The days of audiovisual solutions functioning in a silo are long gone. Today, audiovisual technologies are central to business strategy and must integrate seamlessly with your company’s unified collaboration platforms, digital media, broadcast, and other collaboration tools.
This is especially true for complex global organizations that now rely on an ecosystem of AV and AV-related tools to communicate, collaborate, and manage workflow.
But how do you connect thousands of meeting spaces and conference rooms located across multiple sites around the globe? And how do you ensure the right support services are in place to keep all the technology solutions running?
You need a systems integrator – a true AV partner – that’s experienced working on a global scale. Of course, we’d love it if you chose us. But AV technology is now so important that we want you to get it right whether you work with us or someone else. To help, we’ve compiled some criteria we think are critical when vetting global audiovisual partners.
Step #1: How does the vendor develop your solution?
We know it’s tempting to jump straight to the solution – especially when new tools and features are hitting the marketplace regularly. But we recommend some restraint at the beginning of your planning process to ensure alignment with your company’s objectives and strong user adoption.
Checklist of questions to ask potential systems integrators:
- How do you create alignment between business goals and technical solutions?
- What process do you follow to identify the specific solutions you recommend?
- How do you incorporate user preferences and technology expectations?
- How do you staff projects?
- How do you partner with a company’s internal team and domain experts?
Checklist of deliverables to expect during this phase:
- An executive summary that clearly defines benefits
- A comprehensive solution overview that includes system requirements
- Documented priorities and processes
- The functional scope of work
- A preliminary budget
Step #2: How does the vendor define the details?
Once you have a high-level plan, it’s time to get into the details. To do that, it’s critical that you work directly with a single point of contact who can align with your culture, lead the implementation standards and coordinate a consistent user experience.
Checklist of questions to ask potential systems integrators:
- What steps do you take to streamline coordination and communication?
- Do you provide quarterly business reviews or other consistent touchpoints to track KPIs and prove ROI?
- What level of experience do you have delivering at scale? How do you approach expanding the scale of solutions over time?
- How do you ensure a consistent end-user experience at every location?
Checklist of deliverables to expect during this phase:
- Detailed project scope of work and budget
- System specifications, including infrastructure as needed
- Engineering and architectural drawings
- An equipment list (Bill of Materials)
- Requirements for system operations and post-operational support
Step #3: How does the AV integrator build and test your solutions?
When it comes to global projects, it’s all about preparation, scalability, and efficiency. That’s why you want to work with a vendor that offers a centralized approach to implementation and can deliver a consistent experience across locations.
Checklist of questions to ask potential systems integrators:
- Who will lead the project from inception to the finish line?
- What’s your process for defining system flow?
- How do you determine system specifications?
- How do you confirm interoperability with other platforms? What standards do you apply?
- Before implementation, where do you unbox, store, stage, test, and kit equipment? How do you ensure consistency in this stage?
Checklist of deliverables to expect during this phase:
- A dedicated project manager who aligns with all trades involved
- A highly trained and certified professional integration team
- Industry-leading integration best practices, in line with AVAQ, ISO, CTS, and PMI standards
- Project-specific test plan including use case validation of calibrated devices
- Turnover for ongoing system support per your customized plan
- Strict adherence to PPE protocols and policies
- Global technical services resources and expertise
Step #4: What customer support options does the integrator offer?
Once your technology is in place, you need a plan for Day Two (and beyond) care and support. Not all vendors offer optional global managed services as part of their engagement. So, you’ll want to gain clarity early in the process about what is offered. One advantage to vendor-led managed services is keeping your internal team focused on your strategic priorities.
Checklist of questions to ask potential systems integrators:
- Do you offer options or resources for on-site managed services? If so, what are your quality review and escalation procedures?
- Can you remotely monitor the solutions?
- How do you recruit support for on-site staffing?
- Do you provide any onboarding or orientation training?
- What methodology do you follow (e.g., ITIL, ITSM, Agile)?
- How do you report progress and keep us informed?
Checklist of deliverables to expect during this phase:
- Customer care services
- Meeting services
- Strategic on-site staffing
Need a partner to ensure enterprise-wide success?
AVI Systems is the largest global audiovisual services provider with 25 locations in the United States and the ability to do business in 164 cities and 50 countries worldwide. We take a strategic approach to your project, integrating the best solutions to help your employees do more and maximize your ROI.
We approach our global engagement from program management rather than a project-management standpoint. This simply means we start by understanding your expected outcomes. Then, we recommend the technology solutions best suited to your goals. After a thoughtful planning process, we design the solution, provide integration services, and offer comprehensive global managed services plans.
Learn more about our unique four-step planning process by clicking the button below.
