By Lee Distad

It’s almost mid-December already and the holiday selling season is well underway. By now I’m sure that veteran AV pros all have their stockings hung by the chimney, with care. And, if you’re anything like me, counting your blessings that you’re not in retail.

Seasoned retailers are well aware that the holiday season can be a real Gong Show, for better or for worse: long hours, long lines at the registers and product piled high and deep. Fortunately for most AV Pros, unless they’re a hybrid retailer/integrator, it is just another month. And for commercial integration specialists it can actually be kind of slow.

I remember my first December in AV installation after years in retail. Keeping normal 9-to-5 office hours was a shock to the system, not to mention not having to go to work on Boxing Day!

Not only that, but we also don’t load up on inventory for the holidays. Because integrators only buy for projects on a just-in-time basis, you just don’t get the volume prices or rebate incentives that retailers get by ordering huge numbers of boxes at once. All that might qualify as out of the ordinary is a few quick projects from clients who absolutely need them installed before Christmas. Fortunately, jobsite scheduling on new construction slows down so it’s easy to be flexible to accommodate rush jobs.

It’s clear then that the impact that the holiday season has on dealers in the custom channel depends largely on their participation in the retail trade. Regardless, the dealers I spoke with all take steps to tackle the holiday season according to their priorities.

But while the sales and installation business might not be as frenetic as retail, that doesn’t mean that system monitoring and service calls get a reprieve. With the number of clients entertaining at home at this time of year, it’s guaranteed that if someone’s AV system is going to act up now is the time.

There’s any number of reasons why a service may be required over the holidays; but regardless, whether small and minor or more serious, if you’re prepared, this is your company’s chance to play the hero.

For starters, be proactive, rather than reactive. A lot of clients won’t bother to call over trivial glitches, even if it bugs them. That’s why it pays to make regular follow-up calls.  In a friendly out of the blue chat, a client is more likely to say, “Oh by the way, sometimes the channel that I want doesn’t select when I press it.”

So call them up to wish them a Christmas, Chanukah or even a Zarathustra greeting, and politely ask how things are going. You might even drum up a spontaneous sale (although that’s not your number one priority here), and if they admit to a minor problem that can be addressed before it becomes major, then great!

Also, expect to be on call: Maintain regular office hours, even if you abbreviate them over the holiday. That way you’re available immediately on the phone if any clients have concerns about their systems. Outside normal hours, leave an emergency number on your office voice mail message. Quite often, many calls can be resolved via either your remote access to their automation system or, if you’re old school, a quick tutorial over the phone.

The best thing about IP-enabled automation hardware is that in the event of a service issue, all that’s needed is a laptop and an Internet connection, and your tech is able to log on to the client’s system and check their software and its settings, or hardboot a glitching HD-PVR without having to leave home, not to mention allowing them to go to even greater lengths to service clients, such as fixing the system at their winter home in Hawaii or out in the country.

Proper preparation prevents poor performance (you might have heard me say that before). Prepare to be able to effectively address client’s system issues over the holidays, and that will help keep them merry and bright.

Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.com