CE Pro Podcast #166: The Hard Truth About Smart Home UX with Total Home Technologies

Summary

During a recent conversation with CE Pro, Total Home Technologies CEO Keith Harrison offered a sober assessment of how homeowners feel about professionally installed smart home systems. Harrison says industry research shows the average U.S. satisfaction rate hovers in the high 40% range after the first year and drops below 20% after five years.

“That’s saying about half the people are happy after a year,” he says. “After five years, it usually lands somewhere around 17 or 18 percent.”

Harrison argues these low scores stem from inconsistent installation standards, weak networking foundations and a gap between what integrators promise and what they deliver. Many systems never receive the customization that homeowners are told to expect.

“We promised simple. We promised easy. We didn’t do that,” he says.

He also points to the industry’s reluctance to proactively support clients after installation.

“We’re afraid to call our customers after we put the system in, because something’s probably wrong,” he says of the industry as a whole.

Harrison says some consumer platforms are advancing faster than the professional channel, especially around AI. While pro manufacturers lag behind in intelligent features, companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung have already built AI assistance into their broader ecosystems.

He encourages integrators to embrace mainstream platforms where appropriate, lean into Apple or Google depending on the client’s devices, and design systems that feel familiar and intuitive.

“Customers want simple. That doesn’t mean simple in design,” Harrison says. “Our job is to use all the parts and pieces we have to come up with something that looks and feels easy.”

Harrison says the path forward requires better networking, redundancy, long-term service plans and more confidence in setting non-negotiable design standards. “If you’re not going to build the foundation, I’m not going to put the house on top of it,” he says.

Summary

During a recent conversation with CE Pro, Total Home Technologies CEO Keith Harrison offered a sober assessment of how homeowners feel about professionally installed smart home systems. Harrison says industry research shows the average U.S. satisfaction rate hovers in the high 40% range after the first year and drops below 20% after five years.

“That’s saying about half the people are happy after a year,” he says. “After five years, it usually lands somewhere around 17 or 18 percent.”

Harrison argues these low scores stem from inconsistent installation standards, weak networking foundations and a gap between what integrators promise and what they deliver. Many systems never receive the customization that homeowners are told to expect.

“We promised simple. We promised easy. We didn’t do that,” he says.

He also points to the industry’s reluctance to proactively support clients after installation.

“We’re afraid to call our customers after we put the system in, because something’s probably wrong,” he says of the industry as a whole.

Harrison says some consumer platforms are advancing faster than the professional channel, especially around AI. While pro manufacturers lag behind in intelligent features, companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung have already built AI assistance into their broader ecosystems.

He encourages integrators to embrace mainstream platforms where appropriate, lean into Apple or Google depending on the client’s devices, and design systems that feel familiar and intuitive.

“Customers want simple. That doesn’t mean simple in design,” Harrison says. “Our job is to use all the parts and pieces we have to come up with something that looks and feels easy.”

Harrison says the path forward requires better networking, redundancy, long-term service plans and more confidence in setting non-negotiable design standards. “If you’re not going to build the foundation, I’m not going to put the house on top of it,” he says.