9 Manufacturers Win Integrator ‘Kudos’ in CE Pro’s Quest for Quality

Some companies are bound to win Quest for Quality Awards in multiple categories, simply because their breadth of products extends beyond one or two technology categories and therefore reaches a wider and more abundant integrator audience.

Strength in numbers will tend to lead to strength in voting across the service board. But that shouldn’t take away from manufacturers that are working hard to serve a group of integrators that might only buy from them in one or two product categories.

To reflect some of the passionate responses we receive in these instances, CE Pro has again this year added to the awards a “Category Kudos” honor that recognizes such manufacturers.

Atlona Tech Support

Atlona (Tech Support)
“We pride ourselves on providing excellent technical support. At Atlona, quality is not negotiable. Our customers not only expect to receive industry-leading products supported by our award-winning 10-year warranty, but they also expect top-notch service and support should they ever need help.

“In our industry, support is key and expectations are high. Atlona offers seven days-a-week support for all our customers worldwide along with certified design services and a very strong educational and certification program. As our company grows, we are constantly growing and innovating our support organization.” —Ilya Khayn, President and CEO

The DaVinci Group (Dealer Programs/Incentives)
“It is intensely gratifying that The DaVinci Group dealers have recognized us with another Quest for Quality award, our third in three years. I believe it shows that dealers appreciate innovation in the design of dealer programs as well as innovation in the design of products.

“Based on our years of experience in custom integration, we developed a package of programs that both support the sale of our products, while simultaneously maximizing profits for our dealers. To those dealers who voted for The DaVinci Group, we humbly offer our deepest gratitude.” —Jeff Francisco, President, The DaVinci Group

Easy Access Distribution (Training Programs)
“Customer service can’t be shopped. We understand the needs of our customers and the difficulties they experience on the job. We attempt to provide a higher degree of customer service, with first-tier technical support, 24/7 customer pickup, in-house network design, and a contemporary showroom that is available for consolation on a system design, a place to bring your customers for product demonstration and the best training showroom experience you will receive in New England.” —Steve Presti, Principal

ELK Service Staff

ELK Products (General Communication)
“We respect our customers’ time as time affects their revenue stream. Having a live operator allows callers to quickly reach help, preventing them from being lost in confusing phone menus. Prompt, accurate service and support are provided with patience and courtesy.

“Customer feedback is taken seriously; we carefully listen and pass their feedback to product management. We truly feel respect is fundamental to building relationships and ensuring customer satisfaction.” —Amy Strickland, Marketing and Support

Epson (Warranty Policies)

Integra (Warranty Policies)
“Integra stands behind defective products after warranty … five years in some cases. They do the right thing, which makes us look that much better.” —CE Pro Reader

KEF (Social Media Presence)
“We at KEF realize that our biggest ally, and the biggest ally of consumers of our products, is the professional who sells, installs and services what we design and manufacture. The importance of having a solid social media presence that lets our audience know how strongly we feel about our relationships with them and the people who sell our products is something we take seriously.

KEF Team

“We realize with every social media post we make that not only is our reputation on the line, but so are the reputations of the professionals who partner with us. Our goal is to let the high-end audio consumer know about our commitment to quality and that the professionals who partner with us share that same commitment.” —Dipin Sehdev, Internet Marketing and Brand Relations

S1 Digital (Tech Support)

The CE PRO “Best Technical Support” award for 2016 reinforces our business philosophy and embodies who we are. We are thankful to those dealers and installers who voted in our favor to make this award possible for S1Digital… Big Thanks to you all. We also want to thank CE-Pro for creating the platform for manufacturers and product recognition globally. We believe that our dealers need our support especially at mission-critical moment on job locations.  When our dealers succeed, we succeed. Quality Control has always been our credo from design through manufacture and down to our support system.

S1Digital has an array of audio streamers to fit every budget need. Built on a reliable platform, our servers are easy to install, yield high profit margin for dealers and is backed by the best support system in the industry. We go into intricate details in our manufacturing process to ensure that our servers consistently provide high level of performance to meet the demand for high quality streaming audio. — Ken Oyekan, Sales and Marketing Manager

SunBriteTV (Warranty Policies)
“We received our 65-inch SunBriteTV and staged it for an upcoming installation. The installation ended up being postponed for several months at request from the client. Upon delivery of the TV we found it to be physically damaged. The damage was concealed and not noticed until opening the carton. A phone call was made to SunBriteTV explaining our finding. SunBriteTV expedited replacement parts to our shop, and an authorized SunBriteTV service technician was then dispatched to make the repairs, all at no charge.

“Yes it was the right thing to do; however, in today’s industry with shipping and receiving problems I don’t know of many that would have stepped up to take care of this problem. Most other manufacturers allow only a few days to report damage. —CE Pro Reader