The supply chain crisis proverbially “separated the men from the boys” over the past few years in terms of serving the custom installation community, and it’s in the 13th annual CE Pro Quest for Quality Awards that all that energy and effort gets feted.
This is an award that every victor shouts from the mountaintops because it is an affirmation of the hard work being done by every member of a company’s tech support, sales support, website creator, customer service rep, warehouse worker, etc.
While supply shortages have waned in 2023 compared to the past two years, the ability of certain manufacturers and distributors to get integrators the products they need in a timely manner elevated them heads above their competitors and built new relationships in some cases.
The awards recognize three top winners in each category: Platinum, Gold and Silver and also multiple “Category Kudos” winners in every category that designate companies with niche products that scored very well in the survey.
Click here to view the top Distributors.
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2023 Quest for Quality Award Winners: Manufacturers
Category: Best Customer Service
Platinum: Snap One
“Our Partners are the heart of who we are. We were founded upon being easy to do business with and ensuring our Partners are successful. We strive to create positive everlasting impressions by building a relationship and catering to our Partners’ needs. Our goal is to find unique and creative ways to continue to enhance the Partner experience.” – Laina Jackson, Snap One Director of Partner Support
Gold: MSE Audio
“Engaging with our customers to ensure that deadlines are met, products exceed standard sound expectations, and projects complete on time is part of the joy within my position at MSE Audio. Taking the next indicated steps to ensure all-around success is what we strive to accomplish on a daily basis. On top of providing award winning sound, we excel at award winning service, every step of the way.” — Niki Thompson, Customer Service, MSE Audio
Silver: Coastal Source
“Coastal Source has built a reputation for some of the highest performance products in the industry. But we believe that the real magic of our company is our people. This shines through in our Customer Service, Warranty and Shipping Support teams. We’re proud of our team and thrilled to see them recognized by our dealers!”
Category Kudos:
RTI
“At RTI our mission begins with exceptional service, and we truly see ourselves in partnership with customers who make RTI the control and automation solution with which they delight their clients. We strive to be that partner you can always count on and are honored to be acknowledged for our customer service.” – Bill Hensley, Head of Global Marketing, RTI
AudioControl
“At AudioControl, we are sensitive to the challenges that dealers face in the field, and we take our support services and sales programs very seriously. Our incoming phone calls are answered by dedicated team members, not a machine. Our technical service is highly personalized and the support team is always knowledgeable and up to date. We maintain racks of third-party gear frequently used by our dealers along with over 20 brands of speakers from the CI channel in the factory, enabling our team members to recreate many real-world scenarios on the spot. And because engineering and technical support reside under the same roof right here in the USA, both teams are able to get together regularly for roundtable discussions and remain current on product feedback from the field. AudioControl is committed to delivering the best sales and technical support, and we appreciate being recognized for those efforts. Our team will continue to work closely and forge great relationships with our dealers.”
Russound
“Everybody says customer service is an important part of the job, but surprisingly few companies back it up with the same detail and dedication we exhibit every single day. Russound is an independent, customer-focused company with a deep history because of our equal focus on quality and communication with our dealers and distributors. Most of the products in our line and coming out soon are due in part to input from customers providing feedback from the field. The only way to maintain and grow such a dedicated customer base is by doing whatever it takes to help them get the job done.” – Charlie Porritt, CEO, Russound
Category: Best Technical Support
Platinum: Snap One
“Our support team members offer uniquely exceptional support for our Partners and amazing experiences for our shared customers, with a commitment to 100% resolution, even if that requires putting a resource on the project site. This has enabled us to provide the most competent support in the industry, with the shortest wait times. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve so many of the industry’s most talented technicians and be a part of their success.” – Scott Jeffery, VP Technical Support, Snap One
Gold: RTI
“We strive to provide our customers with the best solution to any challenge they face, so they can always create exceptional control experiences for their clients. Our goal is 100% satisfaction, so we follow up after every inquiry to learn how well we supported the dealer and how we can improve. We’re here to help.” – Dustin Hatch, Director of Operations, RTI
Silver: Nice
