• Collaboration Technology
• Hybrid & Remote Work

How to Choose the Right AV Company for Your Business Needs in Canada

Summary:

• It’s imperative to work with an AV company who understands your business goals. Choose a Canadian provider who can create a frictionless, purpose-built system tailored to your needs.
• Canada’s biggest industries need AV solutions that solve mission-critical challenges. Look for a company that understands this country’s specific legal requirements and regulatory needs—and isn’t afraid to tackle complex jobs.
• Your AV company should be committed to building long-term relationships with your business, not just closing another sale. Strategic partnerships produce better results for clients and ensure you have access to expertise now and in the future.
• Full-lifecycle support makes it easier to adopt, maintain, and adapt your AV to changing needs over time. Look for a company that offers ongoing technical support and can help you upgrade your equipment when you need it.
• Technology expertise alone isn’t enough for businesses in mission-critical environments. Choose a firm that prioritizes reliability and ease of use so you can count on your system to stay operational when you need it.

AV consulting is a must for enterprise-level Canadian businesses. Working closely with experts who understand the market and have a vested interest in your long-term success is the only effective way to build solutions that are efficient, scalable, and future-proof.

Your provider must have the capacity to develop purpose-built solutions that minimize friction and evolve with your business over time. Vendors that focus solely on procurement are often unable to offer this level of support.

Follow the tips in this guide to choose a strategic partner that will honor the people at the heart of your organization, solve your most mission-critical AV challenges, and help you accomplish your future goals. Then, book a free discovery call with ET Group to learn how we can help.

1. Find an AV Partner Who Understands Your Business Goals (Not Just Technology)

AV strategy is not just about hardware—it’s about designing a seamless collaboration experience that gives people what they need to communicate and work together more efficiently.

From the equipment you use to the policies that tie everything together behind the scenes, your AV environment should align with your IT, workplace, and business strategies without forcing workflows or people to adapt. That’s why bespoke AV solutions are always better than blanket approaches—they’re developed to match your business goals and vision for the future.

Look for AV Companies that Lead With Curiosity

A strong AV partner will lead with curiosity and be interested in getting to know more than just the name of your business. They’ll proactively look for opportunities to honor the people at the heart of your organization and improve the workflows you rely on every day.

At ET Group, we take a human-centered approach to strategic partnerships that helps bring challenges, use cases, and workflows to the surface. While every partnership is unique, this typically involves some or all of the following strategies:

• Identifying key stakeholders and their specific needs.
• Scheduling regular opportunities to meet and discuss priorities.
• Gathering insights through interviews and direct observation.
• Analyzing any existing documents and current systems, including AV.
• Evaluating any existing technologies and whether they’re still relevant.
• Building key use cases, scenarios, and user stories that illustrate how people work.
• Working with existing IT teams to understand and adapt to infrastructure.

Taking steps like these gives us the ability to provide tailored guidance that brings your people, spaces, and technology together in powerful ways. We’re here to help your organization navigate the complex audiovisual technologies landscape, sure—but we also have your long-term best interests in mind.

See also: How Audio Visual Consulting Provides Key Support for Hybrid Environments

2. Work With a Canadian AV Company That Solves Complex & Mission-Critical AV Challenges

In sensitive sectors, AV technology does more than just improve the meeting experience—it’s vital for daily operations. Government agencies, healthcare facilities, disaster response centers, and high-risk command and control centers need enterprise-level AV solutions they can rely on that won’t leave them without options in the middle of the day or in a crisis.

System failures and cyberattacks can lead to data leaks, disruptions, and delays, which can have real-world consequences on the people these agencies serve and their staff. These are all examples of mission-critical AV challenges in sensitive industries:

• Hospitals: Insecure or unreliable AV can lock surgeons out of real-time imaging in operating rooms, prevent patients from accessing translation services, or disrupt virtual consultations. This can have life or death consequences for patients receiving critical care.
• Public Safety Canada: When disaster strikes, federal, provincial, and municipal agencies often use AV to collaborate on a response over great distances. A system that isn’t reliable or properly configured for real-time connections can disrupt communications, endangering lives.
• Financial Institutions: Companies like RBC and KingSett Capital operate in highly regulated environments and frequently handle high-risk information. They often have extremely specific requirements for what can and cannot be done over AV in their boardrooms and offices.
• Justice: Correctional facilities, courts, law enforcement agencies use AV technology for remote court appearances, security and monitoring, family visitations, defense access, telemedicine, and the delivery of educational programs. An unreliable or insecure system puts people at risk, slows proceedings, and may contribute to Charter violations of the right to a speedy trial.

