You didn’t draw the blueprints for your house did you? Most likely, that is not your expertise; you had a professional architect draw it. Well there are professionals who can help you with your AV and integration needs. They are called Electronic Systems Contractors (ESC’s). As more and more people become tech-savvy and the generations X and Y come into money, they want technology! They have grown up with technology and now that they are building a home, they want all of the tech bells and whistles. So now Mr. & Mrs. GenY have chosen all of their finishes, plumbing fixtures, flooring, light fixtures and everything else for their new home except… technology. Who ya gonna call? No, not Ghostbusters but a real live ESC.

How do you find an ESC? How do you know if they are qualified or not? Quick, back to the internet!! In doing my research for this article, I found 35 ESC’s, AV Companies, “system integrators,” “home theater specialists,” and any number of other names in my little town of Austin Texas. They all claim to do superior work and are the best around. Most of them have websites with pictures of installations, some nice and some… well not nice. They claim to be all about customer service. They all offer the coolest, latest equipment. Heck, Mr. & Mrs. GenY have a plethora of talent out there to implement their AV, automation and home theater dreams. WRONG! They (and you) need to find the ESC’s who are truly qualified to design and install the technology desired. Since the low voltage or AV/integration industry is quite young, there are not stringent licensing requirements like electricians have. Any kid who can pull a wire and plug output to input can have their very own AV company, but it doesn’t mean that they’re qualified. Sure they have a website, can get equipment, and even install it… but is it right? Has the equipment been properly chosen for the application? Were the speakers placed in the optimum position to realize their full potential? Was the display properly sized and mounted? How much time went into the design and engineering of the system that you are spending your hard earned big bucks on? Acoustics and video technology are precise sciences and one needs to be trained in order to understand the principals and to properly implement them. The best and most expensive equipment in the world can sound and look like the worst and cheapest if the system is not designed and installed correctly. Conversely, the lower or midrange equipment can perform beyond expectations if designed and set-up per specific rules and criteria. So now back to the question; how do you know who is qualified to deliver a system that perform flawlessly and operate easily?

Checking an ESC’s qualifications can be a time consuming task, but it must be done since it your hard earned money that they will be taking. Below is a list of questions to ask your potential ESC that will help weed out the “fly-by-nighters” or as we call them in our industry “trunk slammers”. Unfortunately, the AV integration and home automation industry is full of trunk slammers that have no right to be in the industry. But since legislation has not passed any solid licensing or regulations in this field anybody can be an “electronics systems contractor”. This is currently being worked on, but will be a slow process until implementation. Until then, it is up to you, the consumer to be wary and do your homework. Here is a list that will help guide you to the right ESC for your project.

