Everything WE Know About Outsourcing for AV Installers
By: Chris Bianchet, Herman IS, General Manager
Commercial Integrator recently posted an informative article by Jim Scheer entitled “Everything to Know About Outsourcing for AV Installers.” In the article Scheer points to the many benefits of outsourcing and cites his own positive experiences with subcontracting labor.
“Outsourcing has truly worked for my company. We have a process in place, all team members have a regular cadence with our partners, and if/when there is another “event” that impacts our economy…we are ready! When we win that 7-figure job…We are ready!”
When it comes to outsourcing, the Herman team is honored to be singled out by the article as one of the incredible valued partners in our industry to leverage!”
The article highlights 3 key reasons an integrator should consider outsourcing including:
You don’t have to hire more staff and only pay for time actually worked on a project.
You have access to a larger talent pool to find the right people with the right skills at the right time in the right place.
You can scale up and scale down quickly and efficiently based on business demand.
The article also mentions 3 common concerns about why an integrator might “think twice” about outsourcing, so we reached out to our Chris Bianchet, General Manager of Herman Integration Services, to shed some more light on these points:
Lack of Control?
Bianchet: The more you work with a subcontractor and develop the right processes the more they understand how a job needs to be done and the less you’ll worry about control. Just like when you hire a new employee you wouldn’t send them to do a job alone on their first day at work, it’s not OK to just throw the job over the fence with a subcontractor. If you are looking for a long-term subcontracting partnership pick a reliable company and work with them through the good and tough jobs. In the long run you will have a solid partner you can rely on as a trusted extension of your team.
Communication Issues?
Bianchet: This can easily be managed if you are working with a company that has a communication plan in place. The company you are working with should have a POC like a project manager that you can easily communicate with. It shouldn’t be the tech that is in the field. If it is, that should be a red flag. Also, a subcontractor should be providing daily field reports that give you photos and the status of the work that is being accomplished. Communication is a two-way street as well. Many companies do not have a strategy as to how to work with contractors and thus do not provide all the information that is required to have a successful project. This leaves the team in the field to figure it out. Have a solid plan and the accountability and the communication will follow.
Quality Control?
Bianchet: In this case I agree with the conclusion of the CI article: “Despite all the benefits of outsourcing, it will only work if you have an air-tight scope of work, a process that’s repeatable, and a strong ops team to manage the subcontractor.” While this is sometimes overlooked, set up your contractor to be successful and you will sleep better at night.
As the CI article states upfront, “we are living in uncertain times.” With that in mind, Herman believes there is no better way for an integrator to grow your business efficiently and cost-effectively than to wisely leverage outsourcing to meet the fluctuating demands of business today. If you’re interested in subcontracting, or need more information, Herman Integration Services is ready to help you achieve more, where and when you need skilled labor, programming, service, and more.
CHRIS BIANCHET – GENERAL MANAGER
Chris has more than 24 years of experience in the audiovisual industry with many years of his career spent in leadership positions at AVI-SPL, one of the nation’s largest AV integrators. He left AVI-SPL in April 2012 to start Herman Integration Services and is currently General Manager. Chris is a native of Long Island, and graduated from the State University of New York College at Fredonia. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, traveling, and collecting wines from around the world.