So, I need to upgrade my ride and decided that I need a 4WD, Crew Cab Dually, 1-Ton pickup with Leather interior and a towing package.  Budget is $10K.

ROTFLOL.

Where did you get that dollar figure from?  40 years ago?  Someone is stuck in a time warp.  Audiovisual projects are often approached the same way – starting with an often unrealistic dollar figure.

I know someone familiar with a new House of Worship project with suggested donation amounts for some of the furniture and fixtures.  Big donation amounts.  This person asked me to guess what they budgeted for AV.  Because of how they phrased the question, I guessed a ridiculously low number.  “$20K”, I said.  Nope.  It was $15K.  Including installation.  I guess that’ll be a TV, a couple of hardwired mics and two powered loudspeakers.  At least they’ll be decent powered loudspeakers, I guess.

I had another recent request for a digital mixer with 24 mic inputs for “around $1000”.

All three of these scenarios have unrealistic expectations but only the first one is made up.

Here’s another real scenario with a different twist: “Will need a relatively quick turn-around – they are looking to move in within the next few weeks.”  Oh, and the drywall is going up in the next couple of weeks.  But it’s okay as I’m told the GC is putting in some access holes.  </sarcasm>

For this job, there’s no design, no Functional Scope, no Bill of Materials.  Nothing.  They’re not even sure what they’re trying to do yet.  The expectations here are also unrealistic as you won’t even be able to get all the equipment “within in the next few weeks” even if you ordered today.  And will any of those supposed access holes even be useful?  We have all been through this before.

I’m sure the furniture was picked out and ordered a long time ago – including any custom furniture.  Someone planned and ordered the phone system.  The Telecommunications Room was on the architectural floor plans from the beginning.  The fire alarm system certainly wasn’t a last-minute consideration.  “We move in in four weeks.  We probably need to get a quote on the fire alarm system we need.”  That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it.?

Why is it then, that audiovisual is still clamoring to get recognition and a seat at the Big Kids’ Table?

Two things, in my opinion:

1. I think we can only blame ourselves for the lack of perceived value that we bring to a project.  We’ve given away designs, worked nights, weekends, 2-3 days without sleep, fixed stuff that wasn’t our responsibility and given away time and equipment just to meet a deadline or make a client happy.  What other normal business does that to themselves?
   
2. I’ve been around this industry for getting close to four decades and I think we’re great at promoting ourselves to ourselves but hardly anyone outside of our little AV Club knows we even exist.  For most of us, we have trouble defining “audiovisual” when someone asks us what we do.  We love our little Club, and we love the people we know in the Club but we need a serious outreach effort to technology decision makers and the other design teams that are part of every building project.  This one is a much deeper issue than I can write about here.  Unfortunately, I don’t see any real industry initiatives on the horizon.

What are some of the results of our industry’s apparent anonymity?  Lack of supporting infrastructure, washed out images, undersized images, projectors hanging in every incorrect orientation possible using caveman like engineering, unintelligible speech, and endless photos of horrendous AV integration examples on “AV Install Nightmares” and “Dodgy Technicians” on Facebook.  I have pictures of a downspout suspended horizontally in a room and used as a cable pathway.

And one of my favorites: Seeing the acoustical treatment deleted due to “value engineering”.

We know what good AV looks and sounds like but perhaps the regular users don’t because they haven’t been exposed to enough of it.  It seems mediocre to worse has been the standard.

It also doesn’t help when after the first client meeting, we come back with a Scope of Work and a quote and we’ve skipped the idea of working the client through their process and developing a Functional Scope.  In other words, a description of how the system works and what it does from the users’ point-of-view.

You’ve done it.  I’ve done it.  We sit in a room for the introductory meeting, and we have half the system designed in our heads before the client has finished talking.  We’ve been thinking about gear when we should be discovering the client’s workflow and discussing usability.

Back in 2001, Steve Thorburn wrote, “Our industry began as a ‘solutions’ industry.”  We seem to call everything a “solution” nowadays but we’re thinking “equipment” in our minds.

“Equipment” is easy.  You can get “equipment” at BigBox.  We need to get back to being problem solvers for our clients and then perhaps, we can avoid starting with dollars being defined first.

Let’s get back to being solutions oriented rather than equipment oriented. If we bring real solutions and not just boxes, I think we just night get a little more recognition.  And the start of any solution begins with understanding the client’s needs (not the gear you think they need).