1. Make sure that they have references. A list of recent jobs with contact names and numbers should be required. If a company has done a good job satisfying a customer’s needs, the customer usually has no problem with being used as a reference. I know many of my clients are either famous, top CEO’s, or just plain don’t want to be bothered. We have signed confidentiality agreements with them and their secret is secure with us… but we do ask for an anonymous letter of recommendation. Once you ask and receive the letter, you may be surprised that the client has signed it anyway.
2. What are the company and the individual key person’s backgrounds? When was the company founded? How large or small is the company, both staff-wise and financially. How long have the key people been in the AV and integration business? What got them started in AV and why do they enjoy doing it? What is their educational and work background? Remember that this is an interview and you as a consumer deserve to know all you can about the people who will be working intimately within your home. Ask lots of questions and get to know the people before you hire them!
3. Visit their shop. Go to their facilities and see for yourself what it looks like. Do they have an actual office? They may not have a showroom, but that is not what you need to see anyway. Look at their warehouse and reception area, is it neat and organized? Do they have product in stock and/or jobs being staged or assembled? What is the level of activity and professionalism? If they can not show you their facility, it may be that they do not have one or are operating out of a garage… stay away from them.
4. Ask to see an example of their design documentation. All integration projects need to be designed to one degree or another and a complete “blueprint” of the project must be created. Look at the documents and observe the level of detail that they provide. Do the house wiring plans label all of the locations and what type of wire(s) are at each? Do they have scaled, detailed drawings depicting such things as equipment elevations and sightline details. What about schematics? These are critical connection diagrams that show how each piece of gear is plugged into another. If a company cannot show a current design package, they probably do not design their systems and just “wing it.”
5. Ask to go to a finished project or two and see how the system works. Once again, if the client is happy and satisfied with their integrators work, they are usually ok with a visit once in a while. Look at the neatness of the install. Do they use equipment racks to mount the gear? Are the wires interconnecting the equipment neat and organized? Are the wires labeled? Are keypads and touch panel buttons engraved or is there little stick on labels? Does the system operate easily and flawlessly? Did you need lots of instruction or was it intuitive to use? Using a working system will show you how your system will eventually work if the company is selected.
6. Affiliations, certifications, and training. Is the company a current member of a trade organization such as Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). Organizations such as CEDIA offer accredited training which improves a company’s skill set and knowledge base. CEDIA also offers certification for varying degrees of training, such as Installer Level 1 and 2, and Certified System Designer. This is the closest that the AV industry has to a governing organization and if your potential ESC isn’t a member, there may be a reason.
7. Do they purchase their equipment direct from manufacturers or do they use a distributor? This says a lot about a company since manufactures usually do a rigorous financial background check on the companies that wish to be a dealer. A manufacturer is not going to let a rinky-dink company be representative of their product. Keep in mind that not all equipment is available directly and ESC’s need to use distributors to some degree, but not all of their product should be dependent on distributors.
8. Is the company insured? Is it current and sufficient? The integration company will be working in and on your home and if something should go wrong, you need to be sure that they are covered. Many small companies do not carry insurance, do not use them; you could get stuck with a hefty repair bill!
9. Do they have a web presence? A web site (or lack thereof) can say a lot about a company. Is it informative and professional? Does it have a portfolio of real jobs that they have completed or is it loaded with stock photos? Here is a BIG tip; is the site easy to navigate? Navigating a website is similar to navigating a control system touch panel since they both use a graphical user interface (GUI). If you can’t get around their website easily and without frustration, how do you think your touch panel or remote programming will turn out?
10. What about e-mail contact info? If you hit “e-mail us” does a legitimate e-mail address pop up or is it something like frank-bill@gmail.com or ravenhead@yahoo.com?  You get the picture here.
11. What about phone etiquette? Does somebody answer the phone courteously and professionally? If nobody answers, is the voice mail message professional or is it that annoying computer voice saying “nobody is available to take your call”. Are your calls returned in a timely manner? These little things do make a difference and if a company can not be professional on the phone, it makes you wonder how professional the rest of the company can be.

These are my 11 quick tips on finding a knowledgeable, professional, trustworthy, and reliable Electronic Systems Contractor. Bear in mind that even a wolf can don sheep’s clothing and a scam artist is just that. Sometimes you just have to rely on your gut instincts.

If you are one of the unfortunate many who have hired an ESC and they totally botched up your home or after they finished, the system was installed poorly and you can’t get any customer support, don’t despair. There are solutions such as reporting the offending company to the Better Business Bureau, or in some instances the police. You can also contact CEDIA and they will put you in contact with a company who can at least help finish the job or repair a bad install. I have been in this business 24+ years and I have heard horror story after horror story from potential clients that swear that they will never have electronics integration ever again. They were burned once before with an incompetent AV contractor and assume that all technology systems don’t work. I try to console them and assure them that it can be done correctly and that integrated systems are reliable when designed properly… sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. The sad thing is that this negative experience puts a black mark on our industry and the homeowner will be sure to tell all their friends about the “horrors of integration”. It does not need to be this way. Integration does work and should be installed in all new homes in one degree or another. You just need to find a qualified electronic systems contractor.

About AV Design Associates

AV Design Associates is an Austin, Texas based systems integration specialty firm providing design, engineering, and consulting to homeowners and to residential and commercial building industry professionals throughout the US and beyond. Their designs include, but are not limited to, dedicated home theaters, single room entertainment systems, audio and video distribution, lighting control, boardrooms, surveillance camera systems and other low-voltage controlled sub-systems utilized in today’s construction market.

David Jasak is a seasoned AV veteran of over 24 years and is a CEDIA Certified Professional Designer. He is also a CEDIA Registered Outreach Instructor for continuing education to design build professionals.

Web Site: www.avdesignassociates.com