{"id":257,"date":"2010-02-04T15:04:25","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T21:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/?p=257"},"modified":"2010-02-04T15:04:25","modified_gmt":"2010-02-04T21:04:25","slug":"10-ways-to-be-a-good-customer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/cisncuser\/audio-systems\/10-ways-to-be-a-good-customer\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Be a Good Customer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-258\" title=\"89_LeisureRmEntCabinet300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/89_LeisureRmEntCabinet300.jpg\" alt=\"89_LeisureRmEntCabinet300\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/89_LeisureRmEntCabinet300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/89_LeisureRmEntCabinet300-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>How to work with your custom electronics professional to ensure that your project is successful.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re planning on adding a home theater, want to create curb energy use or need electronic systems that\u2019ll make your life more efficient and convenient, it pays to be a good customer.<\/p>\n<p>According to custom electronics professionals (CE pros), there are certain things you can do to ensure that the project runs smoothly and that the technology his firm designs and installs for you satisfies all your needs. In speaking with CE pros throughout the years, I\u2019ve come up with a list of 10 ways to guarantee high-tech success in your home.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">1. Know your priorities.<\/span> What\u2019s your biggest hot button? Is it watching movies in high-def or having music play wherever you go? Maybe you\u2019re more concerned with streamlining the control of the lights in your house. List your priorities from top to bottom, and get every member of your family involved in the process. This will help your CE pro decide where to focus the bulk of your budget.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">2. Have a budget<\/span>. Speaking of budget, it\u2019s a good idea to at least have a ballpark figure in mind. If you know approximately how much you can spend, your installer will have an easier time picking out products that\u2019ll meet both your priorities and your budget.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3. Share your story. <\/span>\u00a0Believe it or not, your lifestyle, schedule and routines are of interest to your CE pro. The fact that you wake up at 7, work until 6 and go to bed at 11 may seem mundane to you, but information like this is critical to the workings of your systems. With it, your CE pro will be able to set up a schedule for the lights and thermostats to adjust automatically throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">4. Attend meetings.<\/span> Particularly for projects where technology will be installed during the construction of a home, it\u2019s common for the CE pro, architect, builder, interior designer and other subcontractors to meet weekly. It\u2019s helpful if you also attend these meetings. You\u2019ll be able to share your input and answer any questions they might have.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">5. Maintain contact<\/span>. It\u2019s inevitable that you\u2019ll run into a few hiccups during the project. Be sure that your CE pro is able to reach you to throughout the project so collectively you can decide how to proceed.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">6. Be willing to compromise<\/span>. Some of hiccups may require some form of compromise. For example, the perfect spot for viewing your built-in TV might have a heating duct in the way. Your CE pro, will likely suggest a different location. Hear him out and be willing to deviate from the original plan.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">7. Stay the course.<\/span> There\u2019s nothing more difficult for a CE pro to deal with than a client who changes his or her mind continually during the course of a project. Asking for a different product, like a larger TV, can often jeopardize the entire project. In this case, your CE pro may need to modify the size of the cabinet, readjust the position of the speakers and maybe even redo the construction plans so that the room can accommodate a larger screen. All this will cost you time and money.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">8. Do your homework<\/span> \u2013 but not too much. It\u2019s always a good idea to educate yourself before undertaking any project, but understand that your CE pro know which products work best together and which don\u2019t. Even though you\u2019ve read nothing but good reviews on a certain surround-sound receiver, for example, it may not be the right one for your type of A\/V system. Leave product selection to your CE pro.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">9. Expect follow-up<\/span>. The more you live with your systems, the more you understand how you\u2019d like the electronics to perform. For example, the 50 percent brightness setting you and your CE pro originally agreed on for the hallway lights may seem too dim after you\u2019ve lived in your house for a month or two. Expect your systems to be tweaked a few times after the installation is complete.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">10. Spread the word.<\/span> If your CE pro does a good job, tell other people about it. Word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising. Who knows\u2014if you connect your CE pro with a new customer, he just might give you a deal on your next project.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0by Lisa Montgomery<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.electronichouse.com\/article\/10_ways_to_be_a_good_customer\/C227\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.electronichouse.com\/article\/10_ways_to_be_a_good_customer\/C227<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"COLOR: #0000ff\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/\">Custom Installation Services, LLC <\/a>&#8211; Home\u00a0Theater, Audio and Video Services, Home\u00a0Automation \u00a0in North Carolina and South Carolina<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to work with your custom electronics professional to ensure that your project is successful. Whether you\u2019re planning on adding a home theater, want to create curb energy use or need electronic systems that\u2019ll make your life more efficient and convenient, it pays to be a good customer. According to custom electronics professionals (CE pros), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,37,117,318],"tags":[129,120,358,84,426,381,411,427,337,86,58,38,54,9,17],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}