Hybrid and multi-location businesses also have unique and mission-critical AV challenges to overcome, including the need to standardize meeting experiences across all locations. Companies operating here in Canada can’t get this level of customization or support from a one-off contract.

Look for Experienced AV Companies That Think Out of the Box

Choose a Canadian AV partner that has experience in sensitive industries and understands how the law affects them—but one with an agile approach to creating solutions. ET Group has a baseline understanding of common mission-critical challenges, but we also have the capacity to research sensitive issues or consult with legal experts.

More importantly, keep in mind that designing AV systems around complex sector-specific needs takes more than just a quick 10-minute conversation, and conditions typically evolve over time. If your AV company always seems like they’re rushing to close another sale or doesn’t proactively ask probing questions, something isn’t right.

3. Choose an AV Partner Committed to Long-Term Success—Not Just a One-Time Sale

Scalability requires foresight. Whether you’re expanding locations, upgrading meeting spaces, or adopting new collaboration tools, your AV provider should act as an advisor—not just a vendor selling a one-off solution or quick fix.

Strategic partners who want to see you succeed will work hard to develop a high-level relationship with your business and maintain it over time. They’ll have similar values, share common objectives for AV designs or projects, and be willing to help you strategize to reach your long-term goals.

Some providers focus solely on procurement and selling equipment, and that’s fine. They have their place in the market. ET Group sometimes works with these smaller and more local companies on large-scale projects and/or when clients need localized support.

But strategic partnerships are different because the focus is more long-term. Your provider needs to have a vision for how they’ll continue helping you achieve your goals over the next 5, 10, or 20 years.

Look for AV Companies That Want Long-Term Relationships

A strong strategic partner won’t disappear after closing the deal or installing your AV tech. They’re much more interested in your organization’s higher-level business goals and discovering how AV can help you operate more effectively. They’ll ask questions early and often—and listen to you when you give feedback or have something to say.

At ET Group, our partnerships often include:

• Strategic planning sessions with key stakeholders to align AV investments with business goals.
• Technology roadmaps that help you future-proof your AV solutions.
• Advice and guidance on emerging AV trends and how they might impact your industry as a whole.

Remember: strategic partners aren’t vendors. They’re businesses that have the power to help your organization think ahead, strategize, and make technology decisions that support your success.

4. Choose a Partner That Provides Full-Lifecycle AV Strategy & Support

Technology evolves at a blistering pace, and unexpected challenges can completely reshape how businesses operate. We saw this first-hand during the pandemic: organizations in even the most sensitive industries suddenly had to find a way to go hybrid to continue operating.

Full-lifecycle strategy and support ensures that you have access to expert guidance on your first call and every interaction afterward, no matter what the future brings. It starts with building scalable solutions around your vision and projections, but also includes tailored support services that extend the life of your AV and help you make the most of them along the way.

Related: Calculate the ROI For Your New Video Conferencing System

Look for AV Companies That Support You Every Step of the Way

To be an effective partner, your AV provider should proactively offer assistance with design, strategy, support, and optimization now and in the future. Look for companies that offer a full suite of services that go beyond just selling you cameras, microphones, or displays to include everything from suggestions and advice to rapid troubleshooting when an issue strikes.

At ET Group, we’re proud to create custom packages for clients with a high level of needs or very specific AV requirements. Our services include:

• Scalability-focused solutions that easily adapt to changing business goals or needs.
• Training and workshops to help your people adopt new AV tech with less stress.
• Ongoing system monitoring to detect and resolve issues before they impact operations.
• Regular software and firmware updates to maintain security, compatibility, and functionality.
• Preventative maintenance to extend system lifespan and reduce costly downtime.

