The deadline for applications is October 1, 2018, with a final list of award winners being announced in December 2018. The Home Technology Association (HTA) announces the first “Best In The U.S.” Awards aiming to recognize integrators for their overall performance and quality.
“This is the first time that any association has given a technology firm an award for its overall performance and quality. Other awards or lists are focused on revenues or have been given on individual projects. Consumers want to know which firms excel in the field and have a proven track record of excellence,” says Josh Christian, director of certification for HTA.
“The Home Technology Best in the U.S. Awards will answer those questions without any bias towards what brand the company sells or how much of it they sell.”
The HTA Best In The U.S. awards has three tiers:
- Black is the highest award level, given to the firms that execute at the highest level the most technically and operationally challenging projects in their markets.
- Platinum is awarded to companies with a proven history of excellence in delivering technically complex projects and providing excellent customer service.
- Gold is awarded to companies that have a proven track record of technical proficiency and delivering outstanding experiences to consumers on simpler-scale projects.
The awards focus on quality and performance, not the size of the company. A small integrator with a few employees has the same opportunity to achieve the highest award tier as a large firm with dozens of employees, according to the association.
“Consumers want the best technology experience possible. Every city in the U.S. is different. Sometimes the best experience is from a small integrator and sometimes it is from the biggest firm in town.
“Our goal is to connect consumers with the best firm for their installation. This is how we contribute to raising the bar in the A/V industry,” adds Christian.
Read Next: 7 Ways to Avoid Client Sticker Shock
Best in the U.S. winners go through a vetting process that checks the integrators technical proficiency, customer service, aftercare support, and reputation in the marketplace. Clients want as much assurance that the firm they hire is qualified, and this award gives them added assurance.
The Home Technology Association will provide a certificate to the winner as well as digital marketing materials to promote this award on social media, the web, and print. A custom designed glass trophy will be made available after the awards are announced.
How to Apply
To apply for 2018 Best in the U.S., go to https://htacertified.org/apply. The same application for certification is used for the Award entries. The deadline for applications is October 1, 2018. For current HTA Certified firms, there is no fee and no additional paperwork needs to be completed.
For non-HTA Certified firms, the applicant must completely fill out all information in the application by October 1, 2018. Applicant must pay $400 application/certification fee and maintain HTA Certification standards for a minimum of 60 days.
The final list of award winners will be announced in December 2018.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
