One of the problems with low voltage cabling in Florida, and probably throughout the country, is that the cabling is being treated more and more like a commodity and, as such, it has become more difficult to add value. Not so long ago, the communications infrastructure was almost always handled directly by the owner or tenant—and seldom was the cabling contractor under the purview of the General Contractor (GC). Over the past several years, things have been trending toward the GCs taking on the responsibility of not only the cabling infrastructure, but also many other disciplines that have historically been the owner’s responsibility such as security and audio/visual.
This trend has created some unique issues for low voltage contractors as well as GCs and owners. We often receive requests for bids from general contractors, but the construction drawings lack sufficient information regarding the cabling, security and definitely the AV scopes of work.
Too many companies are satisfied being just another low voltage cabling contractor and are content with submitting bids based on limited information—as long as they win the business, many couldn’t care less about the owner’s specific needs or the actual quality of their work. These contractors simply don’t provide much added value and are often the source of issues for the GC and the owner/tenant.
For example, when a cabling contractor recklessly submits a bid for a project based on little or no specific information from the owner, there are essentially two possibilities:
Blue Wave Communications is committed to doing things differently. We aren’t just “another low voltage cabling contractor,” we’re a dedicated team of experts committed to making our installations as pleasant and trouble-free as possible for our customers by bringing a white glove approach to our work.
Part of what makes Blue Wave different is our Core Values. These aren’t just words to us, we actually put them to use!
Any company can pay lip service to “doing the right thing” or “creating value,” but it doesn’t mean a thing unless they follow through on those values and put them into action on a daily basis. Here are Blue Wave’s Core Values for low voltage cabling installation work, and how we work to fulfill them:
At every level, we do our best to build a positive and open relationship with our customers. We make that extra effort to provide the most accurate quotes possible so our customers don’t have to worry about change orders. Our goal is to ensure that the job is done right the first time, while providing prompt, professional, and courteous service.
Here’s a true story of how Blue Wave went the extra mile to add value for a client that was based in the United Kingdom (UK) by making sure their low voltage installation was completed without a hitch:
Since the client was located in the UK and five hours ahead of us in Florida, coordinating all the work by phone and/or email made things difficult for them as well as the GC.
Once we were involved on the project, we visited the work site and quickly realized that there were many items missing that needed to be coordinated with the client, GC, and the EC before our work could begin. Following an extensive walkthrough of the facility, we provided a report of everything that needed to be completed to meet their move-in date. Armed with this information, the client was able to coordinate the request with the GC and EC to get things done on time and avoid having to delay their move-in date.
In the end, the client was very appreciative of us being there to act as their eyes and ears on the job site—even though that wasn’t technically included in our scope of our work as the low voltage cabling contractor. Instead of simply washing our hands of everything unrelated to the cabling work, we paid attention and helped solve an ongoing issue that would have cost the client significant time and resources to fix otherwise.
Curious about how we can help your organization on your next project? Reach out to Blue Wave to get a quote for a low voltage installation (or another cabling-related service) today.