Let me start by stating the obvious, being quarantined to our homes with next to no human interaction is hard. Even for someone like me who has spent the past 15 years of his career working remotely, it is difficult. I enjoy being able to grab lunch during the day or running errands on the weekend. Just the other day my wife convinced me that buying fertilizer for our lawn was not “essential” so I ordered online and paid extra for shipping instead.
One aspect that I do not mind, however, is having my wife and two daughters Samantha and Sydney (ages 12 and 8) home with me every day. They allow me to close my office doors and focus on the work I have but it is also nice to get a break and watch them play outside for a little as well.
The most interesting part of being home with my family is watching them adapt to remote learning/teaching and how technology, specifically video conferencing, has helped them remain connected.
The day was March 18, 2020. Our house had been under a quarantine since Saturday the 14th and my wife and daughters were learning a “new normal” of home schooling. My youngest, Sydney, was having the hardest time because frankly she is a social explosion waiting to happen! She has so many close friends, classmates, cheer teammates, girl scouts, and cousins that you could see the smoke coming from her ears when she realized she could not see any of them. That is, until I introduced her to the world of Zoom. Watching her eyes light up like Christmas morning the second she saw her friends Talia, Lianna, and Reilly on the screen was worth more than gold at that moment. That is when it dawned on me that something I have always taken for granted, Zoom, was now viewed as the “recreation of the wheel” by those that have never experienced it. Sure, we have FaceTime, Skype, and a number of other video-calling platforms to choose from, but the ease of “zooming” your friends, colleagues, family, and customers takes it to another level.
Zoom’s platform is the perfect teleconferencing tool for a multitude of uses and as each day goes by, we are finding new ways of creativity on how to use it: happy hours, school assemblies, birthday parties, even quick check- ins with a customer. We have certainly done it all. Almo Professional A/V is certainly no stranger to Zoom, having utilized it for 4 years now. What started as a necessity for our organization to remain connected to our customers has expanded into the 2019 introduction of Zoom Certified Hardware Bundles and the April 2020 announcement that we are now an Authorized Zoom Solution Provider which means our customers (and their customers) can source a full solution from us; Certified Hardware Bundles and the necessary Zoom License to make it all work as desired. One of the best features of the Almo/Zoom relationship is that it requires little to no extra work from our valued resellers. For every opportunity that is brought to us, it is assigned a Zoom Account Executive to help see through the sales process.
“What’s the job of the reseller?” you might ask. It’s to send the initial referral and then collect the recurring commission that is paid out on every job. The ability to collect recurring revenue in these times of uncertainty can certainly be a valuable proposition.
In closing, I hope we can all find creative ways to use Zoom as a bridge during these interesting days and weeks ahead. While most of us might not have the same bright-eyed look that my daughter Sydney had, I know we all appreciate the ability to connect with the outside world while being told to “not go outside.” I would love to have future discussions with all of you on how Zoom and Almo Professional A/V can help you stay connected and make your business, schooling, family get-togethers, or happy hours even better!
I thought I would share with you what it has been like working from home with a full house. No schools or pre-schools open. Inside playgrounds, restaurants etc. all shut down and it’s been raining all morning here in Utah.
I have 3 kids here today, 2 of them under the age of 5, To keep from going crazy and to have a bit of fun I thought I’d share a log of activities, but instead of referring to them as kids or by their names I just substituted co-worker since this is our place of business. True Story. Read On…
Co-worker activity log
6:45 am – co-worker barges in as I am preparing for the day loudly quotes Olaf from Frozen 2 – “Turtles can breathe through their butts”
7:21 am – co-worker has me put movie Frozen on TV in common area, loudly sings “let it go”
7:30 am – 5.7 earthquake hits SLC, building shakes, co-worker yells from other room “can you bring me some milk”
9:30 am – second co-worker finally shows up interrupts zoom call and argues with me about having Cheetos for breakfast
10:22 am – co-worker pees all over the toilet seat in bathroom and yells from bathroom for someone to come clean it up
11:15 am – co-workers run into my office yelling excitedly for me to come see the farm they made in the common area with Jenga blocks and stuffed animals. Left mess for someone else to clean up – Jenga pieces everywhere.
