Top 5 points to consider when choosing a Crestron Dealer

How to choose a Crestron Dealer? Top 5 Things to Consider.

So, you have decided on a Crestron home automation system – you have done your research and have a rough idea of costs – how do you choose a Crestron dealer to work with? This is a crucial question and most people decide based on the dealer representative who visits them but it really pays to do your homework before getting to the stage of meeting any potential integrator. Follow this guide to ensure the companies you select are the best.

• Experience – This element is number 1 for a reason! Experience of Crestron is absolutely crucial to delivering a successful project. Prospective companies should be able to show examples of projects at a similar level to yours – installing a Crestron system in a one room flat is hugely different to designing for a large home. Look at case studies to ensure quality of work and the approach matches your expectations and requirements.
• Recommendations – Prospective Crestron dealers should have no problem providing you with references. We do this once quotes are agreed to minimise disruption to existing clients but most are happy to talk about their system and the installation experience. Another great way to sort the good guys from the bad is to ask Crestron. This sounds obvious but Crestron will know who is doing good work in a given area and field.
• Geographical Location – This is important but not essential. Having staff local can be handy for ongoing maintenance and support calls but we install systems worldwide and still provide excellent support. How? We have remote access to the majority of our systems ensuring we can deal with issues and changes in double quick time – faster than travelling to site. Our systems even let us know of any issues so we can deal with them before clients are aware.
• Programming – Crestron programming is absolutely fundamental to delivering a successful system. A well programmed system will be efficient, powerful and flexible. You should make sure that the programmer is part of the installation company for two reasons – we see clients get caught up in contract disputes between a companies and also when you need changes which will be delayed as one company talks to another and tries to get your project prioritised. All our programming is done in house which ensures we can make changes in a timely manner and our programmer works hand in hand with our system designers to ensure a perfect system.
• Training – Although there is a minimum level of training required to even be a Crestron dealer it is worth asking about other training undertaken and crucially whether the staff working on your project have undertaken it.

  

  The above image from our Crestron installation in Dubai, installed by our London office, proves the point perfectly – a well designed Crestron system with excellent programming ensures a fantastic system which meets all the clients needs. Maintenance is performed remotely to ensure complete reliability.