Item: AVI-SPL
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with AVI-SPL

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use AVI-SPL for the design and installation of our conference room audio visual systems and other equipment installations. We have preventative maintenance and service agreements for those systems. They are also a preferred vendor for equipment purchases. When looking for recommendations for the latest and greatest equipment and technologies I will call on my sales reps.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Audio Visual system design
Troubleshooting for repair work
suggesting innovative new products

Cons

reaching specific people in the service department. I am usually not sure what technician they will send and due to our company's COVID protocols, I need forms filled out ahead of time by the techs that will be on site.
Reaching people for scheduling. Occasionally I have tried to schedule a service call, provided my availability when asked, and then not heard back to confirm a date. This has left the follow-up communication up to me.
When trying to reach the general service department for just a simple question, they always open up a service ticket that sometimes goes unanswered for quite a while. The last time this happened I just wanted to know when my next PM visit was due to be scheduled. I still have not heard back. It has been 5 days.

Return on Investment

Our Lobby Conference Room that AVI-SPL designed and installed is an impressive showpiece for customers and potential clients.
The UCC applications that have been installed in recent years weren't so quick to take off at first, but since the pandemic, they have become an essential part of our daily operations.

Support Rating

Communication with Support and Scheduling is the only reason I did not rate this question as an eight or a nine. Without having to make a phone call I wish that sending emails was responded to a little more efficiently. Every time I ask Service what seems like a simple question, a ticket is opened. Something like "When is my next PM visit coming up?" This generated a service ticket to be opened which after 5 days has not been responded to. Normally response time from Service is not this bad. The Scheduling Department has had some very poor response times as well.

Employee Productivity

Thanks to product recommendations with my sales reps I was able to set up a remotely monitored IT Service Desk solution for people who still had to work on-site during the shutdown. Employees could walk into the Service Desk with computer problems and still be attended to by a live person via video technologies in place.

Alternatives Considered

I have used other AV vendors and AVI has usually always been a pleasure to work with. Some of the other vendors I have used in the past have actually now been acquired by AVI-SPL (Whitlock and SKC Communications)

Key Insights

Do you think AVI-SPL delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with AVI-SPL's feature set?

Yes

Did AVI-SPL live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of AVI-SPL go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy AVI-SPL again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Crestron Mercury, Crestron XiO, Crestron Flex Series

Likelihood to Recommend

AVI-SPL does very nice design and installation work. I believe that they come up with innovative solutions. I understand how hard it is to do a nice project on a limited budget but it would be nice to see more options for designs saving money. Our departments and managers always want nice solutions (as everyone does), but don't always have a big enough budget.

Using AVI-SPL

Users and Roles

20 - The IT department and the Facilities department use them for installations, designs, and product recommendations.

Support Headcount Required

1 - I am not really sure what you are asking. I am the main person who deals with AVI-SPL.

Business Processes Supported

Room design
technology installations
recommendations for equipment, technology, emerging trends

Innovative Uses

UCC solutions during the pandemic shutdown

Future Planned Uses

technology upgrades as equipment and trends rise

Likelihood to Renew

We have faith in AVI-SPL and their capabilities and products. They are a preferred vendor of ours and we have a running PO for purchases made through them.

Evaluating AVI-SPL and Competitors

Products Replaced

Not Sure

Key Differentiators

Product Reputation
Prior Experience with the Product

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I was not with my company when the initial decisions were made. I would like opportunities to see other vendor options, but overall I have been very happy with AVI-SPL regardless.

AVI-SPL Implementation

Implementation Rating

AVI SPL needs to consider more flexibility with re scheduling when installation projects run off course.

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Don't know

Implementation Phases

Yes - Due to Crestron supply chain issues, we had to implement our newest conference room construction into two phases. Phase One was just to get available technology into the conference rooms so they were useable on a limited basis. Phase two was planned for once the rest of our Crestron equipment finally became available and we could complete the conference rooms as we had originally planned.

Change Management Lessons

Change management was a major issue with the implementation - supply chain issues played a large roll in change requests on our most recent conference room projects.

Implementation Issues

supply chain
missed deadlines
difficulty rescheduling project appointments

AVI-SPL Support

AVI-SPL Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	Not kept informed

Premium Support

We purchased Elite Coverage and quarterly preventative maintenance visits for our most visible showcase conference rooms. These rooms are highly customer visible, and we purchased the Elite Coverage to guarantee fast response when needed. Their technicians are highly knowledgeable, and have always quickly diagnosed any problems we have encountered. We need to ensure the technology in our rooms is not down for any extended length of time.

Bug Resolution

Exceptional Examples of AVI-SPL Support

When we open tickets to request a service call, I always get assigned a case worker quickly and receive a personal response and dedicated email contact for each case. In most cases they are able to dispatch a technician to our site within a few days. In some cases I have been able to get a technician on site within only 2 days.

Using AVI-SPL

Usability

Their customer portal which is linked to the initial service ticket that you open is often not updated with your service ticket details or status. You have to rely on the case worker assigned to your ticket to give you updates. It is difficult to just check the status or close notes yourself without searching through your email messages.