StaffDawn Boland, Vice President, Customer Experience at ADI | Snap One, underlines how manufacturers and distributors can help installers stay ahead of training and certification needs.
From AI-driven surveillance to whole-home automation, the tools and solutions available to integrators are more powerful and complex than ever before. While this creates new opportunities for businesses and new experience for end-users, it also highlights a critical need: ensuring installers have the training, certifications and skills required to maximise product capabilities before, during and after installation.
Manufacturers and distributors sit at the heart of this ecosystem. By providing consistent training programmes, certifying expertise, developing industry partnerships and nurturing both technical and people-oriented skills, they play a central role in helping professionals stay ahead of the curve.
The Importance of Ongoing Education
One of the most valuable investments manufacturers and distributors can make is in continuous education, as opposed to one-time product demos. Ongoing training ensures installers stay current on advanced features, updates and upgrades as they’re introduced.
Hands-on workshops, virtual modules and interactive labs give professionals the opportunity to experience new technologies in practical settings and to learn in real time. When training is tied to real-world use cases, installers become more confident in the field, quicker in implementation and better equipped to troubleshoot and customise systems for end-users. The result is fewer costly errors, reduced client frustration and stronger trust between integrators and end-users.
By investing in ongoing education, manufacturers and distributors empower installers to deliver greater value and strengthen client trust while simultaneously driving long-term business success.
The Value of Certifications
Certifications serve as both a benchmark and a badge of industry credibility. For installers, they demonstrate mastery of technical skills, whether in network design, AV integration or security system programming. For end-users, certifications provide reassurance that the professionals they’re hiring are qualified to handle complex projects with precision and reliability.
Manufacturers and distributors can strengthen the value of certifications by ensuring they are recognised, respected and relevant. That means aligning certification programmes with industry standards while also updating them regularly to reflect new innovations and expectations. Certifications can also create career pathways for installers, giving them tangible goals to work toward and signalling to employers that they are ready for greater responsibility.
Additionally, manufacturers and distributors need to stay cognisant of industry challenges and potential barriers that can make achieving certifications difficult for installers. For example, the new Control4 Certified Technician programme from ADI | Snap One offers both online and in-person hands-on learning opportunities using a full suite of professional equipment and tools, including networking, lighting, security, surveillance, climate control, audio and video. By giving technicians the option to complete the training online or in person, we aimed to significantly reduce the need to travel or disrupt ongoing projects and allow technicians to become certified over time and on their own schedule.
Blending Technical and Client-Facing Skills
Installers are often the face of a manufacturer’s or distributor’s brand, so their ability to communicate clearly, manage expectations and provide a seamless end-user experience is just as critical as their technical execution.
That balance requires intentional and thoughtful training. Programmes that integrate soft skills development, such as communication, project management and problem-solving, help installers build trust with end-users. When professionals can explain the “why” behind a solution in addition to delivering the “how,” they become indispensable partners. As installers build relationships with end-users over time, they can more confidently customise and recommend various products and solutions based on individual needs, habits or interests.
Partnerships for the Future
The integration industry is at an inflection point. As we look ahead to global events, smart home expansion and increasingly complex security demands, the professionals who will succeed are those who embrace lifelong learning. Similarly, manufacturers and distributors must continue to provide the resources, certifications and development programmes that help installers evolve alongside technology. Strong partnerships across the industry and supporting the success of team members, customers and supplier partners alike is key to elevating the industry across the board.
From programmes designed for recent graduates entering the industry, to mentoring and stretch assignments that challenge experienced professionals, the industry must work together and stay committed to developing a generation of leaders who will pioneer the future of AV and security integration.