“We take great pride in providing best-in-class technical support. We have a dedicated team of in-house experts for each brand and business line, to ensure our partners work with someone who has an in-depth understanding of their product to troubleshoot issues efficiently. Additionally, our sales teams work in parallel with our Regional Technical Specialists for control products, including Nice/ELAN, SpearkerCraft, and Panamax, to support our partners and integrators in creating a truly connected smart home, with one complete solution.” — Greg Hancock, Senior Director of Technical Support Operations at Nice North America
Category Kudos:
WhyReboot
“The thing that makes us different than our competitors when it comes to support is that support is our sole function. Support is our product. The hardware and systems we offer are secondary and are just a means to enable us to provide the best support we can to our valued partners. We design and pick products that work, allow us to troubleshoot issues effectively and efficiently, and that stay running 24/7 365……just like our support department. Our partners know that it doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas Eve, if they have a problem we are one phone call away with ZERO hold times and always a high level tech ready to help.” — Bjørn Jensen, President, WhyReboot
AudioControl
“At AudioControl, we are sensitive to the challenges that dealers face in the field, and we take our support services and sales programs very seriously. Our incoming phone calls are answered by dedicated team members, not a machine. Our technical service is highly personalized and the support team is always knowledgeable and up to date. We maintain racks of third-party gear frequently used by our dealers along with over 20 brands of speakers from the CI channel in the factory, enabling our team members to recreate many real-world scenarios on the spot. And because engineering and technical support reside under the same roof right here in the USA, both teams are able to get together regularly for roundtable discussions and remain current on product feedback from the field. AudioControl is committed to delivering the best sales and technical support, and we appreciate being recognized for those efforts. Our team will continue to work closely and forge great relationships with our dealers.”
AV ProEdge
“We really put a heavy emphasis on support, and we take a different approach. We don’t try to just prove that our product is functional, we assist on the WHOLE system, that includes other HDMI peripherals, network setup and design, control systems and just general troubleshooting and setup help. We field quite a few calls per week where our products are not even in the install, but we still can and do help. We look at our dealers as partners, we are only successful if they are, we are on the same team with the same goal.” – Matt Murray, AVPro Global
Ethereal
“What sets Ethereal’s technical support team apart from the competition is that they are also the product engineering team behind our extensive catalog of residential and commercial installation products. When a customer calls for tech support, they speak with the same people who designed the product, which means they are connected with a knowledgeable person who can answer questions and solve issues quickly and confidently. They know everything there is to know, from the simplest of parts like connectors and splitters to the most innovative HDMI and power distribution solutions. Hearing product feedback from customers also helps our team anticipate challenges in the field and continually redesign, improve and innovate our products to best serve their needs.”
Category: Best Lead Generation
Platinum: Lutron
“For 60+ years, Lutron’s first company principle has been to take care of our customers, which includes innovating high-quality products and developing marketing campaigns that drive consumer demand. Lutron is very focused on experiential storytelling and creating immersive experiences, whether it’s through a visit to one of our many experience centers, or to an integrator’s Lutron showroom, or providing integrators with the tools they need to help their customers understand the benefits of Lutron lighting and shading controls and intelligent solutions. Helping our integrators grow their businesses with new innovations and the tools they need to sell it will be a continued focus for the company.” – Ben Bard, Vice President, Lutron
Gold: Sonos
“The Sonos brand name has become synonymous with wireless home audio. So when clients reach out to us, they ask if we install Sonos.”– verbatim survey response from integrator
Silver: Amazon Ring
“At Ring, we haven’t stopped building on our commitment to deliver more convenience and peace of mind by pushing the boundaries of innovation and changing the ways customers see home security. Part of that is ensuring we are working with our partners in the field, and help bring them the tools needed to deliver real impact to their customers through our mission to make neighborhoods safer. With 50 devices across 5 core categories sold around the world, our partners have helped make the doorbell be more than just a button outside of your house.”
Category Kudos:
Google Nest
“Nest Pros can harness the power of the Google brand and elevate their business with Google Nest – the smart home products customers ask for by name. With beautiful design and built-in intelligence, they can help turn your everyday customers into smart home customers who keep coming back for more.”
