Service: The Ultimate in Job Security
By Gary Kayye, CTS

 

 

 

 

Just the other day, I got an e-mail from a reader asking me a question I've gotten asked probably a thousand times: "Which projector is the best". Well, I've answered this question so many times I have my answer saved on my hard drive so I can simply cut and paste it into my reply. So, here it is:

"Dear ______,

You're asking the wrong question. The real question you should be asking me is, 'I'm in the process of buying a projector and I was wondering which dealer/contractor I should use?'."

Why?

Well, there used to be a time - a couple of years ago - when one projector manufacturer or another had a technological or feature-set advantage over another. Not any more. Now every manufacturer has access to every other manufacturers technology. And, if they don't, they copy it. There is no clear leader when it comes to the box itself. Sure, there will always be smaller, brighter, lighter technologies, but those are short-term leadership positions.

The thing now is service. What's the manufacturer going to do if the projector breaks down while you're at the Comfort Inn in Boise, Idaho? More importantly, what's the dealer you bought it from going to do to solve your dilemma?

The answer, of course, is customer service.

What kind of guarantee does the dealer give you - on top of the manufacturer's warranty? OK, every manufacturer has a warranty and, of course, every manufacturer "stands behind their warranty", but, the fact of the matter is, you do need more. For example, if you install that projector in the ceiling and you walk into the conference room one day and it doesn't work, what do you do? Well, all manufacturers warrant against defects and they will gladly fix it and some even provide you a replacement or a loaner to use while your unit is being repaired.

But, who's going to pull it out of the ceiling?

Who's going to re-install the new projector? You?

I know what you're thinking. You aren't going to install it in the ceiling. You are buying it to travel the world making presentations. Oops, the VGA cable just broke! Or, worse, it's gone. Now what? Who warranties that?

A dealer. Most reputable ProAV dealers not only have 24/7 support (with a human), but they also carry inventory, replacement parts and are well versed in the art of solving client problems - any time of the day or night.

And, that's what they're supposed to do. That's why manufacturers have dealers - to serve the customer.

Buy service, it's worth it. OK, it may cost a bit more than buying from a 1-800 clearing-house or Projectors-R-Us, but I assure you, it's worth the hassle and, most importantly, it's job security.
Gary Kayye is Principal of Kayye Consulting a firm that specializes in providing marketing consulting, telephony integration and training development to the professional audiovisual industry. His company also markets a software suite that's commonly used to set-up projection displays for optimized viewing quality. He spent 12 years at Extron and AMX as VP of Sales and Marketing before founding his own firm. He can be reached at www.kayye.com or via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com.