CE Pro 2020 Resimercial Deep Dive Survey

1. How many years has your custom installation company performed work in commercial market settings (i.e., corporate offices, bars, restaurants, houses of worship, retail)?

• Less than 1 year
• 1 to 3 years
• 3 to 5 years
• 5 to 10 years
• 10+ years

2. How has your commercial market work fared in 2020 compared to 2019?

• Down 50% or more
• Down 21% to 49%
• Down 11% to 20%
• Down 6% to 10%
• Down 1% to 5%
• Same/No change
• Up 1% to 5%
• Up 6% to 10%
• Up 11% to 20%
• Up 21% to 49%
• Up 50% or more

3. How much do you anticipate your commercial market business growing over the next five years?

• No growth/flat
• 1% to 5%
• 6% to 10%
• 11% to 15%
• 16% to 20%
• More than 20%

4. In which of the following commercial vertical markets have you worked in 2020 or plan to work in this year?

• Bars, Clubs and Restaurants
• Corporate
• Education
• Entertainment (including large venue arenas, theme parks, etc.)
• Government
• Healthcare
• Hotels
• Pro Sound (e.g., live music venues, recording studios)
• Retail
• Houses of Worship
• Transportation (e.g., airports, rail terminals)
• Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

5. Which of the following commercial market product equipment categories do you install?

• Audio Components & Processors
• Audio Conferencing Solutions
• Audio Distribution Systems
• Unified Communication /Collaboration Solutions
• Architectural/In-ceiling/In-wall Loudspeakers & Subwoofers
• Venue/Line Array Loudspeakers
• Microphones
• Video Components (including Processors & Scalers)
• Video Projection Screens
• TVs/Video Monitors
• Mounts
• Videowalls
• Video Conferencing/Telepresence Solutions
• Outdoor Displays
• Motorized Lifts
• Touchscreens
• Building Management/Control & Automation
• Enterprise Networks
• Access Control
• Video Surveillance
• Mass Notification/Emergency Communication
• Projectors (entertainment, corporate and classroom)
• Projection Mapping
• Interactive Whiteboards
• Digital Signage
• Power Conditioning, Surge Suppression & Backup Power/Storage
• Cellphone Signal Boosters
• Cybersecurity Software (e.g., anti-malware, anti-spyware, firewalls)
• Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

6. How often do you install equipment that is primarily intended for residential use on a commercial project? 

• Never
• Rarely
• Sometimes
• Frequently

7. What percentage of your commercial projects come from the following sources?

Space Cell	None	1%-5%	6%-10%	11%-20%	21%-30%	31%-50%	51%-75%	76%-99%	100%
Referral from a residential client	Referral from a residential client: None	Referral from a residential client: 1%-5%	Referral from a residential client: 6%-10%	Referral from a residential client: 11%-20%	Referral from a residential client: 21%-30%	Referral from a residential client: 31%-50%	Referral from a residential client: 51%-75%	Referral from a residential client: 76%-99%	Referral from a residential client: 100%
Referral from a commercial client	Referral from a commercial client: None	Referral from a commercial client: 1%-5%	Referral from a commercial client: 6%-10%	Referral from a commercial client: 11%-20%	Referral from a commercial client: 21%-30%	Referral from a commercial client: 31%-50%	Referral from a commercial client: 51%-75%	Referral from a commercial client: 76%-99%	Referral from a commercial client: 100%
RFP/Bid	RFP/Bid: None	RFP/Bid: 1%-5%	RFP/Bid: 6%-10%	RFP/Bid: 11%-20%	RFP/Bid: 21%-30%	RFP/Bid: 31%-50%	RFP/Bid: 51%-75%	RFP/Bid: 76%-99%	RFP/Bid: 100%
Architect	Architect : None	Architect : 1%-5%	Architect : 6%-10%	Architect : 11%-20%	Architect : 21%-30%	Architect : 31%-50%	Architect : 51%-75%	Architect : 76%-99%	Architect : 100%
Designer	Designer: None	Designer: 1%-5%	Designer: 6%-10%	Designer: 11%-20%	Designer: 21%-30%	Designer: 31%-50%	Designer: 51%-75%	Designer: 76%-99%	Designer: 100%
Builder/General Contractor	Builder/General Contractor: None	Builder/General Contractor: 1%-5%	Builder/General Contractor: 6%-10%	Builder/General Contractor: 11%-20%	Builder/General Contractor: 21%-30%	Builder/General Contractor: 31%-50%	Builder/General Contractor: 51%-75%	Builder/General Contractor: 76%-99%	Builder/General Contractor: 100%
Online lead	Online lead: None	Online lead: 1%-5%	Online lead: 6%-10%	Online lead: 11%-20%	Online lead: 21%-30%	Online lead: 31%-50%	Online lead: 51%-75%	Online lead: 76%-99%	Online lead: 100%
Cold calling/Prospecting	Cold calling/Prospecting: None	Cold calling/Prospecting: 1%-5%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 6%-10%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 11%-20%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 21%-30%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 31%-50%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 51%-75%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 76%-99%	Cold calling/Prospecting: 100%
Manufacturer referral/lead	Manufacturer referral/lead: None	Manufacturer referral/lead: 1%-5%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 6%-10%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 11%-20%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 21%-30%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 31%-50%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 51%-75%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 76%-99%	Manufacturer referral/lead: 100%
Enter another option	Other: None	Other: 1%-5%	Other: 6%-10%	Other: 11%-20%	Other: 21%-30%	Other: 31%-50%	Other: 51%-75%	Other: 76%-99%	Other: 100%