If you’re not sure about how to conduct a true Needs Analysis so you can start your Solutions journey, join us at the Almo E4 in Anaheim on March 22 for our session specifically addressing Needs Analysis.  If you are not sure about how to turn your Needs Analysis into a real Solution, Almo Pro AV’s Engineering Services can help you there as well.

Tom Kehr, CTS-D, CTS-I, Network+, LEED Green Associate, ISF-C
Systems Designer and Trainer Professional Audio-Visual | Almo Corporation

tkehr@almo.com
888.420.2566 x6089

In the age of the growing hybrid workspace, the ProAV industry is responsible for more than just product fulfillment. At Almo, digital content services have become increasingly popular and necessary for user success, facilitated by company-offered installations and trainings on media player technology.

Historically, Almo’s digital content services have existed separately from product fulfillment, acting as additional product assistance available upon request. After recent updates to Almo’s service program, the professional audio-visual division developed particular SKUs associated with specific product services to increase awareness regarding service offerings for dealers.

Our digital signage services never had a close alignment with the products that we sell, and they operated in their own separate silos,” explained Cory Allen, Almo Director of ProAV Installation Services. “We’re bringing everything together from a hardware perspective, with a solid association between the hardware and the services that we offer

By partnering with Almo, dealers can offer end users assistance with basic and advanced media player set-ups, training on back-end programs, and ongoing support. By providing users with trainings on how to use the system themselves, Almo services help create product experts within various organizations and give control to the end user.
In fact, Allen noticed an increased popularity in trainings rather than traditional installation services following the widespread transition to a hybrid workspace. By encouraging end users to participate in trainings, Almo assists users in becoming more knowledgeable about their technology.

Many people work remotely, and most training techniques greatly serve the remote [and hybrid] function,” said Allen. “Now, there are training opportunities created for people to be more self-serving, and added flexibility is something customers have attached to more.

Despite great success regarding Almo’s updated service process, the team is just getting started in improving dealers’ access to services for their end users.

The amount of effort we’ve put in at its inception has generated a ton of interest, and interest from customers is heightened to a degree we’ve never seen before” explained Allen, in reference to dealer and end user enthusiasm. “The full [services] program should be complete within the next couple weeks, so we can mass market and have collateral tools available to our customers.

The Almo ProAV division looks forward to the increasing interest in the updated service offering system, as the new process creates a simpler and more effective process for dealers.

With the recent increase in remote conferencing and education, one’s understanding of online communication platforms is more important than ever. Many businesses and schools made the quick transition into a hybrid format, causing employees and instructors to become familiar with platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams on their own time. In many cases, hybrid settings with remote video conferencing have become a primary method of communication for many organizations.

While these remote communication applications are crucial for successful online collaboration, many users are not utilizing these platforms to their full potential. Almo’s new partnership with OfficePro, a leading provider of corporate training, allows resellers to offer their clients in-depth education on hosting meetings and using these applications effectively and efficiently. Available for a variety of platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and more, this new service offering from Almo provides attendees with critical information regarding their conference-based system.

As a great benefit to both consumers and dealers, this training service ensures that users receive proper guidance on the utilization of their technology following the installation. For Almo’s dealers and integrators, the service provides a comprehensives solution for clients, therefore increasing overall satisfaction with remote communication platforms. And for groups utilizing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, companies will receive a greater return on investment, as employees will use these applications more efficiently and with fewer technological complications. In fact, Brian Rhatigan, Director of Business Development at Almo, finds that the training provided by Almo and OfficePro is the key to effectively utilizing new technology.

This service is ideal for any organization that is investing in and implementing technology for collaboration and software-based video conferencing,” he said. “Far too often, companies invest in technology and don’t invest in the proper training for their employees, which can cause a poor user experience and expectations that aren’t met.

Companies and schools should look to be more proactive about their training requirements and ensure that employees and instructors receive in-depth knowledge on the tools required for collaboration, conferencing, and remote learning. With several training options for each application, including hands-on virtual training and online demo-lectures, customers have the flexibility to choose a format that works best for their organization. Application trainings available for purchase include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, MS Surface Hub, Crestron Mercury, and Cisco Webex.

Thanks to Almo’s partnership with OfficePro, resellers can assist clients in using online platforms effectively. Not only does this service result in a greater return on investment for resellers by increasing user satisfaction, but it also improves the training procedures of organizations by prioritizing employees’ understanding of technology.