McIntosh
“McIntosh brand is revered among our clients and the company’s website includes a dealer locator.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
Séura
“Séura makes it a priority to help our resellers be successful. We’ve introduced a number of new lead generation tools, including our Find A Pro locator tool on seura.com and our new inspirational Lookbook that highlights Séura products throughout the home. Our Customer Asset Kit offers HTML email templates, brochures, sell sheets, and merchandising support to help integrators boost their marketing efforts. We’re honored to be recognized by CE Pro for our lead generation and grateful to our customers who are maximizing these tools.” – Keegan Coulter, Chief Marketing Officer, Séura
Category: Best Sales/Marketing Assistance
Platinum: Nice
“We are honored to receive the Platinum award for Best Sales/Marketing Assistance for the third year in a row. This recognition is a testament to our dedication to delivering exceptional partner support as our number one priority. By offering customizable marketing assets, product photos, lifestyle images, and videos to every partner through our free Pro Portal, we’re able to quickly respond and adapt to the individual needs of our partners. Furthermore, we strive for excellence through specialized programs, such as the CTA award-winning Builder Program, which provides value-added sales and marketing collateral and dedicated support for builders and integrators for their unique projects.” — Mark Burson, Chief Marketing Officer, Nice North America
Gold: Sony
“At Sony we pride ourselves on the partnership we have with our customers. This ideology applies to every touchpoint surrounding the sale – Programs, Sales Support, Problem resolution, Logistics, as well as industry leading co-marketing activities to help drive new business to our dealers. We are honored to be recognized by our customers for these important aspects of our business.” – Jeff Goldstein, Head of Sales, Custom Installation, Sony
Silver: One Firefly
“Over the past year, we’ve continued to support our clients by anticipating the marketing needs of the industry, and developing the products and services that will help dealers land new opportunities and grow during times of economic uncertainty. We’ve expanded our offerings in areas like video, live chat, and advertising, as well as partnered with industry-leading manufacturers to offer new marketing programs to dealers. We’re dedicated to investing our time, resources, and people into the innovative solutions, education, and long-term relationships that help integrators be successful.” — Ron Callis, CEO, One Firefly
Category Kudos:
Paradigm
“People, product and passion, that is the key to our success and, I believe, a big part of why our dealers have recognized us. We will continue to strive for excellence and improvement in all aspects of our business to be our dealers best vendor partner. This year, we have ambitious plans for significant upgrades to our B2B and consumer websites, as well as improvements to our product, marketing communications, and content. These upgrades will enable us to better support our dealers both before and after the sale of Paradigm and Anthem products.” — David Baker, Director of Sales, Paradigm
Google Nest
“The Google Nest Pro program offers a variety of support for our Nest Pros, including access to training materials on Nest products, special VIP support line, and a dedicated field sales & training team. The Nest Pro website (g.co/nestpro) also features a link to our Partner Marketing Hub, where installers can download product images, tech specs, and relevant messaging.”
Category: Best RMR Support Programs
Platinum: OneVision Resources
“At OneVision, we take a comprehensive approach to helping integrators reign in the chaos of service. Our award-winning, white-label support team is just the beginning. Additionally, we offer white-glove implementation and training services; a proven turn-key system for generating real recurring revenue and driving service profits; a proprietary set of software for managing your entire service operation; and more. Happier clients, healthier work-life balance, and a streamlined service process are all possible thanks to the holistic approach we take with our partners.”
Gold: Alarm.com
“Alarm.com is committed to providing our service providers with innovative Partner Success Services. Through Customer Connections and our dedicated Upsell programs, we focus time and energy helping our Partners acquire, develop, and engage customers. We work closely to monitor results, make optimizations to drive engagement, and upsell, ultimately boosting RMR and customer satisfaction.” — Nicole Brown, Director, Partner Marketing, Alarm.com
Silver: Snap One/Parasol
“At Snap One, we believe that delivering great experiences for customers through our Partners extends beyond product and into support. Our investment in Parasol – and its acquisition in 2022 – provides a foundation for growth, and reinforces our commitment to provide Partners with an RMR support option built by integrators, for integrators.” – Graham Jaenicke, Snap One Vice President of New Ventures
Category Kudos:
Savant
“Last year Savant introduced the first Smart Home Subscription Model and is pioneering software as a service (SaaS) across the CI industry, providing dealers with a critical revenue stream while also enabling superior service to each client. From the groundbreaking Backup & Restore feature to best-in-class system analytics tools and numerous other value-add features, Savant offers a vastly smarter home, with SaaS as the foundation for keeping clients updated with the latest features.”