11:49 pm – co-workers playing “pretend” co-worker 1 yells at co-worker 2 for not playing pretend correctly, fight breaks out – both co-workers hysterically crying
11:52 other co-worker finally shows up interrupts asking for wifi password, so they can hook up their Xbox
11:54 pm – other co-workers back to playing pretend as if nothing happened
12:13 pm – co-worker yells at me to come open bathroom door cause their hands are messy
1:09 pm – fight breaks out between co-workers over possession of item, co-worker frantically crying yells for their momma
1:17 pm – co-workers play pretend again as if nothing happened moments before
1:25 pm – co-worker takes a break from Xbox demands I make them something to eat
With the uncertainty of the current times, most businesses are looking for a way to “bridge the gap”, and AV integration firms are no different. While some have already made the difficult decision to lay employees off, others are doing what they can to maintain their employee base, and keep them busy with any project to generate revenue.
Because of the previous growth, many AV integration firms focused on low hanging fruit, because it was all they could do to keep up with demand. If nothing else, companies have now been forced to review their current portfolio to determine how they can branch out, or go deeper with their current client base.
Below are a few ideas on how integrators can utilize their current sales staff to engage on selling services that were previously overlooked. This may provide a way to get them over any current hurdles, as well as build toward the future.
Because of the fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, communication has become even more of a key factor than before. With the need to get a message out quickly, digital communication has proven most vital. Clients that hadn’t previously invested in digital signage for internal communication may now see the great value that instant communication provides.
Adding a few screens around an office where information can be easily and quickly disseminated is now viewed by most as a necessity. A simple message about upcoming business hours, or even proper hand washing seemingly an afterthought previously is now seen as vitally important.
With many employees now working from home, increased network bandwidth has proven a necessity for business. The importance of allowing employees to access servers and other assets on the network for a seamless virtual workplace, is now a reality for many.
The additional benefit digital signage and internet service can provide to the integrator is the ability to build a portfolio that provides a steady stream of recurring revenue. This is especially beneficial when business isn’t growing as expected, or something as simple as a slow playing client makes cash flow tight.
Most integrators have thought about investing the time and personnel on additional divisions, but because of the lack of experts available, or the consistent growth, they just haven’t. Now with the market slowdown, adding additional personnel is most likely furthest from their mind. Now for the “antidote” – With numerous services available, Almo is here to help our clients looking to diversify, and find a way to add revenue without adding the expense of additional employees.
Our expert staff, who help clients navigate a new offering by participating, or even leading a call with the end user, allows our clients to branch out without the hassle and expense of finding their own expert staff. Contact your Almo rep for additional information on how we can help go deeper with your client and find untapped sources of revenue.
Think of a current successful athlete in the United States. Chances are you will think of a football player like Patrick Maholms, or a basketball player like Lebron James. However, beyond the mainstream of sports the population is moving to Esports or Electronic Sports. Esports are organized sporting competitions for multi-player video games and has become one of the fastest growing “sports” in the world. Event companies, and colleges, as well as the gambling industry have all taken interest into the popularity of gaming. The niche audience of “gaming” is gaining more support and growing to become part of the PRO AV ecosystem. Depending on the venue, 20” to 98” displays, touchscreens, 4K models and LFD Monitors are all-inclusive opportunities for sale into a large sporting venue. Top manufacturers such as LG Electronics offer numerous solutions, which complement the esports arena.
The average small format display used in the gaming industry is a 1080p 240Hz 24″ monitors. You do not want 1440p for competitive games, and if you are a professional 240Hz makes sense over 144Hz. In addition, this does not include the need for massive LED displays, to state-of-the-art cameras, switchers, not to mention installation services to ensure proper timing between video and audio sync and much more. You are also looking at opportunities to implement the latest streaming and IP Technology which is a must have in order to ensure tournament coverage is worthy of the viewing of the followers. Have your attention yet? The opportunities within the PRO AV industry are endless….
Let’s take a moment to focus on Small Format Displays in general….Many retailers are struggling to gain customer in person loyalty and creative positive experiences at the store fronts. Small format touch displays encourage a way for customers to engage with products and services on a personal level. In-store Retailers, Fast Casual and Quick Service Restaurants all face similar challenges, and are constantly looking for ways to develop and maintain a relationship with their customers. Small format displays and tablets have proven to be strong tools in driving higher customer interaction, brand satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to sales that are more profitable. Large venues, stadiums and event spaces are also improving their efficiency by employing these devices to allow patrons to upgrade their upgrade seats as they arrive at the gate, or offer meal suggestions and combos at the concession stand.