8. What percentage of your commercial projects do you add insurance bonding for, either as a regular business practice or as a requirement?

• None
• 1% to 3%
• 4% to 6%
• 7% to 10%
• 11% to 25%
• 26% to 50%
• 50% to 99%
• 100% -- All commercial projects

9. Are you GSA (General Services Administration) certified to work on government projects?

• Yes
• No

10. What was your average revenue of per commercial project in 2020? 

• Less than $5,000
• $5,001 to $10,000
• $10,001 to $20,000
• $20,001 to $35,000
• $35,001 to $50,000
• $50,001 to $75,000
• $75,001 to $100,000
• $100,001 to $250,000
• $250,001 to $500,000
• $500,001 +

11. How many commercial projects (either new installations or upgrades) do you expect to complete in 2020?

• 0
• 1 to 3
• 4 to 6
• 7 to 10
• 11 to 15
• 16 to 20
• 21 to 30
• 31+

12. Who is your typical primary point of contact on a commercial project?

• Facilities manager/general manager
• IT director
• General contractor
• C-suite executive
• Owner
• Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

13. What is the average amount of time that passes between when you first are approached or bid on a commercial project until you start physical installation?

• Less than one month
• 1 month to 2 months
• 3 months to 4 months
• 5 months to 6 months
• 6 months to 9 months
• 10 months to one year
• More than one year

14. What is the average number of manhours spent installing a commercial system? (As examples, one technician on the job for one day = 8 manhours; 2 technicians on the job for one day = 16 manhours; two technicians on the job for one week = 80 manhours).

• Less than 8 manhours
• 8 to 16 manhours
• 17 to 24 manhours
• 25 to 40 manhours
• 41 to 80 manhours
• 81 to 120 manhours
• 121 to 200 manhours
• 201 to 300 manhours
• 301 to 500 manhours
• More than 500 manhours

15. What percentage of your commercial projects in the past 12 months were you able to sell a service or monitoring contract with? 

• None
• 1% to 5%
• 6% to 10%
• 11% to 25%
• 26% to 50%
• 50% to 99%
• 100% -- All of them

16. What is your average recurring monthly revenue/service agreement amount from a commercial project?

• $0
• $1 to $25 per month
• $26 to $50 per month
• $51 to $100 per month
• $101 to $250 per month
• $250 to $500 per month
• $501+ per month

17. What is your typical profit margin on a commercial project?

• Breakeven
• 1% to 5%
• 6% to 10%
• 11% to 15%
• 16% to 20%
• 21% to 25%
• 26% to 30%
• 31% to 35%
• 36% to 40%
• 41% to 50%
• 50%+

18. What is your biggest challenge in commercial projects?

• Competitive bidding
• Inadequate or restrictive RFPs
• Odd-ball hours required to do the installation (nights, weekends)
• Maintaining cashflow between upfront purchase of equipment and getting paid
• Ties up manpower for prolonged period of time
• Gearing up with enough manpower to install the project quickly
• Tight installation timeframes
• Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

19. What is your favorite part of doing commercial work?

• Larger projects, higher revenues
• No picky homeowners to deal with
• Ability to sell service agreements
• Easier installation (drop ceilings, less finish work required)
• More profitable
• Get paid quickly
• Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

20. Which method of A/V distribution do you think will be the most popular going forward?

• Centralized A/V with distribution using switchers in combination with extenders or cables
• Centralized A/V with distribution using networking gear for Video over IP technology
• Not centralized. Local sources &/or smart apps on displays only