Maintenance Plan
AVWorkz software took it upon itself to reduce on-site service calls and help integrators generate new reliable monthly revenue by introducing AVMS (Audio Visual Monitoring Services), the company’s newest offering for AV monitoring and management.
AVWORKZ SOFTWARE TOOK IT UPON ITSELF to reduce on-site service calls and help integrators generate new reliable monthly revenue by introducing AVMS (Audio Visual Monitoring Services), the company’s newest offering for AV monitoring and management.
AVMS is a Web-based service that allows AV professionals to monitor their clients’ AV systems from their own locations. It was designed to save time, reduce operating costs for support and maintenance, and keep integrators in front of customers in a positive way, according to Connie Bolt, AVWorkz’s vice president of sales. The service provides integrators the ability to monitor Crestron control system information, get real-time alert messages when systems fail, ping IP addresses for local device status, manage temperature and lighting levels, and more. The software’s newest feature: support for Polycom VTC systems, including system status, dial/hang up, speed dial, and remote diagnostic information.
AVWorkz’s turnkey solution involves coding and loading a system, setting up the network interface, and configuring the service. The AVWorkz team handles the heavy IT work of managing the database, e-mail configurations, and Web servers. AV professionals access the service by logging in to the Network Operations Center through a Web browser. While the Center is always online and available, a backup system protects client data, just in case, and outbound data connections avoid most firewall-related obstacles by adding a module to each system that needs to be managed. Requirements to run the AVMS system include a PC with Microsoft Internet Explorer, a Crestron control system with RMM-2.72 or newer, and a tech support team to monitor activity. The number of technicians and administrators a company can assign to the system is unlimited.
Because AVMS is a service an integrator can offer to a client, it could potentially become a source of additional income. “AVMS provides any member of an integrator’s technical team with access to a customer’s mission-critical data and diagnostic tools from any location worldwide, while simultaneously providing a new source or recurring revenue to improve their business’ bottom line,” says Richard Blackwell, president and chief technology officer at AVWorkz Software.
The initial package for project management and data storage is free and accessible through www.avworkz.com. Add-on features, such as Remote Monitoring & Control, are priced per system – called a resource – in sets of 10, with a minimum of $18 per month for 10 resources ($180 total) and $13 per resource for groups over 100. Scheduling of events and data collection is another $4 each per resource. According to AVWorkz’s research, which Blackwell admits is somewhat limited, integrators charge an average of $800 a year per resource.
