For any integration firm, process is crucial in all areas of your
business — from sales to installation to accounting. A well-defined process can even help identify potential risks early in the project lifecycle to help your team anticipate and mitigate challenges. Spreadsheets and to-do lists holding hands isn’t a process that you can build a business around. While implementing process can be challenging because it requires a thorough examination of your business operations, the results are worth the effort. We chatted with Jason Sayen, process architect at I Am Sayen, Doug Greenwald, owner of ProjX360 and HTA Certified integration firm Creative Sound & Integration, and Ryan Thomson, process implementation at ProjX360, to understand key areas where AV integrators can change their thinking or improve their processes for better business and greater profitability.

1 Processes First, Software Second

Integrators must understand that if you don’t have good processes already in place, software and apps — any of them — will not magically fix your business,” says Greenwald. “What software is here to do is help guide and keep your processes in alignment. If you have processes in place, software is going to help streamline your business and make it more efficient, which in turn gives you a better bottom line.

If your process isn’t defined, you’re a slave to your tools, adds Sayen. Yes, you will have to bend your process to the software, but if you are forced to change your process completely, it’s not the right tool. Most integrators have tried multiple pieces of software before finding the one that works the best. That literally costs tens of thousands of dollars. Invest in defining your process first.
According to Thomson, the A integrators he onboards present a patchwork of software solutions — an average of nine pieces — to keep their workflows moving. “When they reach out to us, their goal is usually to eliminate many of those and use one piece of software as much as they possibly can.