QUICK BITS
WE ASK INDUSTRY
INSIDERS ONE
QUESTION
In what ways does
your company provide
remote service for
clients?
Our service standard
revolves around
Pakedge networks
with BakPak and
Panamax power with
BlueBolt. All clients
have that capability in their
systems, and it interfaces with our ERP
system, ConnectWise, for a ticketing
platform. Clients can be remotely
managed and serviced without even
knowing it is happening! If a client
requires onsite service, the ticket is
escalated and assigned.
Chris Smith, Cloud9 Smart,
New York City
12 Residential Tech Today | July/August 2019
The Loop sees remote service as a win for both sides – us able to respond faster to
client needs resulting in happier clients and us able to address issues at a lower
overhead since there is no driving or applicable burdens. We use VPN tunnels,
OvrC, and Domotz, all under our ProCare brand, to manage power state,
network uptime, firmware updates, and even remote entry/exit for third-party
tech scheduling. Just recently, we used our remote management platform to
manage an HVAC service for one of our clients, resulting in us actually making
money on an HVAC service call.
Eric Crawford, The Loop, Boise, ID
Currently, we mostly rely on OvrC-enabled products that we configure to autoreboot
the network (modem, router, switches) if internet connectivity is lost. If
that doesn’t resolve the issue, we can log into the OvrC account and reboot
outlets as needed for cable boxes or controllers. We also use Control4’s remote
access to log in and check IP connections and status.
John Sciacca, Custom Theater and Audio, Myrtle Beach, SC
One of the most unique ways we provide remote services for our clients is by
providing them with cloud-based NVR/DVR services for their camera systems.
Through years of experience, we found that 99 percent of the time when a
client wanted to access recorded footage from their camera system, they would
end up calling us to help them do it because they had forgotten how to do it.
We decided to start offering those services remotely, so that our clients could
contact us when they needed to view footage, and we could send it to them
directly for a fee.
Travis Leo, Residential Systems Inc., Denver, CO
All of our integrated control systems include a network monitoring device and an
IP addressable power controller (Wattbox, OvrC, and BlueBOLT products
primarily). We monitor our client’s systems and we are notified if any device
disconnects from the network. We are able to log on to our systems, reset
devices, and test our systems in most circumstances.
Barry Reiner, InnerSpace Electronics, Port Chester, NY
Depending on the project, we use both Pakedge BakPak and OvrC. With our
proactive – rather than reactive – approach, we monitor all items in a smart
home. If an issue were to occur, our team remotely addresses the issue. In most
instances the issue is resolved before the customer even knows that there was
an issue. Another remote service we offer is remote system OS, network, and
security updates. To date, about 90 percent of the systems we deploy and
manage are updated remotely during out-of-use hours.
Joe Whitaker, The Thoughtful Home, St. Louis, MO and Dallas, TX
cyberManor provides remote services via a number of different platforms:
OvrC, Domotz, Lutron, Control4, and TeamViewer. We use the remote service
that is most appropriate for the client based on the hardware that we have
installed in their home and the remote services that we are trying to provide. And,
of course, there is always the tried-and-true phone-based service call.
Gordon van Zuiden, cyberManor, Los Gatos, CA
We sell Parasol 24/7/360
monitoring service for
$600/year on systems up to
$25,000, collecting yearly.
On systems from $25,000 to
$100,000, we sell a three-year
Parasol package for a flat seven percent of the
sale (divided over three years). From
$100,000 to $250,000, it’s six percent. Sales
over $250,000 are five percent (divided over
three years). If a client doesn’t opt for our
service plan, then they get 90 days of free
service, then pay per service call or phone
consultation.
Tom Stone, Stone Glidden, King of
Prussia, PA
Our company utilizes a third-party remote monitoring solution combined with IPcontrolled
outlets to remotely manage our clients’ systems. We have found this to
allow proactive solutions, in most cases, prior to client notification of an issue. We
are monitoring electrical, internet bandwidth, and speed, as well as all networked
devices in the home. This, coupled with our 24/7/365 on-call support, allows us to
provide the level of service our clients demand.
Scott Fuelling, Phoenix, Memphis, TN