These are just a few of the ways corporations can employ small digital displays and tablets to more effectively manage, store, and share information. Reach out to Corinne Furmanek O’Rawe, Business Development Manager for LG Electronics at ALMO. Let us be your go-to to help you with product solutions.
Corinne Furmanek – O’Rawe, DSCE Business Development Manager
ViewSonic’s ViewBoard IFP70 Series — the newest in its line of interactive flat panels — is here, and it’s better than ever.
The industry’s first interactive flat panels (IFPs) were a big deal, helping classrooms and businesses transform thinking and productivity. Every year, interactive displays got bigger, brighter and more affordable. But eventually, the industry sought to do more — it hoped to make IFPs more versatile and more effective. Now, interactive displays are promising to be all-in-one solutions for the modern collaboration space. A particularly notable evolution in this space is ViewSonic’s latest ViewBoard series, a beautiful solution designed for seamless integration into your conference room infrastructure. The ViewSonic IFP70 Series is here, and it’s better than ever.
What Does “All in One” Actually Mean?
When we say the ViewSonic IFP70 Series is an all-in-one solution, here’s what we mean: The 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160 resolution) series is both an interactive display/whiteboard and a built-in videoconferencing solution in one — all hardware and software included.
“The ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP70 series is our most innovative enterprise-grade interactive flat panel display line to date,” said Andy Chien, product marketing manager at ViewSonic. “We took all the necessary steps to solve the modern conference room challenge with the most advanced technologies, while simplifying typical collaboration complexities. The sleek form-factor and bezel-less frame also allows it to be designed into innovative and contemporary environments.”
The reason it’s built as an all-in-one solution is because, more than ever, the technology in the AV industry is being driven by the end consumer’s need — the AV end user today is asking for more simple systems with multiple capabilities in one product. They don’t want to have to buy two systems when they could just buy one. In addition to being a true collaboration board, ViewSonic’s IFP70 Series is even more versatile than its previous IFPs — the display allows users to securely connect to their meetings directly on the display. So, no more complex puzzles trying to find the best display to go with the best conferencing software to go with the best speaker and microphone. The IFP70 Series has it all.
HARDWARE Built-in Camera/Speakers/Microphone, an IoT Sensor and the ViewSonic Active Pen
Equipped with the latest collaboration tech for modern workspaces, the IFP70 Series sparks creativity and drives productivity. There are a few primary hardware collaboration technologies built in, which include:
1. A Skype-for-Business-certified conference camera with crisp 4K UHD resolution. Also integrated are three speakers — two 10-watt stereo speakers and a 15-watt subwoofer — and a microphone array that’s also Skype for Business-certified.
2. The ViewSonic Active Pen tool, which includes multi-level pressure sensitivity, giving users an accurate yet natural-feeling interactive writing experience.
3. An IoT Sensor Hub compatible with the Microsoft Azure Digital Twins cloud platform. The IoT sensor measures humidity, room temperature, ambient light and human proximity to the screen. The data is then sent to the secured Microsoft Azure cloud-computing service, which analyzes it and provides information on how to optimize meeting and energy efficiency.
SOFTWARE ViewSonic’s myViewBoard, Integrated Zoom for Conferencing and More
ViewSonic’s myViewBoard collaboration software, integrated into each model of the IFP70 Series, is an easy-to-use and secure ecosystem. Users have a choice between myViewBoard software versions, designed to meet any and all collaboration needs, whether for enterprise-level security or for more straightforward screen-sharing or annotation. The beauty of the software is that it’s seen as a one-stop shop (no compatibility issues with external apps). Additional integrated software into the IFP70 Series includes the Zoom app for conferencing, the WPS Office suite, an optional SureMDM by 42 Gears Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tool, and the ViewBoard Cast (vCast) content-sharing software app with support for iOS, Mac, Android, Windows and Chrome devices. vCast enables content streaming from devices onto a ViewSonic display over wireless or wired networks.
The Icing On Top of the ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP70 Series Cake
The other bells and whistles of ViewSonic’s IFP70 Series include:
The Latest Connectivity Options, Including USB Type-C. Walk into the room and plug in your device, and you can immediately share onto the display. Other connectivity ports include HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 4K, USB 3.0 and more. (Translation: meetings can actually start on time for once.)