Alula
“At Alula we pride ourselves in offering value-adding, RMR-enhancing services to alarm professionals. Our $99 service credit on Connect+ and Alula communicators is the best in the industry and can be used for up to 18 months of free service. Plus, we keep add-on services, things like interactive security, home automation and video, affordable so our partners can enjoy the profits.”
Category: Best Software Support
Platinum: D-Tools
“Second only to its promise to deliver the most comprehensive and intuitive end-to-end software solution to the electronic systems industry, D-Tools is committed to ensuring that all customers get the training and support they need to realize the full benefit from our software. To be honored as a CE Pro Quest for Quality Award winner for the 7th consecutive year is a tribute to our team’s continued and unwavering commitment to our customers’ success.” – Randy Stearns, CEO, D-Tools
Gold: Portal
“We founded Portal with a clear vision in mind: to offer the simplest and most user-friendly business software on the market. From the very beginning, we decided to provide our users with free training and support. That decision wasn’t easy — it required we stick to our core goal of keeping Portal simple and intuitive. Dealers rarely need help with Portal, but when they do, we’re there for them with live chat support and screenshares. We’re proud to say that our commitment to exceptional customer service has been recognized by the industry, and we’re deeply grateful to all the dealers who voted for us.”
Silver: iPoint
“iPoint empowers your team with the tools to win. A large part of that is providing the support necessary to keep you in control of your business. We pride ourselves on positioning those with a servant’s heart on the front lines for our community. The iPoint manual provides many self-service options, but if you need more help, our team of professionals provides unparalleled support to the entire iPoint community. We do not ask you to pay extra for it. At iPoint, our job is to become the most valuable employee your company has, and the level of support our Success Agents provide is just one way we accomplish that goal for every single community member every single day.”
Category Kudos:
WhyReboot
“The thing that makes us different than our competitors when it comes to support is that support is our sole function. Support is our product. The hardware and systems we offer are secondary and are just a means to enable us to provide the best support we can to our valued partners. We design and pick products that work, allow us to troubleshoot issues effectively and efficiently, and that stay running 24/7 365……just like our support department. Our partners know that it doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas Eve, if they have a problem we are one phone call away with ZERO hold times and always a high level tech ready to help.” — Bjørn Jensen, President, WhyReboot
Category: Best Warranty Support/Policies
Platinum: Sonance
“At Sonance, we strive to make lasting partnerships with our customers. We know that the relationship doesn’t end at the transaction. We are here to support our customers and their clients when products need service or replacement. We are honored to be considered one of the industry bests for warranty support.”
Gold: Snap One
“All of our products go through months of development and testing before they ever make it into your hands, and we take pride in offering the best brands in the industry. We are constantly monitoring and utilizing database tools to act proactively and continuously monitor quality. If there’s ever an issue, our team is committed to making your experience right by actively repairing it remotely and if that doesn’t help, sending you a replacement product immediately to get you back up and running and minimizing disruptions in your day.” – Avi Galili, VP, Hardware Engineering, Snap One
Silver: Sony
“At Sony we pride ourselves on the partnership we have with our customers. This ideology applies to every touchpoint surrounding the sale – Programs, Sales Support, Problem resolution, Logistics, as well as industry leading co-marketing activities to help drive new business to our dealers. We are honored to be recognized by our customers for these important aspects of our business.” – Jeff Goldstein, Head of Sales, Custom Installation, Sony
Category Kudos:
LG
“Via its distributors like Next Level Distribution, the reliability and price point, price protection and warranty of LG’s products are second to none.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
Legrand AV
“We take pride in the innovative design and quality manufacturing that go into every Legrand | AV product, backed by strong warranties to give our customers an extra layer of confidence. If there is an issue, our dedicated teams are there to ensure quick turnaround times and a hassle-free experience.” – Jackie Caton, VP – Sales Effectiveness, Legrand | AV
Coastal Source
“Coastal Source has built a reputation for some of the highest performance products in the industry. But we believe that the real magic of our company is our people. This shines through in our Customer Service, Warranty and Shipping Support teams. We’re proud of our team and thrilled to see them recognized by our dealers!”
