What are some of the key things that installers need to do to get a job over the line and fully handed over to the end client? Amy Stoneham finds out from some of the experts.
In this industry, its not uncommon for a project to go on longer than originally planned. This can be for a number of reasons, but end clients can change their minds on aspects of the job, or their ideas develop, leading the project to grow.
Installers have come to expect this with many of their customers but there does have to be a line where it stops. They also need to ensure that the customer isn’t expecting too many extras in with a pre-agreed price and that those extras might require integrators to come back at another time to finish the work, so they do not run into other jobs that have been booked with other customers.
Getting a job over the line of being finished and ready to handover to a client isn’t always simple and straightforward. Speaking to several integrators from the industry, most of them agree that documentation plays a big part, and that the handover starts from the beginning of a project.
“Sign off starts before the contract or the job even begins with a detailed scope of work,” explains Ben Goff, technical director of Cinema Lusso. “If you don’t have the scope very clearly defined, there’s a moving target to actually get signed off. The project will creep and profitability will dwindle rapidly.”
Expanding on this, Benjamin Davies, director of Inspire Audio Visual says: “Manage expectations with a scope of work; you’ll never finish a project unless both parties understand what work is to be completed. Book a finish date and make sure that if the project is delayed due to outside influences, for example, contractors, that they understand you cannot just change your diary for them and there may be some additional costs. This will drive the client to work to your dates and not just whenever everyone else is ready.”
End users need time to use the system in their everyday lives to know if there are any snags or adjustments needed. Image: Photoroyalty / Shutterstock
Documentation is key to projects running smoothly and being able to deliver what the client is expecting. Throughout the entire process, there is different documentation to be completed on different stages of the job, and as such, this leads to the handover being straightforward.
Alan Matthews, managing director of Automated Spaces, takes a big focus on documentation throughout the project process to help manage client expectations. “We think good documentation is the key to successful project delivery and getting a job over the line,” he says.
“We have a ‘Statement of Work’ for each phase of a project that clearly identifies not only a schedule of the deliverables but also provides the client with a summary of the various ‘Acceptance Criteria’. The acceptance criteria are written in plain English and describes the specific practical steps we will carry out to demonstrate each subsystem as functioning correctly. This helps minimise the risk of potential misalignments of expectations between what the client thought we would deliver and what we quoted to deliver.”
Matthews continues: “We also have a comprehensive handover/in-person training process which not only enables us to demonstrate to the client how to use the new systems in their home but also allows us to highlight to them how we were able to implement all the contractually agreed deliverables. The last step of the handover/in-person training session is to ask the client to sign off the Statement of Work to confirm that all the deliverables have been completed. A well-informed client is a happy client in our experience.”
“A well-informed client is a happy client in our experience.”
Chris White of American Audio and Tech Concierge agrees with Matthews’ process, replying: “That is a great idea, like a statement of intent. Our industry is almost always the last on site completing what I refer to as third fix. But we always struggle with timings because the rest of the project is running behind. So clearly stating how long our install will take once the project is ready for us is ideal.”
Using a similar method, White adds: “For larger projects, I have a Room Spec document for each room. It clearly specifies what is being installed into the room with a section at the bottom to list variances and their estimated costs and timing impact. If the client wants a change, it is recorded and signed off as acceptable before anything happens.”
Again agreeing with Matthews’ comments, Thorsten Köhler, managing partner at Die Zwei thinks that communication with end users needs to be worked on in this industry. He advises: “Client expectation management and communication is key for a successful delivery. I’ve got the impression a lot of companies try to avoid communicating too much with the client because they fear that this will lengthen the project. They just implement and hope the client will like it. But in fact, when the client is always up-to-date, the likelihood of a smooth handover is very high. Plus, you can add a little bit the client doesn’t know about to be able to overachieve.”