One-wire USB-C Connectivity. While added USB-C connectivity is great, a single cable transmitting that signal to the display iseven better. That means — in addition to faster data, audio and video transfer — the USB Type-C connection provides quick 60-watt charging and touch pass-through over a single cable. (Translation: one cable. No confusion.)
Edge-to-edge, Optical-bonding PCAP Touch Screen. IFP70 displays are designed with high-performance PCAP (projected capacitive) technology with 20 touch points. (Translation: exceptional interactivity and viewing.)
Almo Professional A/V is the nation’s largest professional audiovisual distributor with forward-thinking product integration and support. Almo is committed to offering only the best in the AV industry. The sleek and slim ViewBoard IFP70 Series (less than an inch thick) is more than an upgrade to the dense marketplace of interactive displays. It’s a completely reimagined solution to the modern collaboration room and to the world of unified communications — adding key elements of flexibility, versatility and duality for the AV end-user customer. Learn more at ViewSonic.com/ViewBoard, or get in touch with your Almo sales rep for more information.
As we enter the new decade the landscape for labor continues to evolve for AV integrators.
The challenges remain the same; how many technicians do I need to both maintain and grow my business? How can I compete if I am smaller in size but actually have the “smarts and parts” to otherwise compete?
The answer to both is outsource!
In the (20)20’s, we are clearly in the throes of the gig economy, and the field of AV labor is no exception. Many technicians have chosen to freelance as opposed to work full-time on the staff of an integrator, which presents great opportunities for all involved.
The techs can be self-employed, and the business owners don’t have to deal with hiring, vetting, managing, and carry technicians on payroll.
A primary focus for the industry now is commonly referred to as AVaaS, or AV as a service. Leveraging outsourced labor is a great way to support these solutions, along with SLAs. If you are not building an annual recurring revenue stream for your business – please begin to now!
Again, regardless of the size of your company, could you not benefit from having access to a nationwide footprint of technicians to allow you to service your clients, and support these contracts? In most instances you can outsource technicians to respond within 48 hours, and in some instances 24 hours, or even same day.
If you are a smaller integrator, you can now see how you can grow and create annual recurring revenue without managing your employees. If you are a larger integrator, you now have the ability to extend your support to an even wider client base, without losing a great lead who is onsite at a project – to a service call.What if you send a team out to install a project, but 6 months later that client requires a service call? What is the cost to send a tech on a plane, or extended drive – losing that tech as a resource for primary projects? Could you not benefit from a local tech – that effectively becomes “your tech” to provide consistent support to your client?
What if an existing local client is opening, or renovating an office 1,000 miles away? What you require is a site survey. Compare the cost of sending a tech of your own versus having access to a local tech who can not only provide that survey on an hourly basis (no travel/per diem), and then serve as a resource if needed on the install/upgrade? The benefit seems clear.
As summer approaches (being based in the Northeast – we think summer is coming in February), school projects become both an opportunity and a challenge. You are presented with a local school district looking to install a few hundred projectors or smartboards across several schools in a tight time frame. Your existing labor force cannot complete it. Do you pass, or do you call a partner who can provide you day rate AV techs to augment your team.
These are just a few examples of how important outsourcing labor is to both maintaining and growing your business.
There are many obvious concerns you have. Will the techs maintain the level of excellence you expect? How will they represent themselves? What are their skills? Do they have the required licensing, background/drug checks? Have they done this work before? Where do they come from?
All of the above are a part of the vetting process that must be in place when you seek a partner to help you with your outsourced labor needs. All must be addressed in advance to guarantee that the expectations of both you, and your client are met.
ALMO Labor services offer integrators skilled technicians to support they businesses in all aspects inlacing full project completions, nationwide rollouts, temporary labor, site surveys, and service calls. With a nationwide footprint, this enables dealers to take on more projects, reduce travel costs, support their service contracts, and more.
Jay Saret – ALMO Services Development Manager – East
The bottom line is – outsourced labor is a resource to consider to help grow and maintain your business. If you’ve not yet tried it – do so. Start small, and make sure you are vetting the partner that you choose to insure your success.
Here’s to a great 2020 (and beyond)!
To learn more about ALMO’s outsourced labor options, you can catch this on-demand webinar for more information.
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