Category: Best Shipping Policies
Platinum: Sony
“At Sony we pride ourselves on the partnership we have with our customers. This ideology applies to every touchpoint surrounding the sale – Programs, Sales Support, Problem resolution, Logistics, as well as industry leading co-marketing activities to help drive new business to our dealers. We are honored to be recognized by our customers for these important aspects of our business.” – Jeff Goldstein, Head of Sales, Custom Installation, Sony
Gold: Snap One
“Our primary focus is on getting our Partners their products as soon as possible! In spite of the ongoing challenges impacting businesses everywhere, this team pushes themselves to deliver. We continue to see ourselves as a part of each of your businesses with a goal to make your lives easier.” – Nathan Porter, SVP, Operations, Snap One
Silver: Nice
“We understand how important transparent and on-time shipping practices are to our partners and their projects. Despite the widespread global supply chain issues in 2022, we made every effort to minimize disruption and maintain our commitment to one- to two-day shipping for our orders. We strive to maintain this level of service by offering free freight minimums and specialized shipping programs for our most loyal customers so that we can save our partners and integrators time and money.” — Cathy Ferris, Director of Logistics and Distribution, Nice North America
Category Kudos:
Atlona
“When other manufacturers announced extreme availability issues, Atlona came through with assistance in the form of system design, programming. This saved several jobs we thought we would lose.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
Masimo Consumer
“There are many reasons we can point to for our success. Most important is that we have a dedicated and experienced logistics team in house that works hard to ensure that each shipment, no matter how small or large, receives our full attention. We also work hard to accommodate our customers whenever possible by honoring their shipping requests. We understand that each customer is unique, with their own expectations and requirements, which we strive to meet those as best as possible. And finally, we have a great customer service team that is responsive and just as dedicated to providing an excellent customer experience.”
Coastal Source
“Coastal Source has built a reputation for some of the highest performance products in the industry. But we believe that the real magic of our company is our people. This shines through in our Customer Service, Warranty and Shipping Support teams. We’re proud of our team and thrilled to see them recognized by our dealers!”
Category: Best Dealer Portal
Platinum: Crestron
“Providing our dealers with the materials and assets they need is extremely important to us. Crestron’s Pro Portal brings that all together in one place to arm them with the tools they need. This portal is continuously evolving, with the newest features including easier access to ordering information and product pricing.” – John Clancy, Executive Vice President, Residential
Gold: Snap One
“We have a team that’s truly dedicated to doing what is needed for our Partners to succeed, but we’re also thankful for Partners who are generous with their feedback. Thanks to this combination we can keep driving forward with new products, brands, time-saving features, and other improvements to help our Partners’ businesses.” – Bike Howard, SVP, Digital Experience, Snap One
Silver: Savant
“At Savant, we strive to make our dealers tools as innovative as our product offering. We design our tools to deliver quick information, helping their small businesses to be more efficient. Savant’s tools include online design, quoting, marketing, education and purchasing tools that help integrators access key data, quick pricing, and more.”
Category Kudos:
HDANYWHERE
“Having our own Cloud portal has enabled us to better support integrators ‘across the pond’. We can deploy rapid resolutions for dealers without either us or them necessarily having to visit the site. The Cloud portal is one of our features that helps set HDA apart from your typical ‘dumb matrix’.” – Chris Pinder, Founder & CEO, HDANYWHERE
Sonance
“Sonance is very proud to offer MYSONANCE as our new dealer portal through my.sonance.com. We worked closely with our customers to identify the right features to best support their needs and we are excited by the overwhelmingly positive response since its release.”