AV systems should be an asset, not a source of frustration. A partner that provides full-lifecycle support can help keep your AV technology reliable, efficient, and ready for whatever comes next.

5. Partner with an AV Company with Expertise in Mission-Critical Environments

In mission-critical environments like healthcare or government, failure isn’t an option. Hardware, software, integrations, connectivity—it all needs to perform at 100% all the time, without exception.

This means every element in your AV system must be intelligently designed around your exact requirements and specifications. But it also needs to achieve this goal without jeopardizing user experiences in the process.

Our AV consultants have decades of experience working with clients in mission-critical environments where resiliency must come first. Depending on the client, we might help with:

• Backup hardware
• Network redundancies
• 24/7 monitoring services
• On-site or remote support
• Automated failover solutions
• Managed access controls
• Encrypted communications
• Secure AV network segmentation
• Regular vulnerability assessments
• Compliance-driven security updates

All of these elements are tailored to each client’s specific needs, meaning they won’t force you to adapt the way you work around your AV. ET Group works with an extensive network of technicians all across Canada, so getting help or hands-free coverage for tasks like these is also easy and stress-free.

Look For AV Companies That Aren’t Afraid to Tackle Complicated Jobs

A strong AV partner delivers reliable, high-performance solutions that support business continuity, security, and seamless collaboration. They’re willing to tackle complex jobs and projects head-on, know how to help you reduce risks like data leaks, and understand how to properly care for and limit access to your system.

ET Group offers comprehensive global coverage for clients in mission-critical environments. We can also provide real-time insights, eliminate headaches for your IT team, and generally make your AV simple and intuitive for people to use.

Make ET Group Your Technology Partner for a Brighter Future

Technology alone isn’t enough to drive transformation. To maximize the potential of your AV and plan for all contingencies, you need to partner with an AV company that understands the value of building close, long-term relationships with clients in mission-critical environments.

ET Group’s human-centric approach has the power to surface insights like challenges, use cases, compliance needs, and other sector-specific variables that affect Canada’s largest organizations. From initial consultation to procurement, deployment and ongoing support, our experienced consultants will lead with expertise and empathy to help you avoid disruptions and unlock the full potential of your workplace.

Let’s talk about what we can do to keep your Canadian business connected—contact ET Group today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Strategic AV Partnerships

How is a strategic partnership different from regular services?

A strategic AV partnership is a long-term collaboration between an organization and an AV solutions provider to design, implement, and maintain audiovisual technology that supports business goals. Unlike one-time purchases, strategic partnerships ensure ongoing alignment with evolving needs, better ROI, and a seamless user experience.

Why is a partnership better for businesses?

Traditional AV vendors focus on selling equipment and completing installations. A strategic AV partner will work closely with your organization to understand the humans at the heart of it, your workflows, and any sector-specific needs. Proactive consultation helps surface opportunities to solve problems with AV and help your people collaborate more efficiently from anywhere.

In short, when you succeed, we succeed!

What’s the most important factor in choosing a strategic AV partner?

Trust and a proven track record. It’s easy for providers to claim they offer cutting-edge solutions and long-term support, but that doesn’t automatically mean they have the capacity to follow through. Without proven experience, strong industry connections, and the right talent, even the most well-intentioned promises can fall flat—and potentially leave paying out the nose for technical help.

ET Group has been a trusted partner for enterprise-grade AV solutions in Canada’s most complex industries for over 45 years. Check out our work for organizations like Hydro One, Erco Worldwide, RBC, Cisco, and other special sector clients. Or, see why we’ve been awarded for being one of the best AV providers and workplaces in Canada instead.

How does a strategic AV partnership improve hybrid work environments?

A well-aligned AV partner ensures that meeting rooms, remote collaboration tools, and digital workspaces are designed for ease of use, reliability, and engagement. They help create seamless hybrid experiences by integrating the right mix of hardware, software, and human-centered design principles.

For enterprise-level businesses that go hybrid, this can be a complicated process. There’s a real need to ensure that the system is designed around the business’s requirements without jeopardizing end user experiences in the process—see how we achieve it here.

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