Parasol, the 24/7 remote support company created by three CE Pro 100 integrators, is getting its feet on the ground, reporting solid growth in dealers and accounts in 2018.
Indeed, since its inception last fall, the company announced it is now providing remote network service monitoring for more than 30 custom integration companies and handled 4,325 service tickets with a resolution rate of 70 percent.
The company held a reception at CEDIA Expo 2018 to celebrate its growth, and quickly announced it had 50 more integrators on tap to begin employing its remote network monitoring service.
The service had soft launch in the fall of 2017 with its three founders monitoring their own account, then began serving other integration companies in January 2018.
“We’re excited to reach this important milestone,” says Ted Bremekamp, Parasol’s co-founder and director of operations.
“We feel good about the progress we made with our original founding companies, but now it’s time to light the afterburners and watch Parasol grow to serve integrators from coast to coast.”
Parasol was founded by:
- Greg Simmons – Eagle Sentry in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Henry Clifford – Livewire in Richmond, Virginia
- Ted Bremekamp – ETC in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The three co-founders have a combined 78 years of industry experience and decided to partner up to expand and improve their service offerings.
Parasol’s goal is to bring affordable 24/7/365 remote monitoring service for the custom installation industry.
The “always-on remote support” is offered for a reasonable monthly fee with the aim of bringing much-needed relief to integrators and their clients, while also creating a recurring monthly revenue (RMR) stream for dealers.
The system is based on SnapAV OvrC remote managed services platform. The company has offices in Las Vegas, Nev., and Richmond, Va.
'4.6 Million Texts Never Received'
Speaking of the company’s performance, Clifford tried to itemize the results from the 70 percent ticket solve rate from those 4,000+ service events.
“That's 5,654 headaches eliminated, 1,549 dinners attended, 6,736 recitals not missed, 4,675,564 texts never received during dinner, and 56,875 happy kids,” he jokes.
The first wave of 28 integrators includes several prominent firms, including Automation Design + Entertainment in Kalamazoo, Mich., Sierra Systems in Reno, Nev., and Fusion Audio Video in Greenville, S.C.
The full list of integrators is: Livewire, Eagle Sentry, ETC, Automation & Design Entertainment, Fusion Audio and Video, Audio Video Intelligence, Acadian Home Theater & Automation, Acoustic AV, CDI, Definitive Audio, Inc., Home Theater Advisors, JM Resources, Liaison Home Automation, OneButton, Personal Technology, Sierra Systems, Spire Integrated, Sundown One, Twilight Solutions, Arracal, Inc., Atlantic Home Technology, Audio Intersection, DSI, Elite A/V, Horner Networks, Integrated Electronic Solutions, J.J.Orion, Rely Technology and Revolution Systems Inc.
Parasol’s dealers sell subscriptions to their new and current customers based on two plans with margin built in for integrators:
Reactive:
- Self-service app
- 24/7/365 remote support via text, email or chat
Proactive:
- Self-service app
- 24/7/365 remote support via phone, text, email or chat
- Parasol experts monitor systems proactively 24/7 and fix problems remotely without dealer or homeowner involvement
In addition to the two packages, Parasol has created an Onboarding Kit designed to help integrators with the sales process. Meanwhile, dealers have full flexibility in terms of pricing and term length on how they offer Parasol to their clients.
2019 Plans Include New Reporting, Portal
For 2019, Parasol is planning to create a new monthly update report for integrators to send to their clients, similar to the monthly “Nest Home Report” that Nest produces for its thermostat owners. Other plans include:
- Service reminders for subscribers
- RMR subscription platform assistance for integrators
- Dealer portal improvements, including co-branded marketing materials
- “Powered by Parasol” marketing for dealers on their websites and vehicle wraps
- Parasol certification program for technicians
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