A recent study by RBC Capital Markets predicts that installations of Alexa devices could reach 128-million units by 2020, creating an enormous new market opportunity for commercial and residential AV installation companies, according to AV Junction founder and CEO Paul Weatherhead, but only if firms take steps now to ensure they are staffed with freelance professionals who have smart technology experience.
“AV installation services are entirely different from services like Alexa for Business and, in fact, we believe they can and will feed each other’s growth in the years to come,” Weatherhead predicted today. “AV companies and their specialized freelancers will be in high demand to ensure that Alexa for Business is properly installed and customized with the right skills. Collaborative spaces like conference and huddle rooms are of paramount importance in the age of distance meetings and international projects.”
According to Weatherhead, Alexa for Business will work with built-in features customized for an office setting, including the ability to make calls and check security camera feeds. Amazon is also hoping to work together with software developers to build many more office-specific apps like managing work calendars and setting the stage for a meeting by dimming lights, lowering blinds, and adjusting temperatures in the conference room — functions that make the AV installer’s role more important than ever before.
“Installers have to let their customers know that they are the very best Alexa consultant available to them and that getting the right benefits from voice enabled installations requires the assistance of a true professional installer who understands how to design and install the right voice enabled system for their unique situation,” Weatherhead challenged.
Launched in December 2017, AV Junction is a fully integrated, multi-featured web platform that enables AV companies to search for, hire, and manage qualified freelancers on a project-to-project basis, as needed, from anywhere in the world. AV companies can post an unlimited number of jobs, search a vast worldwide database of independents, create work order contracts for hiring, message freelancers directly, and make secure payments. Industry freelancers can join the database free-of-charge to easily search for and apply to relevant jobs based on skill, sector and job type.
AV Junction encompasses the entire spectrum of the AV company and freelancer relationship – from the application process to the payment of the final invoice. Specific platform features include:
- Qualified Applicant Searching: AV companies can quickly find qualified and competent AV technicians in local or remote areas if their go-to talent is unavailable.
- Simple Invoicing: Freelancers can enjoy simple invoicing with easy work order creation for every hire, and the ability to set payment terms ahead of time. All they have to do is click ‘invoice.’
- Milestone Payouts: AV companies and freelancers can set customized project ‘milestones’ on fixed priced work orders to provide insurance of work completion, thereby improving customer satisfaction.
- Secure Payment Processing: A payment processor by STRIPE Connect handles payouts in multiple currencies and leverages a sophisticated milestone completion process. The milestone process ensures that freelancers get paid securely and on time, and allows employers to approve payouts when work is completed properly.
- Ratings System: AV companies can rate freelancers after each project, boosting attractiveness to other potential employers after a job well done. Freelancers can also rate employers on factors like communication, use of tools, and timeliness of payment.
AV Junction is available to commercial and residential systems integrators, rental, live event and staging professionals, exhibit and production houses, and audiovisual manufacturers globally, wherever Stripe is accepted. Interested customers can sign up for a free three-month trial to begin. After 90 days, users can choose between an ‘Economy’ package, with a pay-as-you-go model offering access to the site and a flat fee per hire, or a ‘Professional’ package which includes a $150 USD monthly subscription with full site access, full features, and a discounted flat fee per hire.
To register for the platform, click here. For more images, click here.