Six weeks into the process of upgrading your church's audio system, you have a feeling that something is not quite right with the firm you have chosen and with whom you have contracted to do the job. The problem is that, with a contract signed, and equipment already ordered, the decision about whom you will partner is long past. While this situation is truly heartbreaking, it is possible to prevent it. Here are some signs that you should think twice before hiring a specific company to work with your church.
1) The process moves very fast. Usually, when an install or upgrade moves extremely fast, it is because the church either does not know or has forgotten the triad of technology truth (TTT): you can have your project done a) quickly, b) with quality, or c) inexpensively; sometimes two of these but never all three. When churches put pressure on integrators to artificially shorten the project timelines, bad results all around are likely on the horizon. A church needs to allow enough time both for the design and decision-making process to be healthy, but also enough time to get to know the company they are working with. However, when the integrator is the one rushing the process, beware: you may be finding yourself on a figurative assembly line where your project is merely the next pre-molded install. Regardless of who is pushing the process, the end result here is a system that poorly suits the church's needs and could represent a huge waste of money along with a likely huge amount of heartache.
2) The system designer does not listen to or seem to care about your church's mission and purpose. There is a fairly consistent and understandable disconnect between churches and many A/V integration firms – the companies do not love or understand the church. This does not mean that any firm hoping to serves churches must have a statement of faith or have “Christian fishes” on their trucks. But if the church does not have someone who can help them ask and answer the question: “How should we use technology to facilitate our purpose and how should we not”, the results at least in the long-term are likely to be less than God-honoring. This person actually does not need to be employed by the integration firm, but can be a staff member or committed volunteer within the church, or a consultant who can translate between the two sides. Both the church and the A/V firm need to be on the same page about the actual (not perceived) needs of the church and how to translate that into a vision for using tech which will drive any system upgrades or installations.
3) The company has no, few, or suspect references. If, when you ask for references, you are given none, stop right there and ask why. There are some times in which it may be appropriate to proceed with the firm; if, for example the company is brand new (in which case the principle person should have references that he at least knows what he is doing from the past experiences that qualify him). If you are given references, one of the questions you should ask is whether the person responding knew the main folks associated with the company before their project – if they grew up together, are related, or are members of the same church. If this situation characterizes all of their references, proceed with caution. In the end, trust is not built purely on reputation, but reputation can sure help you know who you are dealing with.
4) Equipment choices cannot be justified. If each piece of equipment has not been thoughtfully chosen, answers to your questions about them are likely to be met with poor answers. Beware of companies that seem to install the same system in every room, or are extremely loyal to a single brand of gear.
5) There is no discussion of the operators (volunteer or paid). If your operators cannot operate the system within their normal parameters, it has little value. Any company who is really attuned to this reality will be asking detailed questions about your volunteers; even wanting to interact with them in order to accurately assess where they are technically. Guarantees that “any volunteer can use it” could be a sign that they are not thinking helpfully about this issue. Volunteers are not all the same.
Installing or upgrading an audio, video or lighting system can be a long, drawn-out process. Your consultant or contractor needs to be supportive, responsive, and understanding that churches operate differently than nightclubs or corporations. References, relationships, and experience are all vital elements.
