What should I expect from my smart tech installer? Three insights from Epitome Living

Few things cause greater frustration during a big project than slow updates, products that are frustrating to use (or don't work at all), and being underwhelmed by the finish when the job’s done. We’ve all been there.

The minimum you should expect from your smart tech installer is a working system that fulfills the brief you set them. Good communication before and during the work is also reasonable to expect as a baseline.   

We’re of the opinion that you should be receiving more than the bare minimum from your installer.

Here are three insights from Epitome Living about what to expect from the smart tech installer working in your home or business. This applies in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and further afield. 

1. Design thinking

We tell our clients that they don’t have to be techy to have a smart home. All they need to have is a dream of how they want their home to serve them, and we take care of the rest.

The worst case scenario for your project is that your technology plan is an afterthought. We’re not blaming people that this can end up being the case - there can be a lot in your head when it comes to your project, particularly if you’re building from scratch for the first time.

We always advise getting in touch with a smart tech installer as early as possible if you have a technology dream for your home. That’s ideally once your plans have been approved by planning permission, or before you complete your rewire of a deep renovation. 

Design thinking for technology projects strives to discover the why behind your technology, then turns back-end complexity into user-friendly simplicity. You read more about how important we think this step is here.

At the very least, your technology partner should challenge you to consider better ways to facilitate what you’re asking for, rather than simply installing all the technology you want without question. If they don’t consider how the technologies can be integrated or used differently to fulfil the vision for your project, we’d start to wonder why.

Your installer should be thinking about the long-term success and sustainability of your project for how it serves your life. They shouldn’t just be putting TVs on the wall and spotlights everywhere.

2. Tidy workmanship

You may never look at your comms cupboard, but that doesn’t mean it should be left in a state. 

Unlabelled, unruly wiring is a big no from us at Epitome Living. Not only is this a problem for servicing and maintenance, but if it’s properly wild, it could be a danger due to overheating or lack of clarity for someone doing maintenance on the tech.

High-end homeowners expect a certain standard of workmanship to make their homes seamlessly elegant. For this reason, commercial project takeovers are where we encounter untidiness and lack of thought from a previous installer most often. 

That might be because the installer expected the client to care less about a commercial project. Perhaps if it works, that’s enough to create a happy client. If this is the case, it isn’t fair. 

Unfortunately, untidy workmanship does pop up in residential settings too. One particular smart home we took over recently wasn’t functioning properly (with some elements of the system the homeowner has never seen working), and it was extremely complicated to figure out why that was due to the workmanship of the last installer.

We carry the mindset of seamless elegance into all our projects - residential and commercial. If another installer did have to take our project over down the line, we want them to know what they’re dealing with. We also think our clients deserve it. 

It’s also not your job to tidy up after your installer, so they shouldn’t leave mess or rubbish behind them. This is even more important if they’ve moved your property to facilitate their work - it should always be left as it was found.

3. Aftercare

Not every smart technology installer offers aftercare - we didn’t until recently. For that reason, we aren’t going to say it’s a red flag if your smart tech installer doesn’t offer you an aftercare package once they’ve installed your tech.

Over the past couple of years we’ve come to see aftercare as an essential part of our business when it comes to providing excellent service to our customers. Technology isn’t perfect - it might cause some grief occasionally. We hope that if it does it’s minimal, but if it does start to cause problems, being on a subscription to receive ongoing maintenance and support can provide a huge peace of mind. 

You aren’t obligated to sign up to an aftercare package with your installer, but if you do, the benefits are worth the investment. That’s software updates done before you realise they’re needed, remote monitoring that all’s well with your system, and priority access to a human who can solve problems should something break. 

We believe that smart tech installers that offer an aftercare package are serious about their commitment to their clients. You can’t ignore a problem if someone’s paid in advance for you to solve it. You can read more about what you get with an aftercare package with Epitome Living here.

If you don’t have an aftercare package you should still be able to get hold of your installer to fix the problem. The last thing you want is for the person you trusted to deliver your technology package to disappear the minute you’re in distress. As we said at the beginning of this article, good communication falls under the bare minimum you should expect from your installer. 

We think you deserve more than the bare minimum from your smart tech installer - expect excellence.