If possible, make it right. And either way, don’t do it again.

3. Take the relationship beyond vendor/client.

You can learn from each other and grow together. A partnership dedicated to mutual success will build quality lasting business relationships, and you’ll be amazed at the referrals that come in.

If you can save a failing relationship, you may learn a lot, and come out better and stronger and with a better relationship. And remember, they’re called growing pains for a reason. Above all, communicate, communicate, communicate.

By Stuart Bryan

“You’re fired!” A phrase made famous by Donald Trump on the popular TV show The Apprentice, but also one of the more difficult tasks that a business owner has to perform.

One of the popular mantras of today’s business world is effective company culture. How to build that perfect environment that allows all of your employees to work in a nirvana-like state of satisfaction is a question that many business owners wrestle with.

But have you ever asked that question with the perspective turned outward towards your customers?

As my partner and I have been growing our business over the last 11 years, there have been times, especially in the beginning, where we would take on clients who would turn into time-sucking vortexes of frustration. They would bring stress into the office whether in the service department, sales department or accounting department. Wherever it was, it was a chronic problem.

So, how does one deal with this today and avoid it in the future? Here are three methods that worked for us:

1. Have a clear vision and direction for your company and communicate that to your staff, clients and potential clients.

This needs to be on everyone’s mind; your staff’s as they serve your client base, and your clients’ minds as they measure your service against your vision and goals. When staff is servicing your clients’ needs, they need to have the right perspective and be able to effectively communicate that to the client when setting expectations.

When you ask clients for referrals, explain that they should look, feel, and smell just like them. Part of that is knowing why they are a good fit with your company and vice versa. Sales staff needs to know what makes someone a good fit, target those companies, and then further screen them during the sales process. Not every business will be a good fit for your solution, which leads us to our next point.

2. Confirm clients share your direction.

We’re a forward-thinking, growing business; that’s one of the key things we look for when interviewing prospects. It helps to have a certain synergy with management and ownership, so they can easily grasp your perspective.

Their values should also line up with yours. It makes those quarterly business reviews that much more productive as well as more likely to be attended.

However, some existing customers won’t share your vision or be interested in shifting toward it. Although it’s hard, you need to stick to your guns on this one.

3. Be willing and able to fire clients.

Be decisive. Give clients no more chances to course-correct and change behavior than you would an employee.

Have you ever waited too long to fire a member of your staff who poisoned your work environment? I have, and the comments that I received from other staff members were ones of relief, but also questions as to why it took so long.

It’s the best move for them and you. No one wants animosity or frustration to build up in a relationship whether personal or in business. It affects the quality of service as well as the work environment. And let’s be honest, the client can tell.