Snap One announced the launch of Control4 Connect & Control4 Assist. The new software and support offerings improve end-user experiences while empowering U.S.-based Control4 dealers to provide superior customer service, increase profitability through recurring revenue, and encourage positive long-term client relationships.

Snap One spent more than a year developing the Control4 Connect & Control4 Assist offerings in close collaboration with 23 integrators, while also leveraging experience from thousands of Parasol customers and more than 100,000 4Sight subscribers, to ensure the services meet the needs of integrators and customers, are easy to use, and deliver in-demand experiences and enhancements.

“The smart living industry has been changing for quite some time,” said Graham Jaenicke, vice president of new ventures, Snap One. “The complexity of systems and reliance on software are greater than ever before, which requires more investment, maintenance and ongoing support to keep them up-to-date and improving. It’s not that we’ve shifted away from hardware, but that our hardware and software solutions must work together with an increased focus on interoperability to both assure success and deliver the amazing experiences customers expect.”

Jaenicke continued, “Cloud-based software offers both integrators and end users an extra level of flexibility by enabling remote installations, which reduces costs and can increase service speed and customer satisfaction. Additionally, products or systems that aren’t regularly updated with new features and functionality can seem less ‘smart’ and become less useful over time.”

According to John Heyman, Snap One CEO, the evolution of the industry is inevitable as it moves from hardware-centric to one more grounded in software and new software integrations. “The launch of Control4 Connect and Assist meet the business and experiential needs of this new emerging business model, one that represents a major opportunity for our partners, who can now more easily foster stronger long-term relationships with customers to drive greater satisfaction and increase profits,” he said.

The Control4 Connect software service enables essential features that keep customers’ systems up-to-date and secure, provides convenient access and insights, and ensures smooth integration with new devices as they are released, according to the company. Control4 Connect provides system control and functionality, while delivering in-demand smart living features such as voice control, remote access, Intercom Anywhere, When >>Then scene programming, system backups, on-the-go visibility and personalization of notification for mobile devices. Beginning April 23, Control4 Connect will be required for all new U.S. Control4 systems. For systems installed prior to that date, 4Sight continues to be available.

According to the company, one of the biggest advantages of Control4 Connect for Control4 dealers is that they gain multiple recurring revenue streams that they don’t have to manage: customers pay for the service directly in the Control4 app upon registration of their new system, enabling Snap One to manage billing and payment for partners. There’s no website to develop, no software to learn and no records to manage.

“By shifting away from a ‘sell it and forget it’ business model, custom integrators can develop long-term revenue streams to support business growth while deepening their relationships with happier customers,” Jaenicke said. “Snap One understands the importance of those relationships and encourages partners to build them. When integrators pitch custom integration as a service and set the expectation that the system installed will require ongoing maintenance and updates, they set the stage for a continuing relationship with the customer. The customer understands that their system may need updates or additional services to reduce complexity, stay up-to-date, and continue to support new features and functionality over time.”

Jaenicke continued, “Snap One has provided integrators with a slew of marketing assets, co-branded leave-behind material and more to help them explain and present these solutions to their customers. Having an open dialogue about the need for maintenance and support, as well as reiterating the value of software updates and system education, can help customers understand the value of Control4 Connect and Control4 Assist. Customers are often reassured when they hear that a manufacturer stands behind their product and is going to continue investing in it over time. Ongoing costs are commonplace for a variety of software-based solutions, and customers understand software as a service models, as they are presented to them daily.”

Snap One partners have said they have no issue demonstrating the value to their users. “In discussing Connect with my clients, there has not been a single client that has reacted negatively to it,” said Snap One partner Ed Gilmore of Gilmore’s Sound Advice. “They all understand the world is evolving and changing. They all understand software as a service models. This is presented to them daily. I think they’re a little comforted by the fact that a manufacturer takes their product seriously enough that they’re going to maintain and support it through software.”

Snap One partner Chris Bell of Bell Integrated Home Solutions, said, “Control4 Assist helps my technicians to not have to field calls for simple matters during the workday, after hours and over the weekends. It helps my techs stay focused on their daily task at hand and allows for uninterrupted after hours, weekend and family time for non-emergency situations.”