Category: Best Consumer-Facing Website
Platinum: Sonos
“The great aspect of the Sonos website is not that DIY customers can “build” their own systems and do their own setups, but the dealer locator highlights Platinum Partners and Upgrade Partners so customers who require assistance or want to hear a live demo can reach out.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
Gold: Kaleidescape
“Our website strategy has focused on providing a clear understanding of the premium experience Kaleidescape delivers to consumers while also serving as an educational resource for dealers. We have paid attention to ensuring the elegant design carries through from desktop to mobile, providing streamlined navigation to new pages like the Home Theater Guide, which offers valuable insights from industry-leading designers and examples of balanced home theater systems consumers look to for inspiration.” — Amanda Davis, Senior Manager, Marketing Programs, Kaleidescape
Silver: Masimo Consumer
“The Bowers & Wilkins website not only showcases the company’s array of speakers and headphones, it has a dealer finder that feeds us leads.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
Category Kudos:
Leon Speakers
“Leon Speakers is proud to accept the CE Pro 2023 Quest for Quality Kudos Award for Best Consumer Facing Website. Our website is designed to give you the tools to specify beautiful custom integration solutions, and to make it as easy as possible along the way. Launched in 2021, the new leonspeakers.com is comprised of easy-to-navigate product pages, detailed selectable custom options, and extensive dealer resources—all representing our commitment to customization, customer service, and making what could be a daunting process simple. The recently launched Leon Online Store also offers a way for both dealers and end users to connect with Leon through signature branded merchandise, art works created through Leon’s unique artist collaborations and a limited selection of audio products delivered directly to your door. We are so thankful to everyone who nominated us for this award, and we look forward to continuing to serve your AV and technology concealment needs.”
KEF
“KEF’s website is full of interesting educational profiles of musicians. It is all about the music!” – verbatim survey response from integrator
MartinLogan
“When developing our website, our team wanted to focus on the end user experience, along with being a helpful reference to our valued dealer partners. Noting that in today’s environment sites can be loaded on a large variety of devices including phones, tablets, etc., we also wanted to ensure it was easy to navigate regardless of how it’s being accessed. We continue to revise and refresh our web presence and plan for some major upgrades in the coming year. That said, from the entire MartinLogan team thank you sincerely for recognizing us with this award. We are truly honored.” – Allan Tarrant, Senior Vice President, MartinLogan
MantelMount
“What distinguishes our site is that we utilize information from a variety of sources including our customers. Our FAQ’s come from our own in-house customer service. We read every product review and use that information as a learning tool. We combine all of this with surveys to get a deeper understanding of what’s important to our consumers. What’s more, we have years of on-staff experience with UI design and we use best practices on how to guide our customers with visuals and copy to the information they need. We supplement this with our FAQ’s that are easily searched for any and all product information that might be needed. Recently, we decided to separate our lower-end, DIY consumer series from our higher-end professional series and we also established www.mantelmountpro.com. With both sites, we believe our UI design allows for an easy-to-find format that is both engaging and quick to navigate. After several years of collecting information, incorporating revisions, and making improvements, we appreciate the acknowledgement.” – Lee Marc, CEO, MantelMount
Category: Best Training Programs
Platinum: URC
“URC builds training programs from the dealer perspective and anticipates questions and installation opportunities. The entire URC team celebrates this award for the 13th consecutive year! Winning this award affirms URC’s commitment to the success of our dealers. URC’s Training Team is exceptionally focused on ensuring that all our dealers fully comprehend and can quickly install our control and automation solutions. This commitment is core to our brand, our products and, especially, to our trainers. It is a testament to their expertise and dedication which they exemplify every day. We are humbled by this award and appreciate this recognition by our loyal dealers. We are energized for continued and shared success.” – Russ Hoffman, URC’s VP Training and Technical Support
Gold: DMF Lighting
“DMF understands that our dealers are a key component to our success and we pride ourselves on the investments we’ve made to provide them with every educational resource we have available. Training is an integral part of our DMF Brand Promise.”
Silver: Snap One
“Every effort made by our Education Team is to build the opportunities and careers of custom integrators in our industry. We don’t want to simply enhance the knowledge and skill in the industry, but also inspire a love for life-long learning. That can sound a bit utopian, but it drives everything we do. We love our Partners.” – Rus Rasmussen, Senior Director, Worldwide Education, Snap One
Category Kudos:
Cleerline
“Cleerline has great tech support and great training.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
OneVision Resources
“At OneVision, we take a comprehensive approach to helping integrators reign in the chaos of service. Our award-winning, white-label support team is just the beginning. Additionally, we offer white-glove implementation and training services; a proven turn-key system for generating real recurring revenue and driving service profits; a proprietary set of software for managing your entire service operation; and more. Happier clients, healthier work-life balance, and a streamlined service process are all possible thanks to the holistic approach we take with our partners.”
