Q&A with PSNI Global Alliance Global Services Committee Chairman Ryan Cook

Cook, who is also director of support services at Delta AV, outlines his plans as leader of the new 16-member PSNI Global Services Committee.

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Q&A with PSNI Global Alliance Global Services Committee Chairman Ryan Cook

The PSNI Global Alliance recently named Delta AV director of support services Ryan Cook the first chairman of the new Global Services Committee, a 16-member group that will “leverage and standardize the integration, service and support of clients worldwide.

PSNI Global Services Committee representatives are internally responsible in their respective companies for post-installation services and support.

The new committee is responsible for the PSNI Service Certification requirements and testing, utilization of the PSNI global services member portal, review and evaluation of global standardized processes, training and new engagement support services offered through the network.

Cook recently shared his thoughts on the PSNI Global Services Committee and other industry topics. Here are some of the highlights of that Q&A:

Tell us about your route into pro AV.

Ryan Cook: Like many in our industry, I got an early start into general AV by helping out in whatever church or school I attended when I was young. Usually it was simple PA system operation/set/strike, but eventually I became somewhat of an early subject matter expert on PowerPoint/multimedia presentations so now I was setting up projectors, video switchers and scalers.

Part of my college experience was completed via Northern Arizona University’s newly created online degree program. Though still in its technological infancy, this experience would assist me later in understanding more facets to teaching untethered, classroom streaming, distance learning and the like.

While in charge of the production department at a large church in Phoenix, I was introduced into integrated control systems during a buildout project by a local firm. I’d incessantly ask the installation team questions about cable choice, DSP configuration, control system programming, etc. to the point I almost felt like I was part of the team.

Related: PSNI Global Alliance Develops Global Deployment Certification

It wasn’t long after I found Delta AV while visiting Oregon for my brother’s wedding. Delta had just started looking for people with a diverse background of experience to join their newly formed post-project services team.

I was hooked on the appeal of taking a life-long interest in technology, AV and finding so many ways to apply it practically. More than ever, I find myself feeling confident in what little I know, and passionate to understand the ever-changing landscape of pro AV in the ways I don’t.

What will your top priorities be in this new role with PSNI Global Alliance?

RC: Launching a new committee such as this carries the weight of so many hopes and expectations. In the immediate future, however, I would list my top priorities as:

  • Leverage the incredible knowledge and experience of the committee members to formalize standard processes, expectations, best practices, and deliverables between members as it relates to service and support activities.
  • Increase communication between members’ service and support departments to continue improving on accuracy, efficiency, profit margins, and our customers’ experience.

These priorities barely scratch the surface of everything I and the other committee members want to cover and discuss but this will lay the foundation we need to build a world-class network of service and support within the PSNI Global Alliance.

How will the lockdown affect the way you approach the job as PSNI Global Services Committee chairman?

RC: As Ken Blanchard says: “None of us are as smart as all of us.” The current lockdown has become a positive catalyst for me to engage and collaborate with others in new ways.

I find that in order to provide my customers with the best service and support, I must leverage my relationships with outside IT vendors, broadcast specialists and most importantly, fellow PSNI members and [Preferred Vendor Partners].

I want to emphasize that the PSNI Global Alliance is so much more than a network of companies to help complete a project in another city or country. It’s also about the invaluable knowledge base and experience each organization brings that we can mutually draw from as members.

I’ve won new client accounts because I am able to leverage the PSNI network to support out-of-state and out-of-country offices with the same high standards Delta AV provides. With fewer onsite support staff and a growing remote workforce, it’s critical to provide rapid response to issues that affect communication within an organization or municipality.

I’m working with multiple municipalities to modify or add systems that support a hybrid of in-person and remote attendance for city council sessions and court hearings. Another customer is looking to scale their webcast and webinar capabilities.

Where most of my project designs have traditionally revolved around a single-use concept, I’m now looking for ways of increasing scalability and flexibility. My customers are asking for systems that are even more user friendly (i.e. one touch join, occupancy sensor turns on a room, etc.), platform agnostic, and in some cases able to relocate a system to another space or office if needed.

I frequently find myself in uncharted territory and forced to think outside the traditional AV box. This is where PSNI’s PVPs is also a huge benefit to members. We’ve been involved with a national vendor who came up with a completely new option to help with logistics, QA, staging and purchasing. This worked so well for our project that this vendor is now considering this companywide.

What are the biggest opportunities in the market for you in North America?

RC: Expanding existing relationships and building new ones. I don’t have to remind anyone that uncertainty is a very real thing in this current climate and I’m seeing a trend where our client base is relying on the established relationship they have with their integrator for service, support and doing the right thing for them.

Our clients are counting on us to be there. This presents a unique opportunity to build stronger partnerships with our clients through trust, consistency, support and innovation.

I also see where customers who may have tried to DIY things for a long time now see the importance of professional integrators and are seeking out experience that’s needed to bring them up to speed and meet today’s challenges.

And the biggest challenges, outside of leading the PSNI Global Services Committee?

RC: The answer to this question has been changing almost daily since Q1 of 2020. Big picture, I’d say for me the biggest challenges relate to one word: aggregation.

Technologies and companies are merging and acquiring each other at such a rapid pace, it’s creating new challenges for smaller integrators to be able to provide the consolidated services and the rate and scope customers are asking.

When it comes to technical service and support, my clients have grown accustomed to the SLA they receive from their IT vendors, as an example, which usually includes rapid response, remote monitoring, or 24/7 support.

Additionally, pro AV technology has become so network-dependent, I find myself in unknown territory where the lines between AV and IT are disappearing.

This is an exciting time for AV technology but it’s becoming more and more difficult to compete with the larger integrators that are able to provide support from fully equipped NOCs, offices in key cities for faster response, and competitive pricing due to scale.

I remind myself that being smaller means I can still offer a personal touch, stay nimble, switch gears faster, and adapt on the fly in ways that our larger counterparts may not be able.

It’s an incredible time to be an AV tech when I can remote in and troubleshoot a client’s system on the other side of the country from my service van in a random parking lot somewhere in Portland, Ore. 

Tell us something about you that people won’t know.

RC: One thing that doesn’t usually come up as an AV tech is the fact that I lived in Caborca, Sonora, Mexico, for a short time as a kid and later spent anywhere from a few days to a month or more every summer while growing up in Phoenix, usually helping a church or humanitarian organization with an outreach or building project.

Too many stories to share and most involve scorpions, electrical systems that should not exist (but did), construction standards that didn’t exist (but should have), suspected cartel caravans, Federales, incredible street tacos, and some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.

My fondness for Mexico in general is probably why I honestly get excited when I get to engage with our PSNI members in Mexico and Latin America (and hoping I can travel to meet them in person someday).

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