Process
Matthews stated that his integration company, Automated Spaces, utilises various documents throughout the various touch points during an engagement with a client. The ‘Statement of Work’ stage is a significant way into their formalised ‘Client Interaction Process’, which starts with an initial mutual qualification where both the client and integrator can get to know each other and see if they are a good fit for each other, for example, does the client require the types of solutions Automated Spaces can provide within their standard offerings. During this mutual qualification call, Automated Spaces goes through a questionnaire with the client which lists everything the integrator offers to ascertain if the client would be interested in that or not. Automated Spaces walks the client through its wide range of solutions , as often there are some elements they can provide that the client was not aware they could source from a smart home integrator, such as an intruder alarm, CCTV solution or motorised blinds/curtains.
Following the initial mutual qualification, the client is invited to the integrator’s showroom where they can see how specific systems and technologies work in a real-world environment. This gives them a better idea of what sort of experience they will get in their own home. Automated Spaces then completes a lifestyle survey with the client to profile the people who will live at the property, as well as the types of people that might regularly or occasionally visit, to understand more about their everyday lives to then apply it to the proposed installation to give them the best experience for their requirements.
The third step in the process is a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) which provides the client with some initial indicative pricing where the integrator draws up a bronze, silver and gold proposal: bronze being everything delivered on a budget, silver includes some upgrades that tips slightly over budget but will give a better user experience, and gold is no expense spared. The client can then choose their desired package, which could ultimately end up being a blended selection from all three packages, and this forms the basis of the final proposal. If the client wishes to proceed, then they would sign a Master of Agreement contract which states the standard terms and conditions for all commercial interactions between Automated Spaces and the client.
Each subsequent phase of the project is broken down into individual contracted packages which are documented within their own specific ‘Statement of Work’ contract. For example, there would be a statement of work for the initial design phase. Automated Spaces works on a phase-by-phase basis so that there is less risk for the client, i.e., the client only commits contractually to a small package of work during each phase rather than having to commit to the entirety of the project upfront. When the design document is drawn up, for example, the client will agree and sign that they are happy with it, pay for that section of work, then move onto the next phase where the same process will take place.
“If the client wants a change, it is recorded and signed off as acceptable before anything happens.”
The Statement of Work outlines the scope of work to be completed, including the estimated number of days or weeks required to complete that phase of work. This document is used throughout that phase of the project. Going into more detail, it explains the deliverables of what exactly is being installed and where. It also documents the acceptance criteria for each system or technology installed. Once it has been installed, the integrator will test each device to make sure it functions exactly as expected and the client can then sign off each bit to say they are happy with the usability of that particular device/sub-system.
One of the last project phases, once all the solutions have been installed, is the ‘Transition to Managed Service’. During this phase Automated Spaces prepares a number of key documents including the Project Handover and the Client Training Overview. The project handover document provides detailed information as it relates to the delivered solutions within the project and therefore enables the Automated Spaces support and service teams to effectively provide support to clients about any issues they are having. The support team can quickly bring up the handover document which also tells them exactly who worked on the project and provides fast access links to all the project related schematics and associated technical information.
The final part of the Transition to Managed Service phase is client training where the integrator will spend time with the client training them on how to use everything in their home. Depending upon the number of different sub-systems installed, this training can last between a few hours and several sessions spread over a few days. The training gives the client a chance to play with the systems in their everyday life and report any snags or required alterations to the integrator. Automated Spaces also prepares a Project Guide that is left with the end users, which explains how to use everything in case they ever forget any part of the training session.
The last document that Automated Spaces provides to a client at the end of a project is the ‘Managed Services’ contract. This contract provides various details about the types of support Automated Spaces offers and how the client can access this support.
An example of Automated Spaces' Project Guide. Image: Automated Spaces
Handing over
In discussions with other integrators, many of them undertake similar processes with documentation to manage client expectations, but also to cover their own backs if the client isn’t happy with the end result. As Köhler said earlier, constant communication is key.
Similar to Matthews’ process, Goff adds: “A smooth handover needs variation orders to have been discussed, priced and approved before any changes actually happen on site. Sign off is not the time to tell the client they owe more money. We want a great experience, not a surprise invoice.”
Davies also works similarly to this. “Producing a handover document is a definitive close to the project based upon the scope of works. It should outline what has been achieved, details the client needs to navigate the system and how to contact you if there is an issue. This most importantly gives you a chance to talk about them moving into the support period of your relationship.”