Trinnov
“Proper system design, installation and calibration are all essential elements in achieving exceptional immersive audio performance. We are grateful for the CE Pro community’s recognition of Trinnov’s deep commitment to educating and supporting our custom installers, integrators and dealers through our highly knowledgeable and sales and support teams. For 2023, we are expanding this commitment by appointing former CEDIA executive Dave Pedigo as our full-time Global Training Manager, enabling a deeper curriculum, continuing support of industry standards development, and advanced level training.”
Category: Best Dealer Programs/Incentives
Platinum: Sony
“At Sony we pride ourselves on the partnership we have with our customers. This ideology applies to every touchpoint surrounding the sale – Programs, Sales Support, Problem resolution, Logistics, as well as industry leading co-marketing activities to help drive new business to our dealers. We are honored to be recognized by our customers for these important aspects of our business.” – Jeff Goldstein, Head of Sales, Custom Installation, Sony
Gold: Samsung
“Our Platinum Program stresses a unique opportunity to ‘give back’ in that on an opt-in basis all of our program achieving partners have the opportunity to give back a small portion of their VIR achievement payout, have Samsung match it and we give the funding to several great organizations on behalf of the dealers and Samsung.” – James Mayo, Executive Director of Sales, Custom Installation, Samsung
Silver: Snap One
“Our Partner Rewards Program was created to benefit all Snap One Partners, no matter what or where they purchase. We consolidated all previous programs and shifted to a points-based model, making it easier to track progress and earn points on both Snap One-manufactured products and distributed products. This program is truly focused on the Partner, which is why we also added several new benefits to help them add value to their business and grow as a company.” — Janyl Mann, VP, Loyalty and Marketing Operations
Category Kudos:
Origin Acoustics
“While providing best in class audio products and an array of cultivated partner products, Origin Acoustics has always strived to be the best partner to our amazing dealers. Here at OA when evaluating product offerings, the first questions that are asked are; how can we serve our dealers better, how can we support them better, and how can create value added services and programs around a product or category? This is a core value at OA, striving to be better for our dealers and the entire industry at large. Whether it be amazing partnerships like Bang & Olufsen, Velodyne, Netgear, Crestron, Austere and others, creating compelling new products like the Big Bollard, offering best in class support through our Customer Experience department, or hosting 100’s of dealers at our Las Vegas HQ to teach them about how they can be better integrators and business owners. And don’t forget, we do all this for our dealers while making it as fun and exciting as possible! It’s the OA way.” – Joe Whitaker, VP, Business Development, Origin Acoustics
MSE Audio
“If I’ve helped even just one person, then it is a good day.” – Anna Lewis, Customer Service, MSE Audio
Category: Best Dealer Protection Policies
Platinum: Nice
“We aim to provide consistent, high-quality service at every touchpoint to ensure both the dealer and end clients are satisfied. We ensure that all dealers are authorized to sell our products to provide better price protection and avoid unauthorized online resellers. Additionally, we value our network of control dealers, which is why we are incredibly thoughtful and strategic in selecting our partners in order to avoid oversaturating the market.” – Jeff Costello, VP of Sales, Nice North America
Gold: Crestron
“It’s our continued focus to support our Crestron dealers by offering the best incentives, web tools and user experience while ensuring their data is protected. Being recognized in this category is a testament to the value we place in these partnerships.” — John Clancy, Executive Vice President, Residential. Crestron
Silver: Savant
“Savant carefully selects our business partners and delivers valuable programs to help drive profitability and growth for every Savant dealer.”
Category Kudos:
Paradigm/Anthem
“Balance and dedication to do what is best for the long term. As an independently owned and operated business, we strive every day to partner up with our local independently owned and operated dealers and put into place sales policies that are in their best interest. We want to be as important to them as they are to us. At the same time, we understand how consumer shopping behavior continues to evolve, and we need to adapt to address those changes. That’s why we continue to enforce and fine-tune our dealer policies, and we will not hesitate to terminate dealers who violate them. We believe that these efforts are crucial to ensuring the long-term success of our dealers and brands.” — David Baker, Director of Sales, Paradigm
Lenbrook
“Lenbrook has everything a dealer wants. Easy returns, product that almost never fails, easy to order, profitable and above all great support.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
AudioControl
“At AudioControl, we are sensitive to the challenges that dealers face in the field, and we take our support services and sales programs very seriously. We appreciate being recognized for those efforts. Our team will continue to work closely and forge great relationships with our dealers.”
