Commercial Integrator June 2022 - 20

COVER STORY
support experts. That's part of protecting
the integrator's brand reputation. As Bittner
puts it, people who work for McCann wear
many different hats, but they all wear the
same color hat.
One option that McCann Systems is eyeAt
McCann Systems, operations decisions don't originate in the C-suite. Instead, the
operations group tells executive management what they need to do their job, and executive
management's function is to fulfill it.
best and brightest, " Bittner emphasizes. " We
want to use them to their fullest potential. "
Services Side Growing Rapidly
At the outset, we noted that McCann Systems
has ongoing interaction with virtually
all its clients. These services-based relationships
have various permutations - break-fix,
box sale, maintenance, remote helpdesk
and full-time staffing - to meet clients'
budgets and needs. " We take the approach
of asking, 'What managed service is right
for the customer?' " Bittner observes. " We
don't go to the customer with a pitch piece. "
That, of course, reflects McCann Systems'
aversion to doing anything in a cookie-cutter
way. And the formula is clearly working,
with the integrator earning 15% to 20% of
its revenue from services - a number that
grows every year. Speaking of growth, given
McCann Systems' view that the customer is
the project, the firm positions itself to grow
its partnership and its services offering along
with the customer. " We'll grow with them
from 30 people all the way up, and so does
their service need, " Bittner says.
For companies whose needs grow to the
higher end of the spectrum, McCann Systems
offers what might be called Cadillac-tier
offerings. Full-time staffing, an option that
ensures large campuses get the most from
their integrated technology, is a perfect example.
Bittner phrases the value proposition
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Commercial Integrator JUNE 2022
in the form of a question, asking, " What can
we do to augment your likely understaffed
department, and how can we help you keep
your systems running better? " Mike Mariano,
director of managed services, oversees
a growing team of 40 to 50 people who, if
the customer buys a staffing contract, will
staff the campus full time. And unlike with
general staffing companies, where someone
might drive a truck one day and be
your " AV expert " the next, McCann Systems
staffing is composed solely of trained AV
ing is AV-as-a-subscription (AVaaS), calling to
mind the Netflix, Apple Music and Microsoft
Office model. This centers on the idea of
moving integrated systems from the capital
expenditure (CapEx) category to the operational
expenditure (OpEx) column. According
to McCann, given that his firm works with
many cash-flush Fortune 500 companies,
" It's a very small percentage of our customers
that require that. " At this point, it's about
5%. But, for smaller customers, it can be very
attractive to get a fully integrated system,
with ongoing service and support, for a
fixed monthly payment. To that end, Bittner
says that every bill of materials or quote has
attached options, like leases, buyouts and
rolled-in managed services. Bittner notes
that the speed of technology evolution these
days makes AVaaS more appealing than
ever; it gives clients confidence that their
systems will always be at the forefront.
Living Up to Its Values
McCann Systems implements inventive
technology, to be sure, but it's also
forward-thinking in terms of caring for its
employees. McCann put it simply, saying,
From attention-getting resort brands like Foxwoods to prestigious growth equity firms like
General Atlantic, clients of McCann Systems are assured of attention to the finest details.
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Commercial Integrator June 2022

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