Nick Caripis, founder of BNC Technology also thinks that handover starts at the beginning of the project: “We believe as a company that in order to get a job over the line, it starts from the beginning of the project. What we mean is that if we are heavy on design and intense on project management, it makes the end result far more accurate and easier to get over the line. We have also restructured our company and have a project manager and a site manager who assists in pushing the project over the line aggressively.”
He also suggests that overall quality should never be compromised and can sometimes mean running over on projects in order to deliver a high standard. “Our focus is that when a problem occurs, we make quick decisions and take ownership immediately. Quality first is key and never a compromise. However, if the project needs more time in order for our standards to be met, we would rather delay the project and ensure quality over speed as we don’t want the customer to save one or two weeks and sacrifice quality as this affects the customer for life and our brand.”
Integrator, Lionel Armand, does something very similar to Matthews’ Statement of Work. He explains: “It is increasingly essential to have carried out a functional analysis of the system at the beginning of the project. This functional analysis should describe the systems implemented, the desired functions and scenarios, as well as the graphical intentions that are implemented on the interfaces.
“This analysis will serve as a reference at the end of the project. It must be supplemented by a table of variables indicating that each point of the system has been tested. Finally, user manuals must be written so that the end user has documents allowing them to have simple operation of their system.”
Mike Ranpura, director of Smart Life AV, agrees with fully testing the functionality of each system. He says: “It’s important to follow a process for handing over a project. The key things include ensuring all functionality is programmed and test every function multiple times to ensure it works consistently. You should also provide a walkthrough of the system with the client and their cohabitants present so that they can ask any questions and you can make any final tweaks necessary. Book a date to come back and make adjustments once the client has spent some time with the system. Also make sure you deliver exceptional customer service moving forward to ensure a strong, prosperous, long-term relationship with the client.”
Like Ranpura said, some integrators go back for an extra visit a few weeks after official handover in order to amend or enhance the programming of certain things after the client has had the chance to live with it and use it in everyday life. There should be a firm line as to when this stops though and how much adjustment can take place. Re-programming the entire system should be considered as an extra, paid for job but tweaking the lighting or certain scenes should be okay.
“Clients will need more than a single walkthrough for a great handover experience.”
Michael Oh, president and founder of TSP Smart Spaces, suggests another set of professional eyes on the job before official handover. “Most integrators will do a final visit for commissioning and programming,” he explains. “Still, in our experience, very few will do a separate quality assurance visit with a different set of staff (client or account manager vs. programmer). Someone needs to get eyes on the job other than the person programming, who can look at the client experience and ensure that we are delivering on the goal, not just the nuts and bolts of the functions.”
He adds: “Clients will need more than a single walkthrough for a great handover experience. Sometimes not all family members can be there. Anticipate the need for a Zoom of Facetime to refresh their memory on how to use systems or create written guides to help them use and understand their systems. Sometimes initial frustration can be turned into joy with just a little bit of extra care in the handover process.”
Oh also reminds us of an additional part of the job which is sometimes carried out after handover when the client has had time to use the system and is completely happy with it. “Don’t forget the button engravings!” he advises. “So often, we take over jobs from other integrators where the lighting keypads are not labelled or are labelled with temporary stickers years after the job was ‘completed’. So many manufacturers make incredibly beautiful keypads with laser engravings included in the price, but installers forget that last step of checking in with the client a few weeks after move-in to confirm the engravings, order them, and install them as the final touch.”
One final point on getting the job over the line relates to when the household moves into the home. It’s sometimes out of your control but don’t encourage them in too soon.
“The toughest handovers always seem to be when the client is moving into a new home a few weeks before they really should, so try to avoid handing over until the system is actually finished,” highlights Goff. “With a cinema, we like to have a period near completion where the client stays out of the room. We use this time to snag, program, test and bring in any surprises we’ve planned. It’s obviously much trickier for an integrated home when the client starts snagging systems they need to use before you’ve even finished.”
Main image: Weitwinkel / Shutterstock