Category: Supply Chain Mitigation
Platinum: Vanco
“We had a 97% fill rate on our orders in 2022 which, is something our entire team is incredibly proud of. We’ve had a multi-pronged approach to maintaining our supply through the challenges the entire industry has faced over the last few years, and it’s helped us find success. The first layer of our strategy has been to be really mindful about how and when we announce new products. Everyone gets excited for innovation and to launch their latest and greatest, but when dealers can’t order your product soon thereafter, it can create a disconnect. Our team has agreed that stock availability is a determining factor of when we announce a product. Our second layer has been establishing trusted relationships with our materials partners. We’ve been fortunate to have partners who advised us on shortages they were anticipating. As a result, Vanco was able to adjust our orders and inventory levels to meet demand. This provided a huge win for our team this year. When many companies in our space were out of stock on popular products like amps for the better part of the year, we were able to control our supply and effectively shorten out of stock periods.” – Mark Corbin, President, Vanco Int’l
Gold: URC
“URC’s comprehensive portfolio focused on control and automation, our training program, and our reliable supply chain are clear URC advantages. URC built an extensive network of suppliers to weather short-term and long-term product disruptions…to ensure timely, accurate product delivery for our dealers. Given the headwinds of the past few years, this award affirms our original supply chain strategy and celebrates the many members of our team. We are thankful for the recognition by our dealers and the industry. We are more committed than ever to ensure supply of quality products for our dealers and to help fuel their businesses.” – Chang K. Park, CEO, URC
Silver: Sonance
“Sonance puts partnership and dealer support first. We knew when supply chain became a global issue that we needed to protect our dealers and do everything in our power to buffer that pain point. Our team is dedicated to thinking creatively to overcome obstacles and we do so with our customers in mind.”
Category Kudos:
AudioControl
“AudioControl is committed to delivering the best sales and technical support, and we appreciate being recognized for those efforts. Our team will continue to work closely and forge great relationships with our dealers.”
Savant
“Savant has taken extraordinary steps to ensure timely delivery of key products to our network of dealers despite very real supply chain challenges. Together Savant and GE Lighting, a Savant company, have been able to apply a level of expertise and reach, smoothing the supply of key components. Savant invested early and heavily to secure core components as well as invested engineering resources to redesign key products to accommodate alternative components.”
Sony
“At Sony we pride ourselves on the partnership we have with our customers. This ideology applies to every touchpoint surrounding the sale – Programs, Sales Support, Problem resolution, Logistics, as well as industry leading co-marketing activities to help drive new business to our dealers. We are honored to be recognized by our customers for these important aspects of our business.” – Jeff Goldstein, Head of Sales, Custom Installation, Sony
Category: Best Social Media Presence
Platinum: Ring
“One of our main purposes on social media has been to build authentic connection and relationships directly with our customers in our online community. We focus on making great bespoke content that’s perfect for the platform our customer is on, to not only provide entertainment and fun engaging stories, but to educate in organic ways Ring’s strong customer use-cases. We’ve seen incredible positive feedback over the years to real-life stories, such as funny moments with family, neighborly moments, animal interactions, and with kind strangers in the community and moments where Ring helped a family stay connected or safe. Every story or piece of content we post is meant to engage, educate and inspire.”
Gold: Sonos
“Sonos social media consistently offers music, podcast and voice command recommendations, which make smart home technology more integral in our clients’ lives.” — verbatim survey response from integrator
Silver: Google Nest
“In addition to creating relevant content for our followers, we also include as much ‘behind the scenes’ as possible, as the Google Nest Pro team consists of many talented members all working to service our partners and the Nest Pros. Follow Google Nest Pro on LinkedIn to stay connected with our announcements and to see our team in action at industry events, both big and small.”
Category Kudos:
Josh.ai
“At Josh.ai, our commitment to curating an authentic and engaging social media presence resonates with our audience while setting our brand apart. From community-generated content showing the Josh experience in action to sharing exciting company updates, we strive to foster meaningful connections with our audience. In doing so, we have created a social media presence that is both informative and entertaining. Thank you for recognizing our efforts, we look forward to continuing to deliver compelling content that inspires